It’s June again, when the days get longer and the gardens are blooming. It’s a time for sunshine, BBQ, and, for many in the US, a time to march with pride in their local LGBTQ parade. The last Sunday in June was initially celebrated as ‘Gay Pride Day,’ but in major cities across the nation the ‘day’ soon grew to encompass a month-long series of events.

Watkins Books is an esoteric bookshop in the heart of London. Located just off Leicester Square, Watkins is a must see if you’re on your way to the museums or the theater. Established over 100 years ago, this is one of the world’s oldest independent bookshops specializing in new and antiquarian titles in the Mind, Body, Spirit field.

As the world watches the growing humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, we feel a need to respond with any help that we can provide. While several local churches and community centers have coordinated relief efforts, others are helping on an international level. For those who wish to help, we have compiled a few websites. Please note that Merlian News is not equipped to receive donations. Please use the list below.

Alive Inside is a wonderful new documentary that looks at the effects of music on people with Alzheimer’s and other age related dementia. Film subjects Oliver Sacks and Dan Cohen explain why music acts as a back door to memory, and share tips for enjoying music with the elders in our lives. This was one of the last projects that Oliver Sacks, noted neurologist and author, was working on before his death last month…

Happy New Year to all our dear readers, writers, and staff! We hope that 2021 is a year of growth, learning, and creativity. As Neil Gaiman said, “May your year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness. I hope you read some fine books, and kiss someone who who thinks you’re wonderful, and don’t forget to make some art – write or draw or build or sing or live as only you can. And I hope, somewhere in the next year, you surprise yourself.”

For many, simply putting food on the table has become a struggle. As reported in the Washington Post, the United States is facing a shortage of up to 8 billion meals in the next 12 months. According to the food bank network Feeding America, the result of soaring hunger amid the COVID-19 pandemic has led to increased demand at food banks.

A few years ago, Jeffrey Mishlove, PhD. restarted his groundbreaking YouTube show with a new name, “New Thinking Allowed” (video). Dr. Mishlove, who ran the original series from 1986 to 2002, interviewed more than 200 leading intellectuals, including Joseph Campbell, Jean Houston, Terence McKenna, Michael Talbot, and more. In his introduction to the new series, he explains his motivation for starting anew, as a desire to “leave a legacy of the best thinking out there for those who desire to understand who they are and what their potential is.”

We’re pleased to feature this wonderful interview made last month as part of a series for the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. F. Murray Abraham, actor and winner of the Academy Award among others, speaks with Julian Schlossberg, producer of motion pictures, theatre, and television, in a wide-ranging conversation between two long-time friends with first-hand accounts of working with Elia Kazan, Woody Allen, Elaine May, Orson Welles, and others.

Check out this wonderful resource: www.linkholistic.com Practitioners can share events, join the holistic directory, read articles and post questions to their experts. LinkHolistic is now the leading holistic professional and community site, featuring teacher events, practitioner listings, group support and holistic forums.