Healthy, Wealthy, and Wise
Election Day was surreal, huh? Now 2017 is rolling up and what seemed unimaginable is happening: Donald Trump and his family will occupy the White House. Thankfully, the peaceful transfer of power is the hallmark of our great nation, and we felt this to be a unique opportunity during the interim pause to capture a nostalgic photo look at the first year of Barack Obama’s historic presidency. It’s hard to believe that eight years have transpired. The country’s first black president and his family will be missed—to be replaced by our first billionaire president. Needless to say, the pendulum has swung.
I had a memorable conversation with Adyashanti, the spiritual teacher. His birth name is Steven Gray, and he was raised in a happy middleclass family in Cupertino. He never left his roots. When I first heard of him, it was said he had become enlightened at a young age, so with some skepticism I watched over the years to see if he would prove to be a flash in the pan. It’s been great to see his positive reputation slowly improve to the point of impeccability. He just doesn’t seem wired for the perils (usually greed and sex) that have led to many a downfall. He was clear and candid and spoke in unassuming detail about the steps of his personal and spiritual trajectory. I think you will enjoy the interview.
Also, I want to thank Mirabai Starr for “Exquisite Risk: John of the Cross and the Transformational Power of Captivity” and Tsoknyi Rinpoche for “The Meaning of Virtue and Virtuosity.” Equally, I am proud to be publishing Jennifer Dumpert’s essay “Dream Hacking: Oneirogen Alternatives to Intoxicants” as well as Dylan Hoffman’s “The Alchemy of Remembrance: Recovering Ourselves from the Past.”
I am grateful to our friends Urana Jackson and Anat Baniel for their respective contributions about the spiritual education of teens and the importance of waking up the brain.
We received lovely feedback on the November Gratitude issue. People enjoyed the contents and the Bob Dylan images. I know readers are rattled by the Electoral College and that the polls were wrong, but remember we have much to be grateful for. Enjoy these holidays.
We hope to see you at some fun events coming up. Yoga Journal Live is great at the Hyatt Embarcadero. If you get a chance to see Shen Yun or Cirque du Soleil, go for it. The Edwardian Ball comes to town for those who love to dress up.
Please patronize our advertisers—they are the ones who keep the magazine alive, and we need their (and your) support. Think of becoming an ad sponsor yourself.
We’ll see you in February for our Love issue. March is all about food.
Feliz Año Nuevo,
ROB SIDON, PUBLISHER AND EDITOR IN CHIEF