The secret history of hallucinogens in Christianity
From The Intelligent Optimist Magazine Summer 2016 The authors’ anthropological journey through European and Middle Eastern churches finds evidence—hidden in plain sight for centuries—that challenges conventional views of the origins of Judeo-Christianity. An excerpt from The Psychedelic Read More...
A new look at an old book
From The Intelligent Optimist Magazine Summer 2016 We live by our stories. And our most important story, the bestselling book of all time, is the Bible, with an estimated five billion copies in print. The Bible, as a messenger of truth, has influenced millions of lives. And yet, as a new book Read More...
Courage is every day
Possibility Commentary From The Optimist Magazine Summer 2014 It’s easy to get pessimistic. We have large-scale terror attacks, the environment might have reached a “no going back” tipping point, and there’s always the next health crisis around the corner. In these moments, the critical Read More...
Humble Inquiry: Ask, don’t tell
From The Optimist Magazine Summer 2014 All too often, leaders think their job is to tell others what to do. But true leadership means asking questions. The other day I was admiring an unusual bunch of mushrooms that had grown after a heavy rain when a lady walking her dog chose to stop and tell me Read More...
Rock on Buddha
From The Optimist Magazine Summer 2014 By Elleke Bal Stay awake. Watch and reflect. Work with careful attention. In this way you will find the light -within yourself.” This instruction for novice monks comes from the Buddhist -Dhammapada scriptures, but such careful attention also applies to the Read More...
Optimism Is More Than Positive Thinking
Psychologist Elaine Fox believes optimism isn’t a choice, but a habit. She has some advice on how to develop it—because it’s not just good for you, but for everyone else. By Marco Visscher From The Optimist Magazine Fall 2015 It’s the perfect day for a conversation about optimism. Read More...
Living in the gift
Why we need to restore a sense of the sacred to the economy. Charles Eisenstein | September 2011 Issue Today, we associate money with the profane and for good reason. If anything is sacred in this world, it is surely not money. Money seems to be the enemy of our better instincts, as is clear every Read More...
How laughter meditation can bring you peace and joy
Max Christern | August 2009 issue Laughing is a group activity. "It gives you a feeling of solidarity," Dhyan Sutorius had already explained to me on the phone. That’s why he asked if I was interested in doing a short laughing meditation with the staff during his upcoming visit to Ode’s Dutch Read More...
Does God have a sense of humor?
| August 2009 issue After 10 years as a trial attorney in New York City, Susan Sparks was burned out. "I was so sapped of energy that I couldn’t do anything but quit my job and drop out of my life," recalls Sparks, 46. In 1997, she began on a two-year journey around the world to figure out her Read More...
How laughter can keep you on your spiritual path
Carmel Wroth | August 2009 issue Photograph: Money Sharma/EPA/Corbis A few years ago, I traveled throughout India looking for spiritual inspiration. Naturally, I wasn’t the first person to have done this. At all the temples, ashrams and holy mountains, I found crowds of Westerners looking for Read More...