By Alex and Danka Jack
Dear Friends,
We are delighted to share with you the premier online issue of Amberwaves: The Journal of Personal and Planetary Health. For the past 25 years, Amberwaves has been published in print as a quarterly newsletter, and we are now pleased to bring it to you in a fresh, accessible online format.
Our new design features a logo with an image of an awned grain. Awns—the slender bristles that extend from the kernels—concentrate the higher energies of heaven and earth. They help channel vitality, clarity of mind, and a spirit of peace. Our recent documentary, The Spirit of Rice, explores the health-giving qualities of awned grains in greater depth as well as the many personal and planetary benefits of this essential food.
We have also updated our Statement of Purpose, which carries forward the vision of the East West Journal launched half a century ago, where Alex began working with the macrobiotic community, including educators Michio and Aveline Kushi.
Statement of Purpose
We see humanity as a foreground figure set within the greater background of nature and the infinite universe. The environment is our true nourishment, and we are what we eat. By shaping our bodies and minds with whole grains and other natural foods in a spirit of gratitude, we remember our organic bond with the surrounding world—part of a common whole. We invite you to join us on this spiral voyage of discovery, whose origin is everywhere and whose destination is endless. Our staple fare is macrobiotic, our compass is yin and yang, and the horizon toward which we sail belongs to all humanity.
As part of Planetary Health, a small nonprofit educational organization, Amberwaves relies on the generosity and goodwill of its readers, supporters, and program participants. All basic articles and resources are freely available, and we warmly encourage you to share them with others.
To help sustain our work, we invite you to become a paid subscriber. Subscribers receive exclusive articles, complimentary books from Amberwaves Press, and special discounts. All donors of $35 or more will receive The Spirit of Rice, the companion book to the documentary film. Those in the U.S. will receive the book by mail. Subscribers from other countries will later this year receive them as e-publications.
We also welcome your comments, suggestions, and article submissions for future issues.
With warm wishes,
Alex and Danka
Donations are appreciated and are tax-deductible.