Letter from the Editor
Soon after we selected the themes for the first four issues of Trivium, I noticed that “hibernating” seemed out of place. While the other three themes relate to the care of plants (nurturing, harvesting, and planting), “hibernating” instead makes us think of animals curled up in warm dens, passing the long winter months. In contrast to the other three themes which connect plant life to human care, hibernating doesn’t seem as connected to the natural cycle we participate in each year.
With these forebodings in mind, I was afraid that the hibernating theme might be too narrow to explore fully or that it could be off-putting to potential contributors. But as Alex Taylor points out in this issue, the connection of “hibernating” and sleepy bears is actually a relatively new concept. Properly understood, hibernation simply refers to how we pass the winter months.
Given this greater definition, the hibernating theme can be seen in an entirely new light! While it’s true that cold winter weather does find us seeking warmth inside (and yes, this issue does touch on the hibernating habits of various animals, cozy evenings spent quilting, and that tempting snooze button), we don’t need quite the same level of hibernating that a bear or hedgehog needs to survive the harsh winds. So what does hibernating look like for us? How can we pass winter well?
This past October I experienced the profound blessing of going on a silent retreat at a monastery for a few days. Though I was taking a break from work, as I went about my days in silent prayer, reading, and walking, I couldn’t avoid thinking about this issue’s theme, and how silence must play a part in proper hibernation. Whether referring to an animal sleeping through winter, or simply how we pass the winter, true hibernation and silence seem to be interwoven.
While I don’t think many of us are able to pass this season in the silence of a bear cave or a winter long monastic retreat, perhaps we can look to the monks for guidance on how to spend the winter months.
My favorite experience while on retreat was joining the monks in their chapel for morning prayer in the dark of the early morning, when even October felt like the dead of winter.
After walking in the cold, beneath the starry sky, the dimly lit chapel offered a place of comfort and consolation. Though the rest of the world slept at this hour, here the monks gathered, silently entering the chapel one-by-one, and beginning their day in prayer. This winter, may this image remind us to seek rest in God’s presence, at all times, even when the world outside is dark and cold.
As I reviewed this issue’s submissions, I was delighted to read Taylor Nemechek’s article, where he takes this monastic connection a step further and invites us to incorporate acts of asceticism and sacrifice into our hibernating routine. Even though winter may be long and cold, it is nothing compared to the penances the desert fathers undertook. Their lives challenge us to seek perfection both this winter and always.
On the flip side, Matt Uzdavinis and Emily Janaro remind us that leisure is just as important to foster in winter as asceticism! When not busy taking care of your family, running errands, shoveling snow, or practicing an austere penance, we must remember to find real rest this winter. For some of us that may look like an evening gathering with friends, for others reading a novel, or for still others, bundling up to play in the snow with eyes of wonder.
This issue’s authors have certainly proved my original misgivings were unfounded! Instead of being a narrow topic relegated solely to sleeping animals, the hibernating theme calls us to rise up from our slumber, get out of bed, and grow in virtue.
So, what does hibernating look like for us? This year it might include a mix of leisure, silence, and asceticism. Let’s not simply pass the winter; instead let’s pass winter well. That being said, let’s also plan some relaxing days filled with hot chocolate, puzzles, long novels, warm quilts, and maybe a nap or two!
-Rachel Gerring, Executive Editor
