The Democratization of Enlightenment (Part 8): Western Enlightenment

Editor-in-Chief

Marc Gafni, D.Phil. is Editor-in-Chief of Spirit's Next Move, Scholar-in-Residence and Director of the Center for World Spirituality. He is a contemporary philosopher, public intellectual, a lineage holder in Kabbalah, and the author of many books including Soul Prints, a winner of the NAPRA Nautilus Award for Best Spirituality Book. He has several books in publication including Your Unique Self and Radical Kabbalah, which is based on his doctoral dissertation at Oxford University.

Executive Editor

Joe Perez is Executive Editor of Spirit's Next Move, Director of Communications and Scholar-in-Residence at the Center for World Spirituality. He has eight years of blogging experience and has seen two of his blogs published as books including Soulfully Gay, a pioneering Integral Spirituality memoir. He is an Honors graduate of Harvard University, has studied at The Divinity School at The University of Chicago, and holds a certificate in Integral Leadership from Pacific Integral. He also blogs at Gay Spirituality.

Dr. Mariana Caplan is the author of seven books and numerous articles on cutting edge topics in Western spirituality, including the seminal books Halfway Up the Mountain and Eyes Wide Open. She has won three national awards for the Best Spiritual Book, and the COVA Visionary Award for Book of the Year.

Liza Braude-Glidden, MA, is a Los Angeles-based mystic in the market place, a community catalyst and author with a long history as a core team member and process leader in both nonprofit and for profit groups. Liza is Co-founder and Creative Director of Beanfields Snacks, a values based natural foods company with award winning taste that features beans as the main ingredient.

Sally Kempton, formerly known as Swami Durgananda, is recognized as a powerful meditation guide and as a spiritual teacher who integrates yogic philosophy with daily life. She is the author of highly acclaimed books including The Heart of Meditation, and writes the popular Wisdom column for Yoga Journal.

Hans Jecklin — Some 40 years ago, as an entrepreneur in music business, Hans Jecklin got involved in Jungian psychology, leading into a deep exploration of various forms of meditation, spiritual traditions and processes of inner change. His integrated experiences are the basis of his present work as a coach and mentor for conscious evolution in and beyond Switzerland. Hans, the author of two books including A New Spirit in Business, is an initiator of Global Spirituality.

Kristen Ulmer has been named by Women’s Sports and Fitness Magazine as the most extreme woman athlete in North America. She is a pioneer in big mountain (extreme) skiing and was, for about a dozen years, named the best overall woman skier in the world by the media and her industry peers. She is also a popular speaker, television show host, and sports journalist.