Nancy O’Hara
Editor-in-Chief

Living in the Question

This time of year is special for many of us and is often referred to as Holy Days. Easter, Passover, Buddha’s birthday and other “religious” holidays combine to mark it as a time to pay attention. Even if you’re not especially “religious” or on a “spiritual” path, the change of season from winter (and we have had one doozy of a winter this year in New York) to spring, if not “Holy,” can certainly be viewed as magical if we take the time to notice and appreciate the passage of time, the inevitable blooming of all things green, and the cyclical nature of all life.

Whatever our bent, it never hurts to take stock of where we’ve been, what it was like, and where we are right now, today, in our lives. What makes us tick as human beings? Are we spiritual beings having a human experience? What does happen when we die?

We don’t have all the answers to these questions, in fact we don’t have any of the answers, but we think it is always the question, much more than the answer, that is most important. So we’ve dedicated this issue to investigating some spiritual issues, meditation in particular.

Good Orderly Direction
Science is now confirming what meditation practitioners have known for more than 2,000 years: meditation works to calm the mind, soothe the body and foster harmony in everyday life. Our cover story, “Changing Your Mind in Recovery,” tells us what happens when we meditate, what science has discovered about our brain in meditation, and what some of the benefits of meditation are. Our second cover story “Prodigal Sons” introduces us to two people who after achieving sobriety returned to the religion of their childhood to help them live a “spiritual” life.

Most of us use whatever we can to make sense of our life and the mystery of it – even our addictions can be a low level search for “God” – but even Einstein said there were mysteries of the universe that he would never be able to understand. So let’s all take some time this Holy Days’ season to honor that mystery and live in the question.

Once again, in this our fifth issue of Together, we have some gems inside for you to enjoy, learn from and be inspired by. If you’re in recovery and have ever considered becoming a counselor to other addicts, Tom Sinclair’s article (here) may help you decide. Bobbe McGinley’s piece on gambling (here) sheds light on an addiction that’s not so easily recognized.

We hope you feel as lucky to read Judy Collins’ answers to our twelve questions (here) as we felt to interview her. She was as charming and gracious as you would expect from listening to her sing.

As always, we’d love to hear from you. Write to us, friend us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and join the conversation online.