Published in 2006
Celebration renews the human spirit and gives us the hope to proceed with our work. Ceremony not only marks joyful occasions, but also helps us to heal after pain and loss. In facing the many challenges of environmental practice, we thus turn to celebration and ceremony for inspiration and strength.
Volume 14 of Whole Terrain seeks contributions that examine the role of celebration and ceremony in environmental reflection and practice: How does celebration lift our spirits and strengthen our commitment to environmental work? Alternatively, what are the consequences of celebrating ecological success too soon, or of ceremony becoming detached from its original purpose? Further, what is the relationship between celebration and ceremony? Between ritual and spontaneous celebration? How do we transfer the energy of extraordinary celebratory or ceremonial experiences into our ordinary lives?
Our experience of celebration and ceremony is ultimately shaped by our cultural, individual, and professional perspectives. How then do practitioners of ceremony, such as shamans, religious officials, or event planners, perceive ceremony? What are the tensions involved in performing ceremonies that are rooted in cultures other than one’s own? Are there elements of scientific research, such as fieldwork routines or annual wildlife surveys, that take on celebratory or ceremonial tones? And how do other species seem to integrate celebration and ceremony into their lives?
Whole Terrain seeks provocative and original compositions that offer insight into how celebration and ceremony influence our lives and our work.
