DSCN1118 | jaymichaelson.net

Jay Michaelson is an award-winning journalist, meditation teacher, podcast host, and author of ten books.

MENUMENU

Books
- The Secret that is not a Secret:Ten Heretical Tales
  
  The Heresy of Jacob Frank:From Jewish Messianism to Esoteric Myth
  
  Enlightenment by Trial and ErrorTen years on the Slippery Slopes of Jewish Spirtuality, Postmodern Buddhism, and Other Mystical Heresies
  
  The Gate of TearsSadness and the Spiritual Path
  
  Evolving DharmaMeditation, Buddhism, and the Next Generation of Enlightenment
  
  Redefining Religious LibertyThe Covert Campaign Against Civil Rights
  
  God vs Gay?The Religious Case for Equality
  
  Everything is GodThe Radical Path of Nondual Judaism
  
  Another Word for SkyPoems
  
  God in your BodyKabbalah, Mindfulness, and Embodied Spiritual Practice
  
  isHeretical Jewish Blessings and Poems
  
  AnthologiesAnthologies featuring Jay Michaelson
Articles
Multimedia
- Law/Politics/Religion
- Spirituality/Meditation
Speaking
About

DSCN1118

leaf on snow

Get the "Both/And" Newsletter

Recent Articles

A Surprising Inauguration Day Emotion

Jan 20th, 2025 in Both/And
Before I learned Kabbalah, I learned from David Lynch

Jan 17th, 2025 in Forward
Gaza ceasefire is the result of political machination — not Donald Trump

Jan 15th, 2025 in Forward
What We Do in a Nightmare

Jan 14th, 2025 in Both/And
What will my kid’s world be like?

Jan 6th, 2025 in Both/And
more...

jaymichaelsoninsta

Journalist @cnn @rollingstone @jdforward
Scholar @emory @harvard
Professor Rabbi Writer Dad
jaymichaelson.net
jaymichaelson.substack.com

I'm proud of what I and my community have stood fo

I'm proud of what I and my community have stood for, still stand for, and will continue to stand for despite the temporarily prevailing political winds.

An #inauguration day contemplation.

An #inauguration day contemplation.

"When I was a young adult, Lynch was one of my her

"When I was a young adult, Lynch was one of my heroes. In his work, he depicted the utter strangeness of the world we inhabit, teaching me to see in new ways. Like a Kabbalist, he peeled back the layers of reality to reveal hidden worlds. He fixated on the poetry (and often absurdity) of everyday objects: a steaming radiator, a hot cup of coffee. In many ways, he taught me how to be a mystic, which is how I most like to be a Jew."

Read more at @jdforward - forward.com.

The ceasefire was delayed by political machination

The ceasefire was delayed by political machination, and finally achieved by political machination. As if Palestinian and Israeli lives are just pawns in the game. New in @jdforward

In the newsletter this week: denial, anger, and ot

In the newsletter this week: denial, anger, and other stages of grief. Jaymichaelson.substack.com

One of the perks of parenthood is enjoying #dadjok

One of the perks of parenthood is enjoying #dadjokes unapologetically.

"It does seem very likely that the skills required

"It does seem very likely that the skills required to thrive in the second half of the 21st century will be very different from those of value today. A lot of the work I do can be done by smart enough machines, and they’ll be here soon enough.

And given America’s penchant for denial when it comes to macroeconomic change—witness ‘make America great again’—we as a society seem ill-equipped to handle such large-scale transformations politically, or to cope with them emotionally and spiritually.

At the very least, the information, culture, and “content” that my daughter experiences will be qualitatively different, and far less tethered to reality, than anything we’ve yet experienced. I assume it will become increasingly difficult to tell real from deepfake, and I assume that Generations Alpha and beyond will accept this as part of their lives, just as Gen Z has accepted always-online-ness as part of theirs. The massive squall of misinformation that haunts today’s internet will surely seem like amateur hour compared to what we’ll see in the next decade."

New in the newsletter - jaymichaelson.substack.com

For @myjewishlearningcom this week, I wrote a shor

For @myjewishlearningcom this week, I wrote a short essay on how uncertainty is a fundamental aspect of human life -- not some avoidable bug in the system. Link in bio or search the title to read it.

As a parent, I think about this every day. And a

As a parent, I think about this every day.

And as a child of parents who didn't have this insight integrated.

For ARC magazine, I reviewed the latest book by on

For ARC magazine, I reviewed the latest book by one of my academic heroes, Professor Jeffrey #kripal . I took a deep dive, assessing Kripal's embrace of the paranormal and startling (but also somewhat familiar) metaphysical explanation for how things like #precognition and #ufo sightings are actually real. Up now at arcmag.org .

At the end of each year, I like to compile a list

At the end of each year, I like to compile a list of the best works of art & culture I experienced. That list is up! At jaymichaelson.substack.com .

POV: Watching anti-immigration Republicans fight w

POV: Watching anti-immigration Republicans fight with the pro-H1B immigration Republicans, the latter of whom are astonished to discover that there might be some racism in the party. #thatdidnttakelong

In the newsletter this week, checking in on the el

In the newsletter this week, checking in on the elephant in the room....

jaymichaelson.substack.com

On drones, dread, and the nagging feeling that som

On drones, dread, and the nagging feeling that something feels off.

Today in Both/And -- jaymichaelson.substack.com .

Both simple and complicated. #conspiracytheories

Both simple and complicated.

#conspiracytheories #conspirituality

My take: Biden should pardon everybody. On MSNBC.

My take: Biden should pardon everybody.

On MSNBC.com now, link in bio.

Episode three in my series on psychedelics and spi

Episode three in my series on psychedelics and spirituality: the question of Biblical precedents. And perhaps an unusual answer.

New in jaymichaelson.substack.com

plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose

plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose

Part two in my mini-series on #psychedelics: on ri

Part two in my mini-series on #psychedelics: on risk, disillusion, and a more ambivalent embrace of the potential of psychedelic compounds.

In the newsletter today: jaymichaelson.substack.com

#psychedelicscience

Load More Follow on Instagram

Media Inquiries/ Speaking Engagements:

awalker@apbspeakers.com

Jay-Michaelson-face

Connect

Sign up for the newsletter

©2025 | Website design by Simon Abramson | Upgrades by Springthistle

Search for: