EDITOR'S COMMENTS
This issue of The Caldron would not have been possible without the kind and timely assistance of my brother-in-law, Chuck Hord, and the computer wizardry of John Bob Wolmer. When my old computer crashed, Chuck gave me the computer that I am now writing upon and John Bob turned it into this powerful and speedy communications hot rod.
The theme for this issue has become "Beyond Politics - Consciousness and Social Change." I've come to see that politicians and politics will never change. For too long we have left the world to them, and they have obviously been deficient in inner worth, that is, they have been unconscious. Rather than recognizing their defect and doing something about it, perhaps trying to become conscious, they have instead focused their energies upon acquiring more and more power and prestige.
Today, we need to come up with a new paradigm for governing ourselves, one that will allow all of us to be truly responsible for ourselves and the world in which we live. We need to begin by focusing upon our inner worth, that is, upon our awareness of who we are and our place in the world. Doing this, we will become self-governing individuals. And once we have a clear idea as to we are, we will no longer need politicians and politics.
In this issue of The Caldron, in "Wisdom's Corner," Rachel Naomi Remen, M.D. tells how important it is to share our stories. She suggests that we return to sitting around our kitchen tables and sharing ourselves as we once did.
"BeHereNow" contains three interesting articles, as well as some very astute and humorous political commentary, mostly by Will Rogers and Mark Twain.
In "Seeds from Plot 509," Aspen Marks shares how she would like to see every home have a garden - for herbs, for vegetables, and for flowers. She feels this would help us to reconnect to that more earthy and nourishing side of ourselves.
Partha Pratim Majumder has gifted us with a sad and moving story. It is called "Life on Broken Wings," the wings being those of the flock of pigeons that the two characters - one a physically challenged girl and the other, an old and destitute man - depend upon to fly high.
"Mushrooms and Spirit" shares the results of an interesting study undertaken at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. The study demonstrates that the use of psychedelic mushrooms can have lasting spiritual effects.
Acid Trip is the first part of a book by Motorcycle Michael Sommers. (The rest will appear in the following two issues.) It is the story of how he was busted for selling acid and describes his time in prison. It's a very powerful and chilling account of our prison system.
In my essay, "Beyond Politics - Consciousness and Social Change," I suggest that if we focus upon becoming conscious rather than upon acquiring power, order would reign in our society. In it, as an example of how we can raise our consciousness, I share an account of a month long journey deep into my unconscious. During this journey, I used, at different times, both acid and peyote. The journey was an attempt on my part to reconnect to the hurt and terrified little boy I had been before I had died upon an operating table. I was successful in my journey into the darkness, and, as a result, I became a more whole and self-governing being.
"Wisdom for the Millenium" contains some good, practical advice. I particularly liked the adage: "Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck." I found it useful when my old computer crashed. These wonderful bits of wisdom are sometimes attributed to the Dalai Lama.
"The Wonderful World of Boys" is a hilarious commentary and picture essay, showing the joys and follies of our wonderful sons.
Eugene Marks, Editor