YOU’RE INVITED to be part of a new online publication:
It is a rather obvious thing to say that 2020 has not turned out how any of us expected.
We are all being challenged, regardless of our personal circumstances, to live with thwarted plans, disappointment, uncertainty and fear.
For many there is also grief and loss.
And yet, the strange gift of this shared retreat is the opportunity to take a moment, to step back and reflect on our choices and our lives.
The other side of uncertainty is the opening up of all possibilities.
Due to the slowdown in the economy we anticipate that there will be little available advertising revenue to finance a printed Otway Life Almanac 2021…. so we thought for our 20th publication we would make a change and provide an online advertisement-free platform to share our collective creativity.
We may need to be ‘physically’ distant from each other for some time into the unknown future but that does not mean we need to feel distanced or feel separated from the earth.
For many of us it is an opportunity to feel more connected to Country and the elements.
Otway Journal will be a free online publication and submissions are invited from anyone who would like to share an experience, an expression, or a dreaming.
We are not limited by space so we welcome all to participate.
Submissions can be made in any media:
- Writings (fiction/non-fiction; prose or verse)
- Music (sound clips and videos)
- Performance (stills, sound clips and videos)
- Art & Crafts (any medium: painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, crafting or any type)
- Gardening (how does putting your hands in the earth help and what have been the results?)
- Cooking (new recipes tried in ISO…)
If you would like some extra inspiration for your creativity here are some thoughts:
The United Nations has declared 2021 as:
the International Year of Peace and Trust
the International Year of Creative Economy for Sustainable Development
the International Year of Fruits and Vegetables
Open sentences adapted from The Work That Reconnects[1]:
o Some things I love about being alive on Earth are …
o A place that was magical (or wonderful) to me as a child was …
o When I see what’s happening to the natural world, what breaks my heart is…
o When I’m in the natural world, what fills my heart is….
o If you were liberated from all fear and open to all the energy available to you in the web of life, what would you do in service to life on Earth?
“If the world is to be healed through human efforts, I am convinced it will be by ordinary people, people whose love for this life is even greater than their fear.” Joanna Macy
2021 is the Chinese Year of the Metal Ox which is all about tilling the soil, pulling the burden together and getting on with work without complaint.
Wabi-Sabi
In traditional Japanese aesthetics, wabi–sabi (侘寂) is a world view centered on the acceptance of transience and imperfection. The aesthetic is sometimes described as one of beauty that is “imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete”.
“The Japanese philosophy encourages us to focus on the blessings hiding in our daily lives, and celebrating the way things are rather than how they should be.“
Otway Journal will be produced by people willingly gifting their time and effort.
There will be a donation button should you wish to contribute to cover any expenses.
We don’t have a team of editors or proof readers, so please make sure you check over your submission carefully before sending on to us.
We reserve the right, in our sole discretion, to edit and/or refuse to publish.
We are accepting submissions from now until 31 October 2020.
Please send to: otwaylifemagazine@gmail.com
We aim to launch Otway Journal by December.
Come and be part of something alive and earthy …
[1]Ref:
Macy, Joanna and Chris Johnstone. Active Hope: How to Face the Mess We’re in without Going Crazy.New World, 2012.
Macy, Joanna and Molly Brown. Coming Back to Life. New Society Publishers, 2014
Otway Journal - coming back to earth 
So beautifully written!
I thank you.
Sincerely,
Martine
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Reblogged this on otwaylifemagazine and commented:
submissions are rolling in and there is always room for more…
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