Parabola's Summer 1998 issue: Ecstasy In our own lives we encounter many joys--sensual, aesthetic, and occasionally mystico-religious. These many voices of bliss, some husky, some delicate, call to us in various tongues, yet is there a common promise? What is this thing called pleasure, whence does it arise, and what can it reveal? When does it mislead, and when does it inform? If we do notunderstand these experiences, regarded as the most intense and illuminating of which human beings are capable, then how much do we really know about ourselves? --from "The Joyous Impulse" Cover: The Ascent of Muhammad to Heaven on his steed Buraq, guided by Gabriel and escorted by angels. Painting by Nizami, c. 1539-43 (Safavid Dynasty) British Library, London/Art Resource, NY In this issue:

• "The Necessary Note" by David Rothenberg - A music to concentrate the self
• " 'I Will Make Myself Mad' " by Kabir Helminski - Rumi's call to "drunkenness"
• "Kali Who Swallows the Universe" by Ma Jaya Sati Bhagavati - The Dark Goddess devours the toxins of the soul
• "Wise and Foolish Virgins" by Peter A. Kwasniewski - Testing our love of images
• "The Wide-Spun Moment" by Mara Freeman - Dancing on the edge of madness
• "Delight in This World" by Miranda Shaw - Tantric Buddhism as a path of bliss
• "Joy Beyond Words" by William Segal - Finding ecstasy in a quiet moment
• "Seeking the Transcendent" by Marvin Barrett - Sri Ramakrishna's experiences
• "The Door to Joy" by Irma Zaleski - Learning to live eternity within time
• "No Need to Listen!" - A conversation between Sun Yu-Chin and J. L. Walker
• "Unless It Is Wonderful, It Cannot Be Holy" by Ravi Ravindra - Opening a fresh eye to the world
• "Sudden Rapture" by St. Teresa of vÄvila - A vision of a higher level
• "The Joyous Impulse" by Thomas Kelting - Discovering another region of concern
• "The Goblet of Grace" by Martin Buber - Hitlahavut as the key to life

Tangents - Reviews

• "The Widening Gyre" by Kenneth Archer and Millicent Hodson - Jean Bv?rlin's Ecstatic Ballet Dervishes

Epicycles - Traditional stories from around the world

• "A Singer for Krishna" / North Indian - retold by D. K. M. Kartha
• "Semele's Tale" / Greek - retold by Natalie Baan
• "Fionn and the Silver Harp" / Irish - retold by Paul Jordan-Smith