The Gate of Tears | The Robert Wright Show | jaymichaelson.net

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

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The Gate of Tears | The Robert Wright Show

Sunday, November 15th, 2015 | Multimedia, Spirituality/Meditation

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Recent Articles

Opportunism, Madness, Nihilism, and Terror

Apr 10th, 2025 in Both/And
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Apr 9th, 2025 in Forward
The Glass is Already Broken

Apr 3rd, 2025 in Both/And
Waiting for Midnight: A Quasi-Optimistic Take

Mar 28th, 2025 in Both/And
Letter to a Trump-Supporting Technologist

Mar 20th, 2025 in Both/And
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Some of the elements of this moment are new: the r

Some of the elements of this moment are new: the role of the Internet, the proximity of its darkest corners to the corridors of power, and the extent of the Trump administration’s unconstitutional defiance. But some is quite old. I was half-joking when I analogized the interpretation of tattoos to the interpretation of sacred symbols and signs, but only half. The human predilection to pattern recognition manifests first and foremost in religion, magic, and fortune telling of all sorts. We read the tea leaves, wonder at synchronicities — and if we attune ourselves to them, we see them everywhere.

Read more at jaymichaelson.substack.com

Yes, thanks for all the antisemitism-fighting. I f

Yes, thanks for all the antisemitism-fighting. I feel much safer now.

I'm headed to Madison, WI, tomorrow, April 24, to

I'm headed to Madison, WI, tomorrow, April 24, to talk about the cultivation of altered states of consciousness in Kabbalah, Sufism, Psychedelics, and the blendings of all of the above.

@uwmadison

Sometimes, I feel anxious about the fragile Americ

Sometimes, I feel anxious about the fragile American experiment in democracy, enraged that so many people are already living in abject terror right now, and equally enraged at the hundred million or so Americans who think things are going great.

Then again, it’s a lovely spring day, I’ve had a full day—preparing a talk on gender in the Talmud, finishing the final for my psychedelics class at Harvard, taking my daughter bike-riding—and it’s possible, for people with my good fortune, to still live pretty normally. Is this obscene, or human, or both?

Continue reading at jaymichaelson.substack.com .

What does CECOT say about us?

What does CECOT say about us?

Parsing the various motives of Republican scare-mo

Parsing the various motives of Republican scare-mongers terrified about losing their masculinity.

New at jaymichaelson.substack.com

Jewish law is clear: legal seriousness is essentia

Jewish law is clear: legal seriousness is essential, due process is sacred, and empathy is a prerequisite for justice.

New in @jdforward

V'im kol zeh, ani maamin ("And despite all this, I

V'im kol zeh, ani maamin ("And despite all this, I still believe").

#rebzalman

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about this teac

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about this teaching from Thai Buddhist master Ajahn Chah, quoted in Mark Epstein’s book Thoughts Without a Thinker:

You see this goblet? For me this glass is already broken. I enjoy it; I drink out of it. It holds my water admirably, sometimes even reflecting the sun in beautiful patterns. If I should tap it, it has a lovely ring to it. But when I put this glass on the shelf and the wind knocks it over or my elbow brushes it off the table and it falls to the ground and shatters, I say, ‘Of course.’ When I understand that the glass is already broken, every moment with it is precious.

There’s a lot in this teaching. It’s sustained me over the past few weeks, especially in the hard times. I wrote about it this week in my newsletter - jaymichaelson.substack.com

Today and tomorrow: I'll be speaking at the @emory

Today and tomorrow: I'll be speaking at the @emoryuniversity symposium on "Science on Spiritual Health," talking tomorrow about #psychedelics in religious communities. The event streams for free online, and features an all-star cast, if I may say so myself. Come join us!

https://psychedelics.emory.edu/events/sos-twenty-five.html

This is exactly my experience as part of the Ameri

This is exactly my experience as part of the American #jewish community.

#jewishlife

How will Republicans take away rights from gays an

How will Republicans take away rights from gays and lesbians? Here's how.

Another excerpt from the @state_of_belief . Full clip link in bio.

On @cnn recently, I was part of a panel discussing

On @cnn recently, I was part of a panel discussing the role of right-wing social media in the 2024 election. I suggested we widen the frame to talk about the meaning crisis, and how Republicans tapped into resentment but offered no real solutions, while Democrats offered real solutions but failed to tap into resentment.

This #ajahnchah teaching has been a guidepost for

This #ajahnchah teaching has been a guidepost for me over these last few weeks.

At this dire moment in American history, I find my

At this dire moment in American history, I find myself with a vaguely optimistic perspective — as long as “optimism” includes economic devastation, massive human rights abuses, and clear violations of the constitution.

Robert Reich calls this position “nauseous optimism.” I call it “Waiting for Midnight.”

read more at jaymichaelson.substack.com

Amid everything going on, I'm looking forward to j

Amid everything going on, I'm looking forward to joining the Providence Jewish community next weekend, April 4-5. I'll be talking about wisdom for the polycrisis, the spectrum of gender, and Judaism & psychedelics.

Signup links at https://www.jaymichaelson.net/events or at the link in bio

I've been thinking about this a lot. Right now doe

I've been thinking about this a lot. Right now does seem like an ending or turning point -- global nationalisms, AI, climate suicide. But then, people have always felt this way. What do you think?

Even when the news is bad, it's good to join @raus

Even when the news is bad, it's good to join @raushenbush and @state_of_belief to talk about "the rule of law and the chaos of MAGA."

Find The State of Belief on your favorite podcast app, or at the link in bio.

Back to quote memes for a bit. #ursulakleguin

Back to quote memes for a bit.

#ursulakleguin

Recently, I was talking with a friend in the tech

Recently, I was talking with a friend in the tech space, who told me that, in his circle, opinions about Trump are completely polarized: either this period is the end of democracy, or it’s the “golden age” (in Trump’s words). There is no in-between.

Since I actually know some of my friend’s pro-Trump friends, I imagined what it would be like to write them a letter. Not to send it – I have no delusions about persuading them – but to see if I could put my perspective into words. Read the result at jaymichaelson.substack.com

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