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Introduction to the The idea of seasonal issues for ‘Gatherings’ came up almost immediately when we were deciding how often to publish. To me, it is particularly fitting that this first issue would be coming out in winter, since all natural things begin in this quiet, internal time of ‘becoming’… the seemingly dormant period of gestation that precedes the birth of every living thing. Winter is a time to take stock of what has gone before, to look at the ideas, attitudes, inspirations, aversions, etc. that have brought us to the point we are now, in order to ‘prepare the ground’ for what we want to see grow in the future. The I Ching, an ancient Taoist text based on nature’s cycles, describes the time we have just come through as a contemplative period, a time to ‘go inside’ to explore our own wisdom. Set at the midpoint of winter, the Solstice celebrates our faith and hope for the fragile new ideas germinating in this season's quiescence. As these seeds develop slowly, perhaps the challenge of this time of year, and this time in history, is to sit with the silence and accept that we don’t yet have all the answers. It is thus in the spirit of humility that we offer the first issue of Gatherings. In it we will be publishing current explorations into the fertile field of EcoPsychology- not as an academic template establishing the boundaries of this new discourse, or as ‘finished’ intellectual or political treatises, but, rather, as thoughts and experiences, personal and collective struggles; as dynamic works in progress. These individual offerings are sometimes tentative, they are always questing and trying to push the limits of what we believe or think we know. We hope you will find stimulation and reinforcement, inspiration, and plenty to argue with here. February 2nd marks Imbolc, a pagan celebration of Celtic origin. This holiday, also called the Festival of Lights, honors the goddess Brid as a pregnant maiden, pregnant with the young seed of the Sun. She is the caretaker of the light, making sure that the seed is nurtured inside her womb and that the home fires continue to burn through the final days and nights of winter. This first issue of Gatherings is ICE’s contribution toward the nurturing and development of that light. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Celebrate the Earth: A Year of Holidays in the Pagan Tradition ~ Cabot, Laurie & Mills, Jean, Delta:1994 Celebrate the Solstice: Honoring the Earth’s Seasonal Rhythms through Festival and Ceremony ~ Heinberg, Richard, Quest Books:1993 The Emerald Tablet: Alchemy for Personal Transformation ~ Hauck, Dennis William, Penguin/Arkana:1999 The I Ching or Book of Changes, Willhelm/Baynes, Bollingen Series XIX, Princeton University Press:1950 We’Moon ‘2000: Gaia Rhythms for Womyn ~ Mother Tongue Inc |
