EDITORIALS
Has there ever been a Haverford Conference at which Eleanor and Chuck Perry were not present, to make the wheels go round? It was Chuck particularly, through his position on Haverford’s administrative staff, who made all the practical arrangements with the College from year to year. Together they steered each conference through its long weekend, coping with our minor crises with an air of quiet competence, as they still do.
There have been few conferences at which Eleanor failed to lead a “small group.” Those of us who participated in one or more of them can testify to her rare gifts of perception and sharing, drawing on inner wells of wisdom derived from her own personal or family experiences, as well as from the broader contacts she made through the decades she worked as Librarian of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting. In this capacity she gave special care to the development of the Dora Willson Collection on religion and psychology which is such a vital part of this conference.
When the news came some months ago that Eleanor and Chuck, having reached the age of so-called “retirement,” and found themselves able and willing to accept this co-editorship, it struck me as a right and satisfying answer to the question of Inward Light’s future. May blessings attend them!
E.H.L.
Your editors will be ever mindful of their predecessors. We ask readers to imagine how it must be to follow in the steps of Elined Kotschnig and Erminie Lantero, whose devotion, loving skill, and broad knowledge have produced an Inward Light widely cherished.
Erminie was editor in 1979 and 1980 after serving as associate editor under Elined Kotschnig. Actually this was her second stint; she was our first editor back when Friends Conference on Religion and Psychology was hardly more than a dream in the hearts of a few people. Although she retired last winter for reasons of health and impaired eyesight she continues to find ways to remain active. Her interest in Jung-oriented astrology has led to the writing of a book, The Continuing Discovery of Chiron. We hear she has completed the writing and hopes to find a publisher soon. We hope her valued contributions to Inward Light will continue.
We acknowledge with thanks the work of our guest editors, Lily Payson and Helen Pierce, who edited the Spring 1981 issue. Sorrowfully we must report that Lily, mother of our Conference clerks, passed away in October. She was a longtime attender at our conferences and formerly Pendle Hill publications secretary and head resident. Her many interests included Jungian psychology and the teachings of Gurdjieff, Ouspensky and Maurice Nicoll.
There are dreams of a garden which one day may grow to the northwest of the Joslin’s Daystar farmhouse and to which any of us may contribute living things. We like thinking of a little place set apart in loving memory of Lily and Joseph Payson.
During a delightful midsummer weekend on the Rhode Island shore, the Inward Light Advisory Board was able to articulate editorial policies and publication procedures which have been a tremendous help to the new editors. Although aware of the importance of not moving too fast, it was apparent that several changes must be made.
Most startling perhaps was the raise in price to $2.00 per issue. At the FCRP Executive Committee meeting in October, the pros and cons of Inward Light’s financial situation were discussed. A warm feeling of support was expressed and the committee generously agreed to back us with such funds as may be necessary until a proper price can be determined and put into effect. We won't make a profit, but we should pay our way.
Do take a look at the masthead! Besides our address, which you will need for sending manuscripts, suggestions and criticisms (referred to as feedback), there are several other changes. Please note: There are now two people to contact in regard to subscriptions. Jane Brown handles memberships, each of which includes a subscription to Inward Light, and Carolyn Rosenthal handles the nonmember subscriptions. Contacting the right person saves time and confusion.
On the masthead we also list the names of our Area Representatives, of which there are now five. These people will value your ideas as to future authors, topics which interest you, and the books we should review or add to the Library. Requests from Libraries attempting to maintain complete collections of Inward Light have brought to light the fact that our supply of certain back issues is very low, if not completely nonexistent. If you would consider the possibility of parting with an issue or two (is it possible?) we might be in a better position to deal with this problem. A list of the needed issues appears on the inside of the back cover.
Two articles on Astrology which have appeared in recent issues of Inward Light have drawn protests from several of our readers. Perhaps it would be helpful to recall the amazing number of ways by which messages from the unconscious become conscious. Each of us learns to use those methods which she or he finds most effective. When we undertake the journey of individuation, it matters little enough which path we choose, be it the recording and interpreting of our dreams, the retelling of ancient myths and discovering their symbolic significance for us, the selection of a Tarot card to suggest the answer to a proper question, or an astrological reading. Any method, ancient or modern, which constellates the archetypes is a precious tool in this important work.
Those who have doubts about the validity of tapping one or another source of ancient wisdom are reflecting, with most of the world, the scientific age in which we live. People who have difficulty recognizing the psychological usefulness of the symbolic imagery of Astrology will doubtless have the same problem with the Tarot. Nevertheless for those readers of Inward Light who share this view, we strongly recommend the reading of Pat Fleming’s article “The Tarot as a Synchronistic Tool.” As for the others, we know they will read it with excitement and pleasure.