Wilderness Drum > Wilderness Magazines > Spirit and Preservation

Wolves have marvelous legs. The first thing one notices about them is how high they are set on their skinny legs, and the instant, blurred gait these can switch into, bicycling away, carrying them as much as forty miles in a day. With brindled coats in smoky shades, brushy tails, light-filled eyes, intense sharp faces which are more focused than an intelligent dog’s but also less various, they are electric on first sighting, bending that bushy head around to look back as they run. In captivity when they are quarreling in a cage, the snarls sound guttural and their jaws chop, but scientists watching pet wolves in the woods speak of their flowing joy, of such a delight in running that they melt into the woods like sunlight, like running water.

—Edward Hoagland

The magazines collected here are bound to be either exciting or irritating, depending on your point of view. What they have in common is that none is particularly well known. Few are carried by the large Web-based discount subscription services, so I have provided links to Web sites where you can subscribe.

Cultural Survival Quarterly This award-winning magazine is published  by Cultural Survival, a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting the rights of indigenous peoples and ethnic minorities around the globe. Founded in 1982, Cultural Survival bases its mission on the belief that the survival of indigenous peoples depends on the preservation of their right to decide how to adapt traditional ways to a changing world. Articles explore the interconnected issues that affect indigenous and ethnic communities, including environmental destruction, land rights, sustainable development, and cultural preservation. Each issue focuses on a central theme, and supporting articles cover news, resources, and notes from the field. In addition, Cultural Survival Quarterly reports on the latest releases of books, videos, and world music. Click here to subscribe.

Earth Island Journal The voice of the Earth Island Institute, this magazine provides thorough investigative coverage of environmental issues from around the world. First published in 1982 as a class project at Stanford University, and a quarterly magazine since 1987, Earth Island Journal has won numerous awards for its coverage of environmental and social issues. Consistent with its philosophy, the magazine was the first ”tree-free” periodical in the United States. Articles have covered ecological issues related to such topics as globalization, terrorism, nuclear power, genetically altered foods, pesticides, logging, and monoculture. Click here to subscribe.

EarthLight The focus of this magazine is what it calls spiritual ecology – the view of the Earth as sacred and of human consciousness as part of an evolving universe moving toward higher wisdom and awareness. The goal is to educate the general public and policy makers on the spiritual basis of ecological issues, and the need for an ecological ethic that will  transform the relationship between people and nature. You can get a good idea of what this magazine is about by looking at its board of directors, which includes Buddhist ecophilosopher Joanna Macy, mathematical cosmologist Brian Swimme, cultural historian Thomas Berry, process theologian John Cobb, and ecofeminist Charlene Spretnak. The magazine publishes articles, interviews, resources, and reviews. Click here to subscribe.

Herbalgram This magazine is the voice of the American Botanical Council, whose mission is to disseminate science-based information that promotes the safe and effective use of medicinal plants, and to educate healthcare professionals about herbal medicine. The magazine publishes articles on all aspects of medicinal plants, including reports of research, regulatory developments, cultural contexts, news summaries, clinical updates, and book and journal reviews. Recent features included a review of regulatory responses to claims of liver injury caused by kava, an analysis of the contents of a 500-year-old Native American bundle of medicinal herbs, an essay on the dilemmas of traditional botanical research, and a clinical review of research on the anxiety-reducing activity of gotu kola. Click here to subscribe.

International Journal of Wilderness Published since 1995, this scholarly journal links wilderness professionals, scientists, educators, environmentalists, and interested citizens worldwide with a forum for reporting and discussing wilderness ideas and events; inspirational ideas; planning, management, and allocation strategies; and education; research and policy aspects of wilderness stewardship. Recent articles, for example, have dealt with adventure racing in the wild, interpersonal and societal aspects of use conflicts, information about wilderness visitors and recreations impacts, a proposal to establish a professional society for wilderness stewardship, and an evaluation of Appalachian Trail hikers' knowledge of minimum impact skills and practices. Click here to subscribe.

Mountainfreak You have to take a look at this magazine. It is put out by a bunch of goddess-worshipping ski bum adventure addicts preaching the gospel of neo-hippie purity. It publishes articles on environmental and political news; stories about sports, skiing, telemarking, snowboarding, backcountry skiing, climbing, hang gliding, ice climbing, mountaineering, kayaking, and mountain biking; pieces on sustainable living, spiritual health, and alternative medicine; and fiction, photos, and artwork. Articles have covered UFOs in Ecuador, paragliding in Nepal, the spiritual meaning of hunting, and socially responsible casual clothing. Not for everyone, but definitely interesting. Click here to subscribe.

Native Peoples: Arts and Lifeways The goal of this magazine is to offer a sensitive portrayal of the arts and lifeways of the Native peoples of the Americas. An impressive array of advisors, both Native American and non-Native American, serve on the editorial advisory board, including former Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall; Tim Giago, Jr., publisher of the Lakota Times; and Ivan Makil, president of the Salt River Indian Community. Native Peoples is affiliated with numerous museums as well – the Heard Museum in Phoenix, the Institute of American Indian Art in Santa Fe, and the Harrison-Eitlejorge Museum in Indianapolis, among others. Articles deal with Native American artists and performers, indigenous cultures and history, books, films, music, museums, and markets. Click here to subscribe.

Pangaia Pangaia is an 80-page quarterly magazine that explores Pagan and Gaian earth-based spirituality in the US and around the world, with a readership that includes Pagans, Gaians, Scientific Pantheists, Quakers, Catholics, and others. The one thing they all have in common is a desire to express their spirituality in harmony with the natural world. Topics covered include ecology, activism, magic, personal development, shamanism, prayer, ritual, insight experiences, history, legends, mythology, God and Goddess lore, gardening, herbs, recipes, health, politics, humor, interpersonal relations, sexuality, interviews, and profiles of individuals and groups. The magazine publishes articles, fiction, fantasy, scholarly research, and reviews. Click here to subscribe.

Parabola This quarterly journal is devoted to the exploration of the quest for meaning as it is expressed in the world's myths, symbols, and religious traditions, with particular emphasis on the relationship between this quest and our modern life. Each issue of Parabola explores an essential human theme – rites of passage, sacred space, eros, addiction, hospitality, healing, peace, sadness, and the soul – through interviews, essays, and the wisdom, art, and myths of the world's spiritual and cultural traditions. Issues of the magazine have dealt with holy mountains, African divination, Celtic folktales, Navajo sand paintings, and Sufi teachings. Click here to subscribe.

Resurgence   When Resurgence started, it tackled issues that were only just filtering through to the mainstream debate. Articles were published on the endangered environment, renewable energy and ecological economics. E. F. Schumacher wrote regularly about the perils of chemicals in our food, the simplicity of Buddhist economics, and the strength of ”Small is Beautiful.” Over thirty years later, Resurgence continues to publish articles that are on the cutting edge of current thinking, promoting creativity, ecology, spirituality, and frugality. The magazine is edited from his home by former Jain Monk Satish Kumar, and has featured articles by such diverse writers as Wendell Berry, Annie Dillard, James Hillman, Winona LaDuke, The Dalai Lama, Thomas Moore, Barry Lopez, Edward O. Wilson, and Vandana Shiva. It is full of ideas about the theory and practice of good living – permaculture, community-supported agriculture, local economics, ecological building, sacred architecture, art in the environment, small schools, and deep ecology. Click here to subscribe.

Sacred Hoop Calling itself The Home of Shamanic and Animistic Spirituality, this magazine is the UK equivalent of the US Shaman’s Drum. It publishes articles dealing with shamanic traditions, practical animism, healing ways, earth wisdom, native spirituality, drumming and chanting, herbs, traditional tribal craftwork, and deep ecology. Articles have discussed animal encounters, Tibetan divination, foot and mouth disease, the magical lore of ravens and other corvids, the Saami people of Finland, peyote stitch beadwork, and integrative medicine. Click here to subscribe.

The Salt Journal This quarterly magazine covers culture, myth, psychology, and religion from a Neo-Jungian perspective. It brings together an eclectic mix of scholars, writers, and journalists including James Hillman, Thomas Moore, Christine Downing, Suzy Gablik, Donna Tartt, Michael Ventura, Saul Bellow, and Camille Paglia writing on myth, spirituality, depth psychology, soul, scholarship, religion, and spirituality. The Salt Journal is dedicated to ”revealing and healing the split of head and heart” and claims that it publishes ”scorpionic truth-telling in soulful stories.” Click here to subscribe.

Shaman’s Drum This quarterly magazine is largely the work and vision of its editor Timothy White. It boasts a distinguished editorial advisory board, including Jeanne Achterberg, Wade Davis, Ruth Inge Heinze, Stanley Krippner, and Luis Eduardo Luna. It publishes original field research, cross-cultural comparative studies, and personal experience articles on all aspects of shamanism, spirituality, and ecstatic religion, often by leading scholars and researchers. The magazine also covers news stories concerning indigenous peoples and cultural preservation. Click here to subscribe.

Wild Earth Among all the various environmental magazines, this one stands out for a number of reasons. Subtitled The Journal of Wildlands Recovery and Protection, it is published quarterly by the fiercely iconoclastic Dave Foreman as the voice of The Wildlands Project, which is devoted to designing and helping to create systems of interconnected wilderness areas intended to sustain biological diversity. The magazine presents the latest thinking in conservation science, philosophy, policy, and activism, and serves as a forum for diverse views within the conservation movement. Click here to subscribe.

Wildlife Conservation This bimonthly magazine is the award-winning national publication of the Wildlife Conservation Society. The magazine is devoted to wildlife articles and photography and to stories of wildlife conservation efforts around the world, with news articles, facts, and photos about rare and threatened species of wild animals. Articles have discussed war and wildlife in Afghanistan, tigers in the Russian Far East, new animal species in Myanmar, Chinese alligators, right whales in the North Atlantic – and, closer to home, the protection of jaguars in the Arizona desert and Mexican wolves in the American Southwest. Click here to subscribe.

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