Dear New Earthers,
Isn't it funny how an obstacle can provide the right conditions to reveal a simple truth?
For us co-founders, this happened recently when we were faced with the challenge of bringing our new Summer edition to print. As we're all experiencing in the marketplace right now, inflation is a real and present issue. Under the current conditions, Marci and I discovered from our printer that we would be priced out of our ability to ever print another magazine-style version of NEA again. This meant we were at a crossroads: Go smaller, or cease printing altogether. Taking a deep breath we decided to try out the new "digest" size and spent much of this spring season resizing every template and editing articles to accommodate the new, smaller format.
Now that it's here--holding the petite new edition in our hands--something's clicked: We're an ... almanac! It's true, the long history of almanacs and their purpose to guide others in the cultivation (farming) of soil ("Earth") inspired us from the very beginning. However, the options still on the market today didn't feel modern in their presentations and we felt the New Earth was ready for a more evolved publication. So at the time, we opted for the larger 8.5 x 11 magazine instead.
However, over the past year, we actually found it necessary to brand the publication as a "sprititual journal" vs a "magazine" because it was so much more than just a magazine! Inadvertently, we created a greater need to explain who we are, vs. just embracing it.
Isn't it human nature to over-think and make things more complex then necessary?
Today, one year since our first print issue, we're experiencing an "AHA" moment. We're an ALMANAC! And along with our almanac-appropriate size, New Earth Almanac revives an American tradition of folk literature for an evolving era. We're also publishing the collective wisdom “cultivating consciousness to navigate change”.
Finally, we're embracing the old adage that sometimes BIG things DO arrive in smaller packages! While smaller in size, the 150-page Summer edition still brings you thoughtful content filled with great ideas—the kind you expect to read in NEA, ones that are raw, real and revolutionary. This issue, our contributor circle explores what it means to be whole in these changing times, and how to get there by alchemizing the struggles we face—individually and as a collective. In it, each writer has mined their own inner gold to gift you the gems of their experiences and stories. We hope you treasure the offerings ahead this summer.
As always, thanks for reading and your support!
~Kirem & Marci
Marci Lingelbach and Kirem Marnett are both Nashville, TN area healing arts practitioners and the co-founders of New Earth Almanac. Reach them and the editorial team at [email protected].
