Sally Kempton Explained

Sally Kempton
Birth Date:15 January 1943
Birth Place:Manhattan, New York, U.S.
Death Place:Carmel Valley, California, U.S.
Occupation:Swami, journalist, meditation teacher
Alma Mater:Sarah Lawrence College
Father:Murray Kempton

Sally Kempton (January 15, 1943 – July 10, 2023), also known as Swami Durgananda, was an American swami, journalist, radical feminist, and meditation teacher.[1]

Early life and education

Sally Kempton was born on January 15, 1943, in Manhattan. Her father was Murray Kempton.[2] She was the oldest of five children and spent her formative years in Princeton, New Jersey. She attended Sarah Lawrence College, influenced by her boyfriend's perception of the institution's femininity. Her parents divorced when she was in college. As a student, she co-edited a magazine parody, The Establishment.[1]

Career

After graduation, Kempton started her career as a journalist and wrote articles for the Village Voice, Esquire, and The New York Times, on counterculture-related topics.[1] [3] She reported her first euphoric experience occurring in her West Village apartment, during a psychedelic encounter accompanied by the Grateful Dead's "Ripple".[1]

Kempton was also a member of the New York Radical Feminists and advocated for women's rights.[1] Her article "Cutting Loose", originally published in Esquire in July 1970, which critiqued societal gender norms, garnered significant attention.[1]

In the years following the Esquire piece, Kempton turned her focus to engaging with eastern spiritual practice. In 1974 set met the Indian mystic, Swami Muktananda, or Baba, the leader of the Siddha Yoga movement,[1] [3] and shortly thereafter moved into his ashram. In 1982, she became a Siddha Yoga swami, and was given the name Swami Durgananda.[1]

In 2002, after spending 28 years in Siddha Yoga ashrams, Kempton gave up her vows as a swami and moved to Carmel, California. In the subsequent years, she traveled extensively teaching meditation and spiritual philosophy, and wrote two books on these subjects. For several years she wrote regular articles on spirituality for the Yoga Journal. She died on July 10, 2023, at the age of 80.[1]

Bibliography

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Sally Kempton, Rising Star Journalist Turned Swami, Dies at 80. . July 16, 2023.
  2. Web site: The Edge Walker: How Sally Kempton Bridges Worlds; Psychology Today. www.psychologytoday.com.
  3. Web site: Sally Kempton Obituary, What Happened To Sally Kempton? – News. July 11, 2023. Fresherslive.