“Pythagoras said that the most divine art was that of healing. And if the healing art is most divine, it must occupy itself with the soul as well as the body; for no creature can be sound so long as the higher part of it is sickly.” – Apollonius of Tayana

I found that quote in the Winter 2006 issue of Light of Consciousness, in an instructive article by Rama Devagupta, Ph.D. She writes of how “the last two decades have brought a sea change in how physicians, patients, the popular media and the medical establishment are coming to view healing and health.”

Needless to say, interest in the subject has exploded in a wave of books dealing with the mind/body connection—the theme of this new supplement series, Spirit. As I have explored the genre in preparation, I am reminded that “hope springs eternal,” and nowhere is that hope expressed with greater enthusiasm and commitment than in the works of writers who link the spirituality, healing, and relationship realms.

Angela Hynes in her survey of publishing on “The Physicality of Spirituality” observes that, “in the last ten years the world of fitness, health, and general well-being has transformed from one where the mantra was ‘let’s get physical,’…to one that is more encompassing of mind and spirit as well as body.”

Addressing the broader theme of spirituality, Brenda Knight in our lead essay reviews a range of “visionary publishing” in the mind/body/spirit realm that supports her thesis that “recovery has returned in a big way, folks are looking at health modalities beyond the mainstream medical options,” and that “we stand on the cusp of one of the greatest shifts [of consciousness] of all time.”

Buddhist priestess Mira Tweti interviews the founder of the Bodhi Tree bookstore in Los Angeles in her piece on “Seeking Another Way,” and draws a profile of books that explore interest in the eastern religions of Buddhism and Hinduism, as well as alternate paths such as Paganism. Tricycle magazine assistant editor Evan Sholle provides a sidebar defining the two great Eastern religions.

Amanda Ford writes in her article that “Modern love is complicated,” and she presents a selection of titles for building intimacy in relationships and a “love compass” before a relationship, during, and even after the relationship has ended. In her own exuberant book, Kiss Me, I’m Single: an Ode to the Solo Life (Conari Press, 978-1-57324-301-8), she concludes, “I cannot predict my future nor can I undo the mistakes of my past. All I can do is let go. All I can do is throw my arms open and exclaim, ‘Come to Me! Kiss me, Life!’”

In a lovely book by Mary Rose O’Reilly, The Barn at the End of the World: The Apprenticeship of a Quaker, Buddhist Shepherd (Milkweed Editions, 978-1-57131-254-9), she demonstrates why our Spirit theme requires an editorial supplement distinct from our Faith supplement. She writes, “What do we mean by ‘spirit?’ This is a question I like to ask. I do not know, myself, but I know its absence, which I discovered when our cat, Naoise, left his body in the laundry basket and departed for urgent business elsewhere.”

Welcome to Spirit.