From The Publisher by Deverick Martin Last month, I wrote about several challenges facing me. One of them was my concern for our editor, David, as he faced open-heart surgery May 24. I'm pleased to report that all the challenges I wrote about have melted into blessings, but none so dramatically as David's situation. The speed and completeness of his recovery have amazed his doctors and inspired me: less than a week after his operation, he was off pain medications; 12 days afterward, he returned to work part time; as of June 21, he resumed his full-time schedule! Starting with an already always-positive attitude, David actively planned for and achieved sure and swift healing. I'm delighted to turn my column over to him this month so that he can share his remarkable and miraculous story with you. Gay Marriage? Absolutely! by Cat Saunders This is not an essay full of facts and figures. If you want to read up on the history of marriage and its long legacy of discrimination against one kind of people or another, you'll have to go elsewhere. What you're going to get here is a piece of my mind, straight from my heart. Actually, I doubt if anything coming from my heart can be very straight, since I'm bisexual. However, I promise you that this essay will be gut-level honest, no holds barred. I may be criticized for saying all the things I'm about to say, but that's too bad, because there's a horrible abuse of privilege going on in relation to marriage, and it makes me sick. Science, Spirit, and Indigo a talk with Lee Carroll story and photo by Steve McCardell So, you’ve wondered all along what Bart Simpson has to do with the New Age movement. I bet you didn’t expect to find your answer here. It turns out, ol’ Bart is useful for comparison purposes only. Lee Carroll’s spiritual seminar partner, Jan Tober, was once asked, "What is the difference between Bart Simpson and an Indigo child?" and Lee nods in appreciation of her response: "Bart will test and test a person until he or she breaks, and then will test some more. He’s out to create a problem. An Indigo, on the other hand, tests only until feeling accepted and honored as a child, as an equal part of the family unit." In Search of Transcendence by James Conti Years ago, when TV entertainment was cutting its teeth, People Are Funny was the name of a popular show. Gentle in its humor, it steered wide of today's aggressive themes and confrontations. But the show was always good for laughs as it recorded, in a sense, our convoluted thinking and antic behaviors. Are we any less laughable now? Do our technological gains reflect a corresponding social improvement? Are we any more self-aware? Consider that one of our funniest routines continues to be the effort we make to bleach our thoughts of dying. It is almost a cultural imperative. Who are we kidding? Collective Recovery an interview with Chellis Glendinning by Lorraine M. Fish photo by Lindsay Holt, II While it is not evident to all that Western society has, in many ways, failed us economically, politically, spiritually, psychologically, and philosophically, many are recognizing the need to reevaluate many aspects of our society. It is no longer viable to point fingers at individual behaviors. Blaming the criminal, the delinquent youth, or the drug addict for their actions belies the underlying reasons why many people do what they do. The recognition that dysfunction is first and foremost a social issue is what psychologist Chellis Glendinning elucidates in her book My Name is Chellis and I'm in Recovery from Western Civilization. Glendinning clearly spells out why it is essential that we reevaluate the assumptions, values, and the very structures of Western society. Indeed, a healthy human being is, after all, only as healthy as his or her environment.  Appointment in the Desert by John Hanson Just when I thought my visit to the monastery was over, Father Gabriel moved closer and spoke in a whisper, his dark eyes glowing beneath the cowl of his order, "I have one more thing I want to show you." His quiet words echoed off the Refectory's vaulted stone ceiling, "But it is not in here. It is out there. Out beyond our walls." His dark blue cassock swirled as he gestured toward an open window. Moments later the monastery's heavy wooden gates inched opened, and we left its sheltering walls, stepping into the scorching landscape of Egypt's Western Desert. Seasons of Life by Karin Pekarcik We all recognize the changing seasons of nature. Spring greets us with its fresh new beginnings. Everything starts vibrating to a quickened rhythm. Nature starts awakening to its inner beauty. Summer follows, with the fruits of what was begun in spring. Autumn brings forth changes within; leaves start falling from their source. Fruits sweeten. Winter completes the cycle. The fruits of the cycles past are harvested, and nature once again turns inward.   StarWatch by James Jarvis, M.A. Adding the universal year 2000 (2+0+0+0=2) to the 7th month of July yields the vibration of 9. The 9 month is a time to complete outstanding projects to free up and devote extra energy to your inner life. Take time for reflection and self-renewal this month. By nurturing the nurturer you can more readily dedicate yourself without reservation to serving others with compassion and devotion.