Source: photo by Nickolai Kashirin March 10, 2015—Here in the Bay Area we may have a distorted picture of how much mindfulness meditation has penetrated the mainstream. It’s hard to imagine that another part of the country can out compete us for meditation centers per capita, or the number of people who seek out spirituality […]

Religious innovation can involve a kind of backwards adaptation, where lost rituals are retrieved and re-framed for modern times. It can also involve tossing aside interpretations that aren’t relevant any more. The latter is the case for some parts of Jewish law. Specifically, several passages in the Bible have long been interpreted as banning homosexuality, […]

For this special episode of KALW’s Crosscurrents, we spent the hour talking about spirituality. Radio personality and Spirit Rock Buddhist teacher Wes “Scoop” Nisker was our guest. The show also featured stories about an urban Native American sweat lodge and Marin wood carver Tom Killion. We played newly discovered tape from standup comedian Robin Williams. […]

Jan. 21, 2015–Through much of their history, Sunni and Shia Muslims have lived peacefully together in countries like Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq. But since the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, sectarian conflict has escalated in the region. Here in the Bay Area, as in most of the US, around 75% of Muslims identify as […]

For this special episode of KALW’s Crosscurrents, we spent the hour talking about spirituality. Radio personality and Spirit Rock Buddhist teacher Wes “Scoop” Nisker was our guest. The show also featured stories about an urban Native American sweat lodge and Marin wood carver Tom Killion. We played newly discovered tape from standup comedian Robin Williams. […]

  Feb. 10, 2015–In the dining room of her San Francisco home, Maria Eitz shows off her priestly attire — a beautiful red, embroidered stole. It’s the only accessory that distinguishes Eitz from the rest of her community. Usually, there is more separation, especially during mass when Catholic priests wear robes. Considering everything else, her […]

April 4, 2015—The evidence is piling up. In study after study, researchers are finding that mindfulness meditation not only promotes overall well being, but can actually improve outcomes for people suffering from certain conditions such as depression or HIV infection. The studies out of Carnegie Mellon University are another remarkable testament to how body and […]

March 11, 2015—This week, we’re focusing on meditation and recent studies that suggest it may be good for your health in all sorts of ways. _________________________________ There’s more good news for meditators. A publication out of UCLA suggests that meditation may slow down the aging process. Researchers at the UCLA School of Medicine and the […]

July 22, 2014—These songs were recorded while reporting for the story about Wilderness Torah, a Berkeley-based organization that is bringing Judaism’s ancient teachings to life. Music is an important part of the Passover festival that Wilderness Torah holds in the Panimint Valley desert, just outside Death Valley. Musicians were the first out of their tents […]

April 21, 2015—The annual TED conference invites some of the world’s most accomplished and eclectic thinkers to share their findings and visions with the world. This year’s lineup in Vancouver, Canada totaled 58 speakers and included one of San Francisco’s own — BJ Miller, the executive director of the Zen Hospice Project. Responding to San […]

April 21, 2015—The annual TED conference invites some of the world’s most accomplished and eclectic thinkers to share their findings and visions with the world. This year’s lineup in Vancouver, Canada totaled 58 speakers and included one of San Francisco’s own — BJ Miller, the executive director of the Zen Hospice Project. Responding to San […]

April 1, 2015—Creating new religions is something of a tradition in the United States. The most famous examples are the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and the Church of Scientology. Then there’s the guy on the streets of Berkeley I met a few years ago who told me about a system of […]

September 10, 2014–It’s intense in a sweat lodge. You enter a round structure, about five feet high at the center, and sit down on an earthen floor. The flap of heavy blankets closes and you’re left in utter darkness. Moments later, the leader pours water over hot, volcanic rocks. Like a sauna, thick steam rises […]

The photos below are of Samuel Martinez and his fire keepers as they prepare for a sweat lodge ceremony at his home in Oakland, Calif. They were taken by photojournalist Tom Levy. This was a small lodge, just for Martinez and his five firekeepers, who help him carry out sacred ceremonies throughout the month. To […]