Book Review – The Full Moon Yearbook by Julie Peters

Book Review

The Full Moon Yearbook:
A Year of Ritual and Healing
Under the Light of the Full Moon

Written by Julie Peters
Illustrated by Lauren Spooner

Publisher: David & Charles

Pages: 144

Rerelease Date: November 28, 2023

 

 

The subtitle for this book is A year of ritual and healing under the light of the full moon, which is bound to be attractive to anyone who follows a spiritual path linked to the moon in any way. I love the moon, and writing about the moon, reading about the moon, and even singing about the moon! So, yeah, I’m pretty excited to read any book that comes out to see if there are bits of folklore or magic I can add to my repertoire.

The first thing to note about this book is that it’s visually gorgeous. The illustrations are by Lauren Spooner, a Canadian author, illustrator, and graphic designer. The full moon, constellations, and seasonal decorations on the cover call to my nature-loving soul. The moon is held in two gentle hands, indicating healing but also claiming the power of the moon for yourself. I can see that this is a great pairing of writer and illustrator.

The book is split into 12 months, plus extra sections about different moon-related topics. Each month has different names for the full moon, a description of the time of year and how it can affect people, and notes on seasonal wellness. There are journal prompts, affirmations, and tarot card associations. There’s also a yoga pose recommendation for each moon, and I’m pleased to see that there’s a note on accessibility in the introduction reminding anyone doing the yoga poses to not overstretch or do physical work outside their limits.

There are rituals, notes on eclipses, notes on the energies of the different phases of the moon, and information about blue moons and black moons. For anyone wanting a good basis for starting to work with the moon, or getting a better understanding of the possibilities of moon magic and spirituality, there is so much here to get you started.

My Recommendation

Are there things I don’t like about this book? Absolutely. The Celtic names for the full moons are aggravating, as the Celts weren’t a cohesive culture and therefore claiming that any one name is “the Celtic name” for something can’t possibly be correct. It’s a common issue with modern Pagan books to call things “Celtic” without actually looking at where and when the name they’re referencing comes from. Of course, that also means that this book is hardly alone in claiming the term “Celtic” for things that probably aren’t, so I can move past this error.

In the same vein, there is also some confusion between Irish and Gaelic; the word Imbolc is most likely Old Irish, whereas Gaelic usually refers to Scots Gaelic. In the book, the author says Imbolc is Gaelic. Do these things matter? Yes, because Imbolc is an Irish festival and, as such, part of a living, thriving, continuously practised spiritual and religious culture that we should respect. I wish more Pagan and spiritual authors would take the time to understand that “Celtic” covers several distinct cultures and isn’t just a generic term for “Irish-inspired”.

Okay, if you can set that aside, and you want to know more about working with the moon, this is the book for you. I love how inclusive it is. There’s no unnecessarily gendered language, and the information on menstruation is particularly accessible and inclusive. It’s so rare to find a section like this in any Neopagan or spiritual book that doesn’t exclude a massive chunk of people who menstruate or make those who don’t feel “less” in some way. Julie Peters has avoided all those pitfalls and provided information for the reader to use or not as they wish, with no expectations or judgmental language. Really impressive.

I also love that the author takes their own experiences of life in Canada and uses those to paint evocative pictures within the book:

“But some years the rains wait, leaving the trees thick with deep warm reds, raincoat yellows, and pumpkin orange.”

This snippet from the October moon section shows a poetic streak, a sense of beauty, and for me, helps to connect me to the information and remind me that working with the moon is about joy and magic; embracing a sense of wonder at the wildness of the world and universe around me.

I adore this book. This is one I would read myself, but would also sit and read it to my teen son who is obsessed with folklore and nature, and we would both get so much out of it. Its beauty, thanks to Lauren Spooner’s illustrations throughout, makes it a stunning addition to any bookshelf or coffee table. Skulls, tarot cards, blowing leaves, candles, and graceful yoga poses all spring from the page and help cement the information in the reader’s mind.

It’s also great that this book is not path-specific in any way—yet another way in which it’s so inclusive. Whether you’re a witch wanting ideas for moon spells and rituals or a spiritual person trying to connect yoga or wellness to the moon, this book has something for you.

Highly recommended.

About the Author and Illustrator

Julie is a counsellor, yoga and meditation teacher, and tarot reader with over two decades of experience. She’s the author of Secrets of the Eternal Moon Phase Goddesses: Meditations on Desire, Relationships, and the Art of Being Broken, a book focused on particular Tantric moon phase goddesses that led her to find beauty again after a period of heartbreak. She also wrote the Canada Book Award-winning WANT: 8 Steps to Recovering Desire, Passion, and Pleasure After Sexual Assault. This volume goes deeper into the recovery process with a positive and encouraging outlook toward possibility and healing after trauma. Find out more about Julie Peters at https://www.juliepeters.ca/. Look out for her guided meditations on the Insight Timer app!

Lauren Spooner lives in Greater Vancouver with her husband, and is a writer, artist, and graphic designer. She uses art and writing to explore the world, looking at nature, human experiences, and her own emotions. She wrote and designed Solipsism which is a short zine of her poetry, plus What Doesn’t Kill Us…, a book of poetry and art created for the Art Institute of Vancouver. She recently self-published Reluctant Optimist, an exploration of inner turmoil and overarching positivity. She’s a full-time graphic designer and illustrator, and you can discover more about Lauren on Instagram.

 

The Full Moon Yearbook on Amazon

 

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About the Author:

Mabh Savage is a Pagan author, poet and musician, as well as a freelance journalist and content creator. She’s a nature-based witch, obsessed with Irish and British Paganism and Folklore, plus she’s a massive plant nerd. She’s also a long-time Hekate devotee and a newbie Lokean. She works extensively with the UK Pagan Federation, including editing their bi-annual children’s magazine. Mabh is a passionate environmentalist and an advocate for inclusiveness and positive social transformation.

Mabh is the author of A Modern Celt: Seeking the Ancestors,  Pagan Portals – Celtic Witchcraft: Modern Witchcraft Meets Celtic Ways, and most recently, Practically Pagan: An Alternative Guide to Planet Friendly Living. Search “Mabh Savage” on Spotify and @Mabherick on all socials.