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crawl right back under the covers. I don’t want to do yoga or eat
my lovely organic lunch or speak nicely to my sage plants or
work on the family finances with my husband.
Oh, darn… yes I do. Somewhere along the line, I made the
connection that simple, everyday actions like these are the key
to my happiness. They keep my world in balance and--along
with really good chocolate and a week or two by the sea--they
help me climb the jungle gym of life, one rung at a time. So I do
them--when I want to and, most of the time, even when I think
I don’t. This issue is about Alchemy, the kind that takes the
lead of our lives--the hurts and humiliations, the illnesses and
misunderstandings--and turns them into the glowing gold of
wisdom and experience. This kind of “spiritual alchemy”
requires special tools: time, self-examination,
experimentation... It requires a willingness to fail and then, to
try again. We may find ourselves stamping our feet in
frustration as we realize we’re being asked to knock an entire
house down to make room for another. But in the process, we
know we’re being are clarified and sharpened and, we hope,
transformed into something purer, better, closer to our true
selves. One day, it happens. We burst through limitation, stale
beliefs, and fear. One day, suddenly, we are radiant, joyful
beings, touched by grace, overcome with beauty, deepened by
wisdom. And then, like all peak experiences, it ends and we’re
back in our everyday lives--back to work and lunch, bills, quiet
conversations, and the simple, everyday things that, every now
and then, lead us to gold. In this issue, we ask: Can a serious
illness bring us gifts? Can doing the dishes change the world?
Does media coverage of global tragedy make us care more--or
less? What happens when a 50-year-old man retraces the bike
trails of his youth? We find more playing cards and take a walk
with Crow. We introduce a few new columns. And, on page 3,
we hear, for the first time, from you--our readers. I hope we’ll
continue to hear from you as we grow and change. I hope that
you’ll share As if.. Magazine with your friends. I hope that you’
ll subscribe. That’s how we’ll grow, one reader, one simple
action, one step at a time.
