Healthy, Wealthy, and Wise
It’s hard to believe the holidays are upon us. Time flies when you’re having fun and publishing a conscious magazine—for 40 years, to be precise. We received many well wishes and appreciations for the 40th anniversary issue last month. Readers seemed to like the retrospective articles and the interview with Bob Weir. Thank you.
For this issue, I spoke with A. H. Almaas, a venerated wisdom teacher and founder of the Ridhwan School’s Diamond Approach. What a joy to converse with such a serene and sincere seeker. I hope you enjoy the interview.
I also spoke with Brant and Nico Secunda, who as father and son are carrying forward the indigenous traditions of the Huichol Indians. Brant has an unusual background, having migrated from New York to the Sierra Madres as a teen. His Dance of the Deer Foundation has been a longtime supporter of Common Ground. And now too we’re grateful for his son Nico, who I met last year and found to be very impressive—a bona fide shaman at 25. Good job, Brant—for a life well lived and for grooming this impressive torch bearer.
I want to thank all the wonderful writers who contributed to this thoughtful issue. Zachary Feder’s piece with the seven reasons we’re spiritually wealthy and financially broke is humorously sarcastic, but hopefully stirs the pot with helpful intentions. We have practical stories on how to Namaste the spiritual way, on how to say “Namaste” to the Grim Reaper, and for eight ways to celebrate the eight days of Hanukah, for example.
Thank you to Anita Moorjani, Kapil Gupta, and Elizabeth Wolfson for their respective pieces on the myths of fear, the virtues of truth, and the challenges of aging gracefully. I want to congratulate Kamala Tully for her essay about now Sylvie Minot takes her 5Rhythms Dance work to the veterans. Thanks too to Pierre Franckh for reminding us about the shape-shifting power of thought.
I think you will enjoy our holiday pictorial depicting light.
As the year winds out, I want to especially thank our advertisers, whose support has afforded Common Ground its longevity. If you enjoy this free magazine, please patronize our splendid advertisers.
2015 promises excitement. We look forward to seeing you at the Yoga Journal Live gathering in January at the Hyatt Embarcadero. Know that there’s a free-access marketplace there and many fun yogis meeting up, outside of the regular workshops and classes. Check it out between the 15th and the 19th.
Many cheers and blessings . . . to your health, your wealth, and your wisdom!
Gratefully,
ROB SIDON, PUBLISHER AND EDITOR IN CHIEF