It must have been 10 years ago that I first picked up a copy of the Edge newspaper. My first reaction to the publication was that its name was a misnomer. It should be called, I thought, the "Beyond the Fringe Newspaper."
It was filled with articles about "Tuning in to the Divine Within," stories about Wicca, features on alternative medicine and a lot of writing about different forms and styles of meditation.
Ten years later it's become apparent that either the newspaper or I have changed. It must be me, because the Edge still prints articles about "Tuning in to the Divine," Wicca, alternative medicine and meditation.
What's caused me to change has been the growing realization that there are many people with a burning desire to be spiritual yet have no inclination to be religious. To them, being religious means being part of the mainstream institution of a traditional church. Being spiritual, on the other hand, means discovering the God that dwells within each of us.
The April edition ofThe Edge features a fascinating story by Greg Levoy on The Power of Pilgrimage. In this case, not a pilgrimage to Jerusalem or Rome or Mecca, but the journey of two people, Ann Linnea and Paul Treuer. Linnea and Treuer decided to kayak the 1,200-mile circumference of the largest lake in the world, Superior. They decided to do it, not to find a spot in the "Guinness Book of Records," but to learn from the joys and the hardships of their journey, their spot in the world. According to Levoy, the months' long trip was a "rite of passage, a ritual we enact to help us cross over to maturity ... a movement from ignorance to maturity, from sleep to awakening, from being lost to finding our way."
There were other interesting pieces in the Edge; a short article by Petrene Soames about "Spring Cleaning Your Life," and a story by Carla Wessel Houle titled, "Praying Under the Cherry Blossom Tree." Houle spoke of angels and spirit guides that have helped her on her own life pilgrimage. The newspaper included a quite remarkable photo essay on "The Posture of Prayer" by Linda Lee.
A section of the newspaper lists upcoming events, ranging from a Rosicrucian workshop to massage therapy.
A few years ago I interviewed Edge publisher Gary Beckman. I remember him saying that the mission of the newspaper was to present a variety of materials that, in one way or another "explored the evolution of consciousness." His readers could decide what worked best for them.
I've deliberately not labeled the Edge newspaper as a New Age publication, although Beckman wouldn't quarrel with that description. In the 10 years since my first reading, I've learned that there's not very much new in New Age, or, as some prefer to call it contemporary spirituality.
After all, we learned all about pilgrimages in high school when we grudgingly had to read, in Middle English, Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales." At the time, saints and mystics like John of the Cross, Meister Eckhart and Theresa of Avila were trying to write of their experience of the God they discovered within, their spirituality was contemporary. Yes, Wicca is witchcraft, but its beliefs closely parallel the Earth Mother religion of the Native Americans.
Those who believe there is only one way to discover God might be very uncomfortable with the Edge. Those willing to explore and find their own path will find the eclectic format of the paper fascinating.
It's also possible that the crevasse that separates the spiritual from the religious can be bridged. The back page of the April edition of the Edge is a full-page color ad from Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church, inviting readers to attend "Original Blessings-Whispers of Resurrection," their Loring Park Easter Festival at The Theatre of the Women's Club of Minneapolis (Easter Sunday, 9:30 and 11 a.m.).
The Edge newspaper is available at no cost at hundreds of sites in the Twin Cities. For more information, call 763-427-7979 or toll-free at 1-888-776-7616. Subscriptions are available. The newspaper also has a Web site at http://www.edgenews.com .