Editor’s Note: Autumn Edition 2023 no. 241

Self-reflection can be defined as “meditation or serious thought about one’s actions and motives.”

For me, autumn is always a time of reflection. As the leaves begin to change colour, the days get shorter, leaves fall away and colder nights start to appear; these all are the signs of a new change in the circle of nature: Nature that follows its seasonal patterns. Businesses face these circular patterns and need to reflect, scale and emerge with new life.

In A Field Guide to Getting Lost, Rebecca Solnit writes about embracing change by getting lost; how we need to leave a door open for the unknown, despite the discomfort. She states:

“People look into the future and expect that the forces of the present will unfold in a coherent and predictable way, but any examination of the past reveals that the circuitous routes of change are unimaginably strange.”

Unexpectedly and unpredictably our digital assets grew significantly in 2022, with a digital reach of over 600 000 per edition. As we reflected on the circular journey of Odyssey Magazine and the endings and beginnings over the last 45 years, we established that all of the changes by all that have gone before and our incredible Odyssey team have brought this gracious magazine to where it is right here and right now.

Our recent research, statistics and analytics indicate that 79 per cent of our readers now prefer a digital read and 21 per cent print. There is nothing quite like the tactile joy of reading a magazine that can be touched, felt and even smelled as the pages are turned: A sensory immersion many still look forward to.

Odyssey Magazine is not only available online, Zinio and Magzter, it is also available on the Google Play and Apple App Stores. In the shortest time and by an unimaginably strange route, our Apps launched at the start of 2023, creating unprecedented demand and an exponential increase in new digital readers both in South Africa and internationally

Our print model has been reworked to move Odyssey Magazine closer to carbon neutrality, taking into account the environmental impact of paper-making and eliminating waste from over-printing.

Odyssey print magazine is available by subscription on the Odyssey website, from selected health stores, bookshops, wellness spas and retreats countrywide, as well as selected PnP, Clicks and Spar stores. Odyssey Magazine is also strategically placed in national and international airport lounges, with eco-savvy hospitality groups as well as health and wellness facilities.

We are delighted to be walking beside you for another incredible collective odyssey in 2023.

All Love Debra