NMR ISSUE 3

Astrological Forecast 3
Autumnal Equinox
Closer Look at the Tarot: Threes
Editorial
Interview with Raven Wolf
Letters 3
Magick That Fails
Music and Mantras
Oh Gods Above
Prenatal Solar Eclipse
Quartz
Seeking the Goddess in Your Home
Solitary Samhain Ritual
Tarot Images
The Oldest Magick
The Other Editorial
The Return of Gaia

Articles
Authors
Rituals
Book Reviews
NMR Issues
NMR Covers

The Other Editorial

By Scot Rhoads

Since the last issue, I'm still hunting for a laser printer. Never the less, things are growing steadily. Our volume is high enough that we can now afford to keep subscriptions at the $13 rate, which last issue we ominously advertised as "introductory." It is gratifying to have such a positive response to the Rose & Quill. Thanks again to our regulars and to those who wrote in.

As the editor who does most of the work, it behooves me to explain the "eccentricities" in this publication. Although I can write fairly clearly, my punctuation is "aesthetic" and my spelling somewhat random. I have software packages designed to address these idiosyncrasies, but their poor little algorithms are sometimes overwhelmed and let "a few" slip through. But other aspects of my "editing" that I defend.

I am among the few that still clings desperately to the masculine generic forms. When I read, I want it to flow so smoothly that I'm not aware of the act. When I run into he/she, s/he, co, they (in place of a singular pronoun) or any such strangeness, it's jarring. Reading becomes a chore when cluttered with such contrivances. I understand the desire to escape the masculine overemphasis in our society, but I feel that pointing it out is sufficient. If we are aware of the problem, we can escape it without fighting to remove every hint of a reminder. I read about a government official who was upset with a university course description that used the word "manmade." He insisted that it is "human-made"—the author whimsically pointed out that it should be "hu-person-made." It is easy to carry things to extremes. I feel that we can create a balanced society without making it more difficult to read.

On the other hand, you may find my seemingly random capitalization to be a step in the wrong direction. Well, sorry. My goal is to introduce a system more in tune with our subject matter. I hope to be able to do it well enough that flows smoothly. English, capitalizes very little compared with, for instance, German, which capitalizes all nouns. In the Rose & Quill, I (try to) use English rules except for archetypes. When you see an incorrectly capitalized noun or pronoun, it (should) be referring to an archetype (often a deity). For instance: "moon" refers to the astronomical body, while "Moon" refers to the astrological energy or the Goddess. There is a difference between "athame" (a specific knife that somebody could use when enacting a ritual) and "Athame" (the sacred knife used in Ritual). The first case refers to an object; the second refers to all such objects in ritual use. A circle is a geometric shape; a Circle is a sacred space, and so on. It is a way of showing respect to sacred ideas that should stand apart from mundane experience. By distinguishing these archetypes, perhaps we can make another step toward recognizing the principles that interconnect the universe and make each of us a part of the Universe.

Blessed Be!