The Endless Vows
"There are four vows we can practice in any given moment that will return us to what matters, that will return us to ourselves and each other. They are simple and always in reach, though they require everything from us. They are the utterances: help, thank you, I'm sorry, and I love you." Poet Mark Nepo shares more in this piece from Parabola magazine.... posted on Oct 28, 2457 reads

Beware the Fairy Host
"In Ireland, Halloween (Samhain) is a major temporal hingewhen the year turns from light to dark, and the boundary between the living and dead, the fantastic and the mundane, grows gossamer thin. Orion's science editor, Natalie Middleton, caught up with Jonny Dillon, archivist of the National Folklore Collection at the University College of Dublin to find out what fairies can teach us about naviga... posted on Nov 2, 1990 reads

The End is an Illusion
The uplifting words and music of Jont are accompanied by a heart warming video display of loving connections, providing a healing combination of "medicine the world needs right now." With the focus on a sense of belonging and living fully, it is a joyous reminder that "connecting to the love will keep us safe and we will be just fine. We will be just fine."... posted on Nov 3, 2430 reads

Passing Through the Storm
"What does it mean to be a person? Inevitably we think of people as individuals. A Google search supported by an experimental generative AI defines personhood as a state of being characterized by properties including intelligence, the capacity to speak a language, creativity, the ability to make moral judgments, consciousness, a soul, self-awareness. A person, Googles A.I. informed me, is also det... posted on Nov 4, 2052 reads

The Edge of the Sacred
"The idea of sacredness tends to come up often in my work. What anoints something as sacred? Its a question I often receive as a Din poet talking to audiences across the country. But its a subject I feel I cant talk to, because that kind of esoteric knowledge is unreachable. Not in the sense that I cant learn it, because I can. Its unreachable in the sense that perhaps I am not ready to learn it, ... posted on Nov 9, 1574 reads

Could Creativity Transform Medicine?
"Medicine has a "creativity problem," Emily Peters says, and too many people working in health care are resigned to the status quo, the dehumanizing bureaucracy. That's why it's time to call in the artists, she argues, the people with the skills to envision a radically better future. In her new book, Artists Remaking Medicine, Peters collaborated with artists, writers and musicians, including some... posted on Nov 15, 1501 reads

Metaphors of Movement
"In his 1914 poem The Best Friend, the Welsh poet and occasional vagabond W.H. Davies pondered a timeless question: Now shall I walk, or should I ride? This seemingly simple dilemma encapsulates the modern industrial choice between slow-paced ageless wandering on foot or embracing the thrill of motorized transport, along with the attendant speed and freedom it offers, which has become such an inte... posted on Nov 22, 2711 reads

Grateful: A Love Song to the World
Musicians Nimo Patel and Daniel Nahmod brought together dozens of people from around the world to create this beautiful, heart-opening melody. Inspired by the 21-Day Gratitude Challenge, the song is a celebration of our spirit and all that is a blessing in life. For the 21 Days, over 11,000 participants from 118 countries learned that gratefulness is a habit cultivated consciously and a muscle bui... posted on Nov 23, 3917 reads

The Man Who Made Lonesome George Less Lonely
"In the middle of the Pacific the black, volcanic ruins of Pinta Island were once dotted by thousands of "living rocks," Galpagos tortoises chomping prickly cacti, hatching their babies, slowly chasing the equatorial sun. But the island was stripped bare over the 19th century, as hungry whalers discovered that they could be stored as fresh meat for a year without food or water in their ships' hold... posted on Dec 4, 1837 reads

The Unlikely Success of Wingspan
"We begin by angling a lamp toward the wall, allowing just the perfect amount of warm light to fall on the table. Windows are flung open, inviting the night air inside. Then, the careful act of removing each bag, box, and card. We fill clear, shallow bowls with small pastel eggseasily mistaken for Cadburys at first glance. Other bowls brim with cardboard tokens. And as I neatly unfold each players... posted on Dec 7, 2187 reads

10 Insights of 2023 from the Science of a Meaningful Life
Step into 2024 with fresh scientific insights on cultivating a meaningful life. The past year has brought forth intriguing studies on the power of compassion, kindness, gratitude, awe and intellectual humility. Merging cultural sensitivity into happiness measurement, academics have opened our perspective, challenging us to rethink our understanding of global happiness. Did you know your acts of ki... posted on Dec 19, 4745 reads

Perseverance: Nasa's Mars Rover Celebrates 1,000 Days Of Science
Recently, NASA's Perseverance rover has hit a major milestone, celebrating 1,000 Martian days of scientific exploration. In that time, it's managed to survey an ancient crater lake and gather rock samples that could be clues to past life on Mars. But its mission is far from over, as the rover now faces the challenge of returning these invaluable samples to Earth. Perseverance has thus far collecte... posted on Jan 2, 1190 reads

Why Meeting Another's Gaze Is So Powerful
You've done it at a job interview. When giving a presentation. While tucking in children at night. Or when sharing a meal with a loved one. The power of eye contact stretches far beyond cinematic romance. A growing body of research from psychologists and neuroscientists find that when we make eye contact with someone, our brains unconsciously kick into overdrive. During this seemingly simple human... posted on Jan 9, 2379 reads

The Great-Grandmother Who Goes To Primary School
Salima Khan, a 92-year-old great-grandmother affectionately known as Amma, is challenging stereotypes one letter at a time at the Chawli primary school in Bulandshahr, Northern India. Despite struggles with walking and cataracts, she has become a beacon of hope in an area where about 30% of women are illiterate, inspiring women of all ages to enroll in school. "The teacher taught me everything." s... posted on Jan 19, 1725 reads

The Bizarre Genius of a Brainless Blob
Meet Physarum polycephalum, better known as the slime mold, that's been here on Earth for more than 500 million years. This brainless, single-celled organism may lack brains but compensates with a level of intelligence that continues to stun scientists across the globe. Despite its lack of neurons, it's capable of complexities like remembering, making decisions, and recognizing itself. The slime m... posted on Jan 27, 2508 reads

Meet The Fanciful Wooden Trolls of Pacific Northwest Forests
Venture out to the U.S.'s Pacific Northwest for an extraordinary encounter with trolls -- not the kind that fits in your pocket, but immense, fanciful wooden sculptures scattered across the forests. The creator, long-standing Danish artist Thomas Dambo, spent a decade carving over 100 of these enchanting creatures out of recycled materials, materializing his environmental activism into art. "I wan... posted on Feb 8, 2603 reads

On Persistence: Conversation with Jerry Barrish
"I'd just gotten out of the Army and when I came home, I was looking for work. My father, who was a boxer, knew Mickey Cohen. And when Cohen got out of Alcatraz, there was a big party at the Fairmont Hotel. Jerry was there with his dad and ended up sitting next to the bail bondsman who'd bailed Cohen out. You should get into the bail bonds business," he told Jerry. "I was 22 years old. I didn't ha... posted on Mar 23, 1600 reads

Inner Worlds
"Each of us lives in many different worlds. There’s the world of work, the world of our family, and our inner worlds. These worlds inside are the ones we’re most responsible for, because no one else can take care of them. So we have to learn how to make them nourishing. If they’re starved, if all we can talk to ourselves about is how miserable we are, how impoverished we are, how... posted on Apr 8, 3444 reads

Knowing Our Power in Tumultuous Times
Even after dealing with extremely challenging pandemic and climate disasters over the past few years, Kelly O’Shanassy, CEO of the Australian Conservation Foundation, is optimistic. “The future is not a linear extension of the past,” she says, and sets about to help shape an exciting new future. A few things that give her hope include moving from focusing on symptoms to recognizi... posted on Apr 10, 2118 reads

Dancing with the Enemy
"I wonder if you all will find the courage to step out onto the dance floor and to dance with those who are our enemies," says Rev. Chaz Howard, as he invites us to look beyond our differences and tap into a space of being human. A soulful presence, the youngest ever chaplain of an Ivy League university narrates the heart-warming experience of his students from different religious settings coming ... posted on Apr 21, 3308 reads

Momentary Eternal: Conversation with Derek Weisberg
Without quite knowing why, I’d kept an eye on this young artist for years. Then, on a visit to the Bay Area, I felt the time had come to ask him for an interview. His response to my inquiry about what drew him so deeply into art making is telling:  “Art evokes life’s great pursuits - religion and the human experience, right? To be completely present in this longer, ener... posted on May 12, 1168 reads

The Sounds of Invisible Worlds
Karen Bakker (1971-2023) takes us on a journey into the hidden realms of sound that surround us every day. From the gentle hum of insects to the intricate melodies of underwater creatures, she celebrates the interbeing of auditory experiences often overlooked in our bustling modern lives. Drawing on insights from researchers and sound artists, she highlights the diverse range of sounds produced by... posted on May 18, 1308 reads

50 Eye-Opening Questions To Ask A Child
In a world bustling with distractions, nurturing meaningful connections, especially with the younger generation, requires intentionality and curiosity. This insightful piece delves into the art of fostering deeper bonds with grandchildren through the simple yet profound act of asking great questions. The article underscores how asking open-ended questions can transcend mere small talk and explore ... posted on May 29, 5120 reads

From Green to Health
Interested in boosting your heath naturally? Research highlights the direct connection between our health and time spent in green spaces: nature holds the power to reduce stress and depressive symptoms, to fortify our immune system, to lower our blood pressure and improve sleep. With low-income communities frequently deprived of such green spaces, this points to an untapped potential to address he... posted on Jun 3, 1263 reads

I Double Dare You
In a world brimming with jarring headlines and amplified messages of the ever-widening rifts across worldviews, a striking poem by Pavi Mehta unveils a tapestry of ways in which we are inextricably connected. "The edges of things are always deceptive / because we are taught to believe / in endings and beginnings," she begins, observing how "people like to put thingsin their places." Yet, the visce... posted on Jun 17, 2883 reads

Four Days, Three Nights
Lulled by a mysterious dream, Michael Marchetti was pulled to understand in mind, body, and spirit the experience of being homeless. For four days and three nights of May 2024, the former pilot surfaced on the streets of Austria's second largest city, penniless and without a cell phone, to literally walk in the shoes of those who have no address, by societal standards. Going into the experiment, h... posted on Jul 18, 3062 reads

Conversation with Michelle Esrick: Making “Saint Misbehavin’
It took Michelle Esrick ten years to make her intimate film about Wavy Gravy, “This was the craziest idea I ever had in my life! I was an actress and a poet. I never thought of myself as a filmmaker. But I’ve always lived my life following my heart, and I’ve seen that it pretty much works out. I mean, the good thing about practicing being awake, practicing being conscious, is tha... posted on Jul 28, 2187 reads

Circles in the Sand
Denny Dyke is a sand artist who creates elaborate sand labyrinths on the coast of Southern Oregon. He explains that he began creating them as a solo meditation practice “that I started years ago of kind of living in the now.” Over time, the freehand designs became quite a tourist attraction with hundreds showing up to enjoy them. He used to work alone, but now has a circle of volunteer... posted on Aug 11, 2515 reads

A Listening Room in Munich for a Restless Urban Society
A tiny kiosk of a building is open in Munich – not for consumption or business, but simply for listening. “Deep Listeners” welcome passers-by to do “nothing more and nothing less than to start a conversation.” A listener’s business card reads: “We’re listening. Everybody’s story. Every joy. Every sorrow. Every human being.” It is yet anot... posted on Aug 15, 2877 reads

Spiral Dance – A Conversation with Mary King
Mary King's journey into art was indirect. At Bryn Mawr, she majored in medieval, religious philosophy and also studied dance with Martha Graham. In art, she discovered a vehicle for giving form to her deepest inquiries. "I'm interested in the question," she says. "If you get the question right, then that leads to the next experience, which may lead to another question." It was like a spiral, more... posted on Aug 18, 1874 reads

Conversation with Bebe Barrett: Seen and Unseen
"Walking around a turn, I couldn't believe what I saw. A house, and its car parked in front, wildly decorated in hand-painted, blue script with a mystical flavor. The sight could not have been more surprising. I suddenly understood the woman's question: was I the man who had photographed her house?" What follows is an account of a remarkable encounter between two strangers -- an art magazine publi... posted on Sep 1, 1626 reads

Responsibility of Rocking the Boat
A 1976 industry article recommended: “Forget the pig is an animal—treat it just like a machine in a factory.” Gestation crates, so restrictive pigs could not even turn around, came to dominate. Laws for ethical treatment followed and companies declared commitments to humane treatment, but some did not keep their word. That led to the founding of The Accountability Board to hold c... posted on Sep 14, 1089 reads

15 Year-old's Letter to the Yard Across the Street
When her dad sent her a picture of pending home construction in what had been a vacant “yard” across the street from her home, a 15-year-old felt a sudden emptiness. She started remembering the coyotes, rabbits, deer, birds, a great pine tree, and amazing sunset orange poppies. She remembered playing with friends on a trampoline, and neighbors who lived next to the lot who brought gran... posted on Sep 18, 2796 reads

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Corporations thrive on publicity. One company has found a way to do this while at the same time raising money and awareness for kids in need. Traveling across the country, in a gigantic Kissmobile, Hershey's is raising a significant amount of money for the Children's Miracle Network and children's hospitals along the way.... posted on Jul 24, 1042 reads

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Your body appears to be composed of solid matter that can be broken down into molecules and atoms, but quantum physics tells us that every atom is more than 99.9999 percent empty space, and the subatomic particles moving at lightning speed through this space are actually bundles of vibrating energy.... posted on Oct 17, 629 reads

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Having been cut off from pesticides and other farming supplies, Cuban farmers have made the most of their situation and now lead the world in organic farming. ... posted on Jul 30, 704 reads

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Three dozen middle-aged rebels in business suits are gathered for lunch in a conference room on the top floor of the LaSalle Bank building in Chicago. They have come for sandwiches, and for spiritual sustenance, and before long they are floating radical ideas: Work less. Slow down. Stop multitasking. Listen to your heart. ... posted on Aug 1, 1070 reads

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More than just a pretty face, Models with Conscience (MWC) "operates on the premise that models are irresistibly radiant when their conscience is clear." Members of MWC won't wear fur and refuse to promote products that involve animal testing. Instead, they actively promote cruelty-free cosmetics, fragrances and hair-care products. Founded by model Heather Chase, MWC also donates a portion of i... posted on Aug 3, 1032 reads

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Remember when it seemed like the Soviet Union and the United States were on the verge of nuclear Armageddon? Well, things have changed: now we're sharing power peacefully - at least in space. The US and Russia celebrate the return of the space shuttle Discovery's first crew. ... posted on Aug 5, 793 reads

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Sustained positive emotion has been correlated with increased cognitive flexibility and innovative problem solving, improved decision making, creativity, job performance and achievement.... posted on Aug 8, 1058 reads

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An international award celebrates the daily victories of a determined woman born without limbs but with a will to succeed. Though every move of every day poses a challenge - from answering the phone to powering up her desktop - she's not much for bitterness or self-pity. "Your life is what you put into it," said Rindfleisch, fresh off a whirlwind tour of Washington and an audience with Preside... posted on Aug 10, 2148 reads

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People are resilient - and so is nature, as demonstrated by the surprising way in which ecosystems are flourishing and flowers blooming, in the aftermath of the devastation of the Mount St. Helens volcanic explosion. ... posted on Aug 18, 1255 reads

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Adam Cornell had every excuse to fail. Abandoned three times by his birth mother, he lived in seven different foster homes and had his heart broken by two failed adoptions. During his senior year at Woodinville High School, his adoptive father committed suicide. Failure, however, isn't in Cornell's vocabulary. A foster-child survivor, former Peace Corps volunteer and law-school graduate tells oth... posted on Aug 24, 743 reads

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On Sep 25th, in San Francisco, there was a stop-and-go traffic jam; one gentleman pops open his trunk, pulls in the emergency lane, and starts handing out free sodas as he watched car-goers frustration transformed into smiles.... posted on Sep 30, 1488 reads

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Roughly 100 million girls and women have undergone some form of female genital mutilation, and every year an additional 2 million are estimated.... posted on Oct 8, 408 reads

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Cars, trucks, and buses spew more than 12 billion pounds of cancer-causing and ozone-depleting air pollution each year.... posted on Oct 15, 608 reads

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A small San Francisco based group is collecting all the new and used children's books they can get and bringing them to small villages in the Phillipines where they are cherished! The program is called Books for Love.... posted on Oct 27, 485 reads

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Aaron Bianco was in foster care at 11 and lived through the worst parts of the Richmond neighborhood. He graduated with 3.9 GPA and is attending Princeton.... posted on Nov 22, 585 reads

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In Afghanistan, seven and a half million people face death in a matter of months. That's three times the number of people Pol Pot took years to kill. Thirty-five times the number that died in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, combined. If 5,000 died on September 11, we're talking the equivalent number of deaths to ten World Trade Centers, every day, for 150 days. ... posted on Nov 9, 901 reads

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What goes up must come down, but doing so took two years for Julia Butterfly Hill. She climbed up a thousand-year-old tree in Stafford, California and lived there for 738 days to protest the destruction of old growth forests and to keep the chainsaws away from the magnificent redwood she nicknamed Luna.... posted on Dec 6, 599 reads