FOCUS | From the Editor

LOVE BLOOMS in this Spring 2010 issue of PARABOLA.

If you go to the Internet search engine Google and key in the word

“love,” 1.5 billion web pages surface. Perhaps no word is more com- mon; yet no word commands a more central place in the great spiritual traditions that underpin our civilization.

In this issue, through the prism of those spiritual traditions, essayists and storytellers illuminate passions both human and divine in search of the most profound meanings of love; at the same time, others gaze at our world through the eyes of love—the great poet Mary Oliver, for instance, who in “Passing the Unworked Field” looks at Queen’s Anne lace, “hardly prized,” and sees a plant that “nurtures its white budlets with the/ gift of the sun,” making “for this world all the/ loveliness it can.”

Here is the astonishing tale of Mirabai, the Indian princess and saint who loved Lord Krishna above all else; and the captivating story of the cursed Lady Ragnell, source of the Shrek animated films. Here is a searching conversation with David Rome, formerly Chögyam Trungpa’s “secretary of state”; and, from China’s mountains, a talk with Master Minghai. And here too are clear and practical instructions on how to cultivate love and compassion, from esteemed Buddhist monk Bhikkhu Bodhi.

As compelling as it is to learn how to love, surely it is equally important to learn how to receive love, both that of our fellow creatures and of the Higher. The latter seems particular challenging: How does God manifest love? And how can we recognize that divine love, and open to it? There are no easy answers, but perhaps hints can be found in James Opie’s memoir with a twist, “Does Something Within Us Know More Than We Do?” and in our talk with philosopher Jacob Needleman, author of the new book WHAT IS GOD?

We hope that you enjoy this valentine of an issue.

JEFF ZALESKI