• Interviews

    Interview: How Happiness and Foraging Intertwine for “The Wildwood Way” Author Cliff Seruntine

    “I wanted to inspire people to re-conceptualize happiness,” Cliff Seruntine said about writing The Wildwood Way: Spiritual Growth in the Heart of Nature. First published in 2015, the book was re-released last year. “I’m a psychotherapist by profession, and I’ve a lot of education in psychology. I’ve been enamored with the concept of happiness ever since my earliest undergraduate days,” he said in a telephone interview in late March as snow fell on his homestead in the wilds of Nova Scotia. “There is a fairly esoteric field called happiness science. It is a well-established branch of science. Very few people know it exists or how serious it is, but every…

  • Reviews

    Book Review – The Wildwood Way: Spiritual Growth in the Heart of Nature by Cliff Seruntine

    Book Review The Wildwood Way: Spiritual Growth in the Heart of Nature Written by Cliff Seruntine Publisher: Crossed Crow Books 432 Pages Release Date: November 15, 2022 (Previously published in 2015 by Llewellyn Publications)         “In the green, there is room for mystery and enchantment, and there are moments when the amazing can and will happen,” Cliff Seruntine wrote in The Wildwood Way: Spiritual Growth in the Heart of Nature. Part adventure, part instruction manual, part spiritual experiences, and part old tales that get across messages for today, he takes readers on a magical and spiritual journey deep into the forest, imparting knowledge required to venture there safely.…

  • Reviews

    Book Review – Rituals for Life: A Guide to Creating Meaningful Rituals Inspired by Nature by Isla Macleod

    Book Review Rituals for Life: A Guide to Creating Meaningful Rituals Inspired by Nature by Isla Macleod Publisher: Laurence King Publishing 192 pages Release Date: November 29, 2022         I strongly believe in the power of rituals, which play an important role in my spiritual practice, so I was excited to review Isla Macleod’s book, “Rituals for Life: A guide to creating meaningful rituals inspired by nature.” It makes a wonderful manual for beginners because it goes into depth explaining the their purpose and potential, their gifts, essential components, how to prepare for them, and instructions for creating twenty rituals plus suggestions for variations. With its many…

  • Monthly Columns

    Notes from the Apothecary

    Notes from the Apothecary: Wild Garlic     Wild garlic or Allium ursinum is a fragrant perennial plant with tiny clusters of white flowers atop long, lush green leaves that don’t grow any higher than most people’s ankles. It’s also known as ramsons in Europe and ramps in the United States. Other related plants such as Allium canadense and Allium tricoccum are also called ramps or wild garlic, and just to be more confusing, you might also hear them called wild leeks or wood leeks. Whatever you call them, there’s no escaping the fact that these plants are one of the most delicious smelling harbingers of spring. In the woods…

  • Reviews

    Book Review – What the Wild Replied: Poems From Human Nature by Becky Hemsley

    Book Review What the Wild Replied: Poems from Human Nature by Becky Hemsley Publisher: Wildmark Publishing 199 Pages Release Date: September 20, 2022     From the publisher:  What the Wild Replied is the second poetry collection from Becky Hemsley, author of popular poem ‘Breathe’ which featured in her first book ‘Talking to the Wild’. What the Wild Replied takes us through the four seasons from the perspective of human nature. It looks at how we navigate our own winters and embrace our own summers, how we let go during our own autumns and seize the opportunities of our own springtime. It includes poems of hope, healing and help. Designed…

  • Reviews

    Book Review – Nature’s Hidden Charms by Liz Dean

    Book Review Nature’s Hidden Charms Written by Liz Dean Illustrations by Lizzie Harper Publisher: Welbeck Balance 239 pages Publication date: November 2, 2021                     Do You Wander in Nature? Nature’s Hidden Charms by Liz Dean, and illustrated by Lizzie Harper, is the book for you if you answered “Yes” to the above question. The book starts with a foreword by Victoria Preston that’s an in-depth look at Nature worship in Europe with sacred wells and springs, “clooties” and coin tossing, and how those old ways of using small, natural objects found on walks can be used to make Charms. Then we…

  • Reviews

    Book Review – Nature Spirits and Elemental Beings: Working with Intelligence in Nature by Marko Pogacnik

    Book Review Nature Spirits and Elemental Beings: Working with Intelligence in Nature Marko Pogacnik Published by Findhorn Press 254 pages Publication date: February 1, 2010 (Second Edition)     For over thirty years, Marko Pogacnik has worked with Earth’s energies to heal and balance places where trauma or violence has occurred. He uses a process called lithopuncture – placing large stones at specific points in the landscape – similar to acupuncture. Nature Spirits and Elemental Beings: Working with the Intelligence in Nature is the result of his first encounters during lithopuncture work with the intelligent forces and beings who shape and protect Earth and her processes. Pogacnik wrote the first…

  • Reviews

    Book Review – Earth Spirit: Belonging to the Earth – Nature Spirituality in a Changing World by Julie Brett

    Belonging to the Earth by Julie Brett

    Book Review Earth Spirit: Belonging to the Earth – Nature Spirituality in a Changing World  by Julie Brett Publisher: Moon Books 104 Pages Publication Date: February 25, 2022     Connecting to the land is crucial for healing our Mother Earth. In her book in the Earth Spirit series by Moon Books, “Belonging to the Earth – Nature Spirituality in a Changing World,” Julie Brett shares stories about connecting to place. Most are of her personal insights, travels, and events. Five come from interviews with Aboriginal community leaders, activists, and those practicing nature-based spirituality, each connected to a specific land and its history. By telling these stories, she inspires others…

  • Monthly Columns

    Notes from the Apothecary

    Notes from the Apothecary: Primrose     Primroses are a hardy, perennial plant which means they’re tough and come back year after year. They’re also absolutely gorgeous and often around in winter, lending some welcome colour to gardens, windowsills, or containers. Originally a woodland plant, primroses or Primula vulgaris will grow just about anywhere as long as there’s drainage so the roots don’t get waterlogged. Finding primroses in the wild can be a sign that you’re on ancient woodland. However, some “wild” blooms can be escapees from folks’ gardens! Either way, even in November and December, their blooms make a gorgeous, colourful addition to the winter landscape.   The Kitchen…

  • Reviews

    Book Review – 10-Minute Moon Rituals: Easy Tips for Working with Each Astrological Sign to Develop Your True, Lunar Nature by Simone Butler

    Book Review 10-Minute Moon Rituals Easy Tips for Working with Each Astrological Sign to Develop Your True, Lunar Nature by Simone Butler 208 Pages     “10-Minute Moon Rituals” has two parts. The first is an introduction to the eight monthly phases of the moon and the characteristics of each. This link to author Simone Butler’s site http://astroalchemy.com/your-moon-power/ will determine your moon sign at birth so you can read up on your emotional nature, needs, wisdom from previous lives, and what can trip you up. Other sites, including this one, https://www.astrocal.co.uk/find-out-your-moon-phase/ will give you the phase of the moon. I was born under a waning gibbous moon. According to Simone,…