Miracle on Elm Street
A happy reminder that hope still reigns in the worldJay Walljasper | November 2004 issue I am sitting right now in what I jokingly refer to as Ode’s Western Hemisphere Editorial Headquarters, a/k/a the back bedroom of my house in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. At least that’s what I called it Read More...
The world according to ubuntu
'I am because you are.' This widespread African teaching reminds us that you cannot be human alone. Tijn Touber | September 2004 issue The African equivalent to Rene Descartes’s famous dictum, “I think, therefore I am,” which is the foundation of much modern Western culture, is called ubuntu Read More...
The masters fall silent
The current generation of healers is only an "instrument"Tijn Touber | November 2004 issue It’s not all that much fun anymore to interview gurus, coaches, therapists or masters. When you ask them what they actually do, they say: “Nothing, I’m only an instrument.” And if you then ask how Read More...
A new earth, here and now
Eckhart Tolle offers us hopeTijn Touber | Jan/Feb 2006 issue Eckhart Tolle’s A New Earth is what you’d call the right book at the right moment. A lot of people are feeling a sense of urgency right now, as if something has got to happen—as if something must change before it’s too late. Read More...
Don't be overwhelmed by thoughts
Let your experiences make you happyTijn Touber | Jan/Feb 2006 issue The other day I was walking along the beach with a friend. The sun was setting and the water took on an orange hue as a fishing boat slowly glided by with a whole flock of seagulls in its wake. I breathed the cool sea air Read More...
The happiest man on earth
The Pope hung his own necklace around United Nations diplomat Robert Muller's neck. A North American Indian chief did the same. Muller still wears them both. Ode spoke with this unusual emissary of hope who has had considerable influence in the world. Tijn Touber | Jan/Feb 2006 issue When Read More...
Survival of the real-est
Authenticity is the word on everyone's tongues right now. More than a trend, it's a revolution that is transforming our work, our politics and our lives. Jay Walljasper | July/Aug 2006 issue Victoria Beckham, also known to the world as Posh of the Spice Girls, was giving a performance for fans in Read More...
The incredible edible landscape
There's a bounty of delicious food right under your feet--and in the bushes, and over by that fence Michiel Bussink | July/Aug 2006 issue They’re etched in my memory: the little sandy roads where I spent many a Sunday morning in August picking blackberries with my parents and little brother. We Read More...
Think global, act natural
Nature directs us to the best solutions for pollution and poverty. Ode sat down for a conversation with biologist Elisabet Sahtouris. Tijn Touber | July/Aug 2006 issue Elisabet Sahtouris has a simple message: Evolution is not a life-and-death struggle in which only the fittest survive. She says Read More...
Our families, our selves
Psychology and personal-growth movements are making a huge mistaek, says German therapist Bert Hellinger, in focusing on the individual over the family. Tijn Touber | December 2006 issue Spiritual growth and consciousness-raising have become nearly synonymous with individualism. Our isolated Read More...