The Soul Issue

Editors’ Comment

My soul is abstract. I don’t know how to define it. I don’t know how it exists. I don’t know what it means.

But in this abstraction, there are a number of truths that I have grown to understand.

My soul cannot be changed. It can be brainwashed and it can be manipulated, but it cannot be eviscerated.

My soul connects with other souls. It is a magnet,
committed to finding its singular match.

My soul is not restricted by the labels of the body. Race and size and gender are not barriers to its movement.

My soul can be channeled through my art. It can make music that communicates sadness, and passion, and anger.

My soul must be sustained. It is fueled by hearty recipes that have been written with love and passion and unique cultural history.

My soul does not need saving. It is inside of me. It is not dictated by a higher power.

My soul can experience thoughts and feelings that I cannot understand – concepts that I can only hope to grasp with my mind.

My soul is hidden. It must be uncovered. It must be unlocked. It is always prepared to emerge, always ready to shine through the veil of the body.

Read THE BODY ISSUE

Issue Contents

Upfront

• Shock to the Chakras by Gena Mangiaratti
  Reiki refreshes one student’s soul
• Environmental Ecstasy by Meagan McGinnes
  Spiritual bliss resides between hearth and Earth
• Praying the Gay Away by Jess Corbett
  LGBT advocates combat the myths of the “ex-gay” movement
• The Magic of Somatics by Kerry Tkacik
  Holistic healing techniques for the body and soul
• Rocky Mountain Soul by Abby Sophir
  A backpacker’s experience in Wyoming enhances connection with nature
• Seeing Past Gender by Ken Robertson
  Pansexuality’s challenge to the traditional sexuality binary

Ministry of Cool

• Rhythm & Soul by Francesca Toscano
  How a new class of singers embodies the old spirit of soul music
• Dishing Out History by Elizabeth Stoltz
  The Historical and Cultural Significance Behind Soul Food
• Can You See Dead People? by Kennis Ku
  The ongoing debate between ghost hunters and scientists
• The Psych in Psychedelic by Dylan Clark
  How psychedelic drugs can help you get in touch with your soul
• BuzzSexXx: Where Soul Meets Body
  I didn’t even put up a fight. I let you take me there. I watched my walls crumble, I watched you rush in and course through my veins with every movement, and I watched you slowly remove every last piece of my clothing.

Prose & Cons

• Connected by Danny Gessner
• The Diety of the Moon by Garen Whitmore

Sawdust

• Cubicle Worker Swears He Was Important in a Past Life by Merdina Ljekperic
• Roommate Holds Onto Sole-Less Shoes for Sentimental Reasons by Patrick Morey
• Local Teen’s Soul in Mortal Peril After Dying Hair Red by Catherine Fisher
• A Do-It-Yourself Guide to Horcruxes by Mia O’Brien

Seesaw
• Thinking About Inking by Seesaw Staff
  Buzzsaw presents a series of interviews featuring tattoos, the people who get them, and the specific reasons why we get inked.