Editor’s Note: Spring Edition no. 247

As the frost of winter dissipates, spring brings promise of renewal, growth and rejuvenation. It’s a season that inspires us to embrace change, both in the world around us and within us.

“We need joy as we need air. We need love as we need water. We need each other as we need the earth we share.” Maya Angelou

As we move closer to 2025 Odyssey Magazine will be undergoing a brand refresh and we have our vision set on bringing you even more content that matters, has purpose, the kind that not only inspires you, but also gives you what you need to make a difference in your own life, consciously, joyfully and gently, as well as in the lives of others. How do we do that? With passion, care and authenticity, forever mindful that the best thing about our magazine is you.

Flexing your joy muscle
Do one thing each day that brings you joy and makes you feel good. Keep it real; it can be as simple as a biscuit with your tea or reading a few pages of a good book, paging through your Odyssey magazines of yesteryear or video calling someone dear to you.
     As you get into bed, close your eyes and recapsulate where and when you experienced the greatest joy on that day… hone in on the details and how you felt… where you were in that moment. The idea isn’t just to remember how you felt, but to amplify and reexperience that joy.  The mental health community call it ‘identifying and immersing yourself in positive emotions and savouring them’.  The glow from the memory of positive emotions reinforces your memory of them and motivates you to seek more joy-making moments. To tweak your joy muscle, expand your joy vocabulary, move away from fine, good and great and think about how you would feel by using words like: Elated, exhilarated, delighted and inspired. Give yourself permission to feel joy.
   The new wave of wellness getaways that focus on self-care, joy and nature are a fantastic way to flex that joy muscle. ‘The biggest scourge in the western world is loneliness! Retreats, purposeful gatherings and festivals that promote community with like-minded people and that embrace the power of sharing, integration and listening, are a source of immense joy, facilitated through understanding and shared experiences. In this edition we share some if these retreats with you in the ‘Wellness Within’ – The Art of Retreating’ – segment in our mag within our mag.
    With the explosive blossoming of flowers and new growth spurting impatiently, where we live, walk and ‘play’ and as our “Earth Laughs in Flowers”, as penned by Ralph Waldo Emmerson, our joy muscle flexes more readily. In this edition we take a look at the incredible healing power of a flower, not only the exquisite colour and joy that they bring but also in their role in our overall wellbeing.
   Flowers are used in meditation when, by gazing at the details of a flower or focusing on its fragrance, it helps ground us in the present moment, reducing anxiety and creating a sense of inner peace. We share more insight into meditation in this edition.
    In reverence to our earth and in embracing the Green Economy I remember the words by W B Yeats in the poem ‘The Cloths of Heaven’ – “Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.” This poem alludes to sustainability – taking only what we need – and demands respect and reverence for this astonishing planet that gives us life.

In closing I ask each one of you: “How light is your footprint on our Earth?”

Wishing you bouquets of love and a joyous Spring!
Debra