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  • Spiral Magazine – Power

Spiral is a free publication from the Rubin Museum of Art. Our 2019 issue accompanied our yearlong exploration of power. We invite you to consider how power exists within and between us, as artists, neuroscientists, Buddhist practitioners, writers, and illustrators offer their perspectives on power.



Waking Up to Power Is a Spiritual Practice
By Kate Johnson
Alien-Nation: And the Voice of Shahidul Alam
By Rahaab Allana
This Is Your Brain on Power 
By Sukhvinder Obhi and Howard Kaplan
Art and Acts of Resistance in Clapping with Stones
By Sara Raza
Breath for Guan Yin
By Ching-In Chen 
POWER OBJECT: LISA ROSS 
By Lisa Ross
POWER OBJECT: E.V. DAY 
By E.V. DAY 
POWER OBJECT: BEN VENOM 
By Ben Venom
POWER OBJECT: KEMBRA PFAHLER  
By Kembra Pfahler
POWER OBJECT: JACK WATERS 
By Jack Waters
POWER OBJECT: SANFORD BIGGERS 
By Sandford Biggers
POWER OBJECT: MARINA ABRAMOVIC
By Marina Abramovic
A Light in the Darkness
By Howard Kaplan
Empowerments: Awakening the Buddha Within
By Scott Globus
Advice from a Mindfulness Teacher
By Ayman Mukerji Househam
Dao of the Dominatrix
By Katy Brennan
AFRAID OF DROWNING
By Saymoukda Duangphouxay Vongsay
Hear Me Roar: What Buddhism Can Teach Us about #MeToo
Lama Tsultrim Allione and Sarah Zabrodski
The Liberation of Tara
By Jia Sung
Accidentally on Purpose: Conversations with Monika Bravo and Youdhi Maharjan
By Elena Pakhoutova
The Struggle Itself
By Gavin Irby
Out with the Old: New Power Is Here to Stay
Jeremy Heimans and Aidan Young
The Power of Truth
By Donald S. Lopez Jr.
War Magic: The Wizarding World of Tibetan Sorcery
By Karl Debreczeny
Keeping the Faith: Religion and Politics Today
By William Dewey
Measures for Managing Rebirth
By Kenji C. Liu
Reckoning with Power in Public Monuments
By Anna Cahn
Creature Comforts
By Shamaness ChokBar 
Where We Believe It Resides: Power in Game of Thrones and Himalayan Religions
By William Dewey
A Trick, a Shadow on a Wall: Magical Means to Power in Game of Thrones and Himalayan Religions
By William Dewey
The Vision of the Prophet: Prophecy in Game of Thrones and Himalayan Religions
By William Dewey
You Win or You Die: Death in Game of Thrones and Himalayan Religions
By William Dewey

We would like to thank the many people who have made this publication possible. For a full list of acknowledgments, click here. You can also enjoy Spiral as a PDF.

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