 It is our 21st birthday this month, our first publication having come out in July, 1989. Expectations are that we have a big birthday bash when we are 21 – we’ve finally come of age and we can let our hair down and celebrate in grand style. However, this little magazine that you hold in your hand is anything but grand in size. In total it is 32 pages, and that is the size we started with in 1989.
The reason it is so small is that there were not enough ads to print more pages. Because this is a free magazine, we have to ensure that the pages are paid for with ad revenue. Right now the revenue has been affected by winter, end of financial year and the Mind Body Spirit season (as people divert their promotion dollars to their booths). So midyear is always smaller for us, but, on top of that, so many people are now having a flurry with the internet.
So, in terms of size, we’ve come full circle, but in terms of content I believe we have actually come of age. When we publish less pages we naturally are forced to give you less articles, but they are all really good quality. So instead of giving you a Cadbury family-sized block of chocolate, you have a little packet of Lindt balls here. Relish the articles; roll them around in your mouth a while before swallowing.
These articles are mature because of the concepts they present. Back in the ‘early days’ we needed to spell things out more simply. It seems we were all being introduced to these ideas and needed to progress little by little, exploring first one path and then another. Then, when we oldies had a certain amount of knowing under our belts, the next generation suddenly picked up stuff that we’d taken ages to discover and experiment with.
I think that the theme that emerged in this issue, heart and soul, is almost ‘the answer to the universe’. Perhaps we’ll cover love next issue, as I believe that is the very answer, but, for this month, connecting with our hearts, finding and listening to our souls, connecting with the heart of the mother, and giving from the heart, are beautiful ways to go within, for that is what the winter months call us to do.
True Indigo’s behest is for us to learn to give, and that the way to abundance is by giving – rather than wanting. I love the way he sparks stuff for me. I pondered his words and figured I’d been giving for 21 years now and yet I’m not financially abundant. Then, somewhere along the path of choosing the articles that are in this issue, the penny dropped for me – I have been giving all the while but have been having a bit of a tantrum from time to time too – being really grumpy with God that I have been giving but not getting in return. ‘It’s not fair.’ Hmmm… victim, martyr …
So now, again harking back to the articles, I have opened my heart more, I feel more connection with Mother Earth, I am listening better to my soul – I suddenly know how to give my gifts without strings and expectations, with an open heart and in gratitude for the gifts that I have been given. If anyone’s come of age here, it’s me! Oh, and maybe I’ve been publishing for 21 years for my own sake. I’ve certainly learnt a thing or two – and I hope you have also.
We have an interesting reader round-table this issue. I invited comment in an email to lots of people recently, comment on the ‘law of attraction’ – whether it works or not. I got 39 responses, including 20 full articles. You’ll find snippets from 19 of them in the magazine, and many more on our website, including some of the articles. It was wonderful to see how the heart and soul theme came out in these pieces too.
By the way, while the reader round-table represented a lot more work for me – and I need that like a hole in the head ;-), I think it produced a very worthwhile result. If you’d like to see a certain topic discussed, please let me know and I could email that out too. Also, if you’d like to subscribe to our email newsletters, so that you can find out about these things before they make it to the page, please subscribe on our website.
Speaking of our website, you’ll see that we’ve got a new facelift now, and that we’re celebrating our 21st birthday by giving away so much – see the purple ads through this magazine. Please take advantage of the various significant freebies, and look at the cheap things while you are there too. Have a look also at our Courses, Workshops, Events (CWE) website (which you can hop to from our main website). It’s brand new. There are only a couple of offerings on it as yet, but they are yummy ones. You may like to subscribe to the CWE newsletter while you are there too.
I’ll leave you with words of wisdom from Stella, “Embrace the cooler weather and long dark evenings and snuggle up in bed with a good book and a mug of hot chocolate. Take the opportunity to slow down, rest and meditate and refuse to be rushed or pressured.” Hmmm… chocolate again.
With love,
Elizabeth Jewell (previously Elizabeth Stephens)
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