Thank you to all who stopped by to enter! The folks taking books home this round are: Kathy, Catherine, Jennifer H, and Jessica. I've contacted everyone, and now we are gearing up for the last giveaway. Check back in the darkest hours of tomorrow night! (Or, pop by with your coffee on Thursday morning - no judgement.)
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I spent last night with my head thrown back, watching the stars while the first outdoor fire of the darktide kept the chill at bay. Owls questioned each other across the creek, and the full moon rose over the charred western hills. It was a bittersweet time, initiating a new fire bowl, welcoming back the flames that keep my spirits up all winter, giving thanks for the final harvests of the land I live and garden upon, all while acknowledging the loss of the forests under that moon which were ravaged by wildfire this summer. I lingered, noting constellations until the sky was overcome by moonlight, and all but the brightest, twinkling stars faded beneath the luminescence.
Marking time and tide is important to me. It all goes by so remarkably fast, so it gives me a sense of peace to sit with moments, stars and seasons, and feel my place alongside and within them. These next books I have gathered up for you are all bits of starlight that I have found invaluable in helping me observe my unique space in the world and settle into the deep magic of it all, even as time sprints by and the tides rise and fall.
For this giveaway, I have three enchanting books and one celestial planner which will assist you in charting your own life and seasons, in the best ways possible.
The calendar, or the year itself, has always seem particularly alive to me. I see it as having a tide or breath, and the seasons a result of the inspiration and expiration of this great being. Some places in the world, the tides of the year don't retreat and return as much as others. Perhaps you've never seen snow, or your winters settle in for half the year and spring and autumn are but a blink of an eye. But we all look to a calendar year to mark our days, and wherever we are there are seasons of some kind to observe. In Seasons of a Magical Life: A Pagan Path of Living, the marvelous H. Byron Ballard offers us a look at the waxing and waning of the year and its most common traditions and celebrations. She weaves in folklore and practical magic - activities, skills, and chores - and suggests ways for you to work in concert with your landbase. I especially adore the morsels she gives us at each season's end - that strange, liminal time as one part of the year melts into the next. There are such good tasks proposed here, beautiful tales of home and hearth, and an excellent smattering of essays at the forefront of the book, that "better inform the journey," as Ballard says. I can see "Seasons of a Magical Life" having a permanent place out on the side table with your favourite farmer's almanac, perpetual calendar, or book of days.
And while you are charting your year, why not give yourself the added benefit of working with the stars? Especially the ones you were born under! Astrology can seem like a foreign language (and that's even before you are looking at your own birth chart) but when you have these next authors helping you out, it becomes more like a symphony.
Astrology for Real Life: A Workbook for Beginners, by Theresa Reed, is the book I would absolutely hand everyone who is starting their journey with astrology. The author has gifted us a wildly fun and sharp read, and makes you feel as though grasping the topic is not at all impossible. The book is packed with information, charts, exercises, and it's all put together in a friendly, visually pleasing way. If you ever wanted to have a good understanding of how to read your own chart, this is your book!
You might surmise that someone who didn’t want children, and then very-very-much-did, and then possibly couldn’t, and then raised abandoned kittens and wild/wonderful nieces and gardens instead, well…you might think that a book about understanding your child through an astrological lens, might be out of place in this someone's library. Ah, but you haven’t flipped through this treasure of an astrology book. Briana Saussy's latest release, Star Child: Joyful Parenting Through Astrology is not just for parents, but for all of us reaching back to comfort the awkward or confused child that we once were. It gives us an understanding of how we might have leaned this way or that - what might have influenced us - and why we saw things in a certain way. I'll admit to being a little wistful while reading it, wishing I could have handed it to my parents to help them understand this odd Virgo a little better when I was young. Star Child shows us how the glorious stars we were born under gave us tools to navigate a startling and baffling world, and if you are a parent it gives you extra vision into your child and how to relate to them based on their stars.
We round out this giveaway with an invaluable tool for outlining your year and marking your own time and transits. Planning by Starlight, is a collaboration between sacred artist and author Briana Saussy and photographer, visual artist, and magic maker Jacquelyn Tierney and it is a game changer. It takes you through the year at a glace, gives plenty of room for monthly and weekly notes and observations, and includes all the important planetary/astrological movements you need to know for 2022. Jacquelyn has graciously offered up a digital planner for one lucky person and I know this will shift the way you look at your year.
In their own words,
"We believe that an excellent planner is going to do a few things really well and skip a bunch of stuff that, at the end of the day, really doesn’t matter. As two ladies who LOVE planners, agendas, and calendars of all kinds, and as two astrologers who actively work with the moon, sun, stars, and planets, to plot out the days, weeks, months, and years of our lives, we know that there are certain things we look for in a planner.
First and foremost, we want a planner that supports our lives by helping us remember our purpose. The point of a planner (agenda, calendar, etc) is not to spend all of your time working on your planner - updating lists and ticking off check boxes.
Nope.
The point of a planner is to support you so that you can do more of what you love, less of what you don’t, and most importantly fully engage in whatever it is you are doing at the time. In other words, a good planner supports you in being present."
This giveaway is for a digital copy of Planning by Starlight - the photos are used for illustration - but you can follow the link and buy the hardcover book if you like (which come with a course).
The game remains the same - your comment is your entry. Please ensure I have a way to get in touch with you if you win. Leaving your email address in your comment in safe manner (Jen loves books AT gmail) makes it easy for me to let you know if your name is drawn. You can feel free to let me know which item you would prefer if your name is picked and I'll do my best to match people with their choices. Please have your entry in by 9pm on Monday, October 25th! Also, while it is never necessary, if you want to share this month's festivities out in the world (social media post or the like) then I'm happy to give you a second entry - just let me know you've spread the word and I'll put your name in the hat again!
Special thanks go out to Byron Ballard for generously offering up a copy of Seasons of a Magical Life, and to Jacquelyn Tierney for gifting a digital copy of Planning by Starlight!
Legal Bits:
* This giveaway (or "sweepstakes") is open to all residents of Canada, (exluding Quebec residents) the USA, Great Britain, Europe, South America, who are 18 years of age or older. This giveaway is void where prohitibited by law. Please be aware of the contest/sweepstakes laws in your area.
* Canadian residents will be subject to a skill testing question before being able to claim their prize (this is standard law in Canada). The skill testing question will be in a form similar to: 1 + 2 - 1 =
* This giveaway is not for profit and no purchase is necessary to enter.
* This giveaway is sponsored/administrated solely by this blog/blog author and is not affilitated with or sponsored by Blogger, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or any other entity, nor can they be held liable.
* By leaving a comment intending to enter into the draw for the giveaway (or "sweepstakes") you are knowingly agreeing to these rules/conditions.
I have chosen all the books/cards featured this month myself. I have not been paid to feature a book, nor have I been asked to advertise for anyone. This giveaway is not endorsed or sponsored by anyone other than Rue and Hyssop.