The Book Report by Rebecca Traver - Our Online Bookshop Curator
Welcome to the New Moon in Leo Book Report! I hope you enjoy this report’s selection with books on The Rising of the Sacred Feminine; The Healing Power of Nature; A few wonderful delights for younger readers; and, making its debut here, a ‘Just Because’ Book.
My original intention for this report was to simplify things…fewer topics with fewer selections within them. And, while the first part came together fairly easily, the second, not so much. There are just too many terrific books I am eager to share with you.
And so, in the spirit of this season of abundant growth and development, I offer a bounty of books under only three subject headings…well, four, actually, but the fourth is more of a p.s. – something like a parting kiss on the cheek until we meet again.
I hope you find something inspiring and irresistible below…
The Rising of the Sacred Feminine
“Oh darling, your wild and untameable has been the best part of you all along. Welcome home.”
~Nikki Rowe
Wholehearted: Self-leadership for Women in Transition and its companion workbook by Terri Connellan is a wise mix of memoir, practical strategies, and positive self-leadership resources for women going through major changes in their lives. When author, Terri Connellan, realized she no longer aligned with the organization where she had worked for thirty years, she turned her back on a successful career and searched for a different, more purposeful life. While not all important life changes are as large as hers, or as self-initiated, they do all require support and guidance. And this book delivers beautifully for anyone contemplating or actively engaged in transition.
Maiden to Mother: Unlocking Our Archetypal Journey into the Mature Feminine by Sarah Durham Wilson is a deep dive into the ancient practices of women’s rites of passage, guiding the reader through a sacred and crucial initiation from the immature Maiden into the archetypal Mother – the powerful, safe, compassionate, full-bloom feminine life force that exists within all of us.
Angels and Goddesses: Manifest Your Desires with Angelic Intelligence by Crystal Pomeroy offers dozens of hands-on invocations, affirmations, visualizations, and rituals for learning how to work with angels and their goddess companions for the greater good of one and all.
Kali Oracle: Ferocious Grace and Supreme Protection with the Wild Divine Mother from Alana Fairchild with illustrations by Jimmy Manton is a unique oracle set offering guidance, clarity, and healing within the realms and wisdom of the great goddess Kali!
The Divine Feminine Tao Te Ching by Rosemarie Anderson outlines how the Tao is a feminine force, the Dark Womb of Creation, the Immortal Void renewing life again and again in both ordinary times and in times of crisis and upheaval. Capturing the original feminine nature of the ancient text, Anderson’s translation sheds new light on the esoteric wisdom contained within the Tao Te Ching and on the feminine essence of the Tao.
The Goddess Guide: Exploring the Attributes and Correspondences of the Divine Feminine by Priestess Brandi Auset has been around for a while, but, if it’s new to you, then I encourage you to consider adding it to your library. Easy to use and comprehensive, this essential reference provides instant, at-a-glance information on more than 400 goddesses from diverse cultures, belief systems, and traditions around the world.
The Way of the Rose: The Radical Path of the Divine Feminine Hidden in the Rosary by Clark Strand and Perdita Finn weaves together a remarkable story of how the authors, a former Zen Buddhist monk and his feminist wife, came to the rosary, their discoveries about the eco-feminist wisdom at the heart of this ancient devotion, and the life-changing revelations of the Lady herself that return us to the powerful healing rhythms of the natural world.
Simply put, The Divine Feminine Oracle by Megan Watterson is an invitation to reclaim your power; a spiritual tool to hone your intuition. Working with it can be a sacred practice of remembering that the answers you seek are within you.
Feminist Oracles by Laure Callaghan is comprised of 50 cards – each of which has an image and guidance from some of the world’s most inspiring women. Need advice on breaking the glass ceiling? Find out what Gloria Steinem would do. Juggling family, career, and personal health issues? Ask Serena Williams. Need clarity around matters of justice and injustice in your life? Tap into the wisdom of Angela Davis.
Cultivating Healthy + Healing Relationships with the Natural World
“Our task must be to free ourselves…by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty.”
~Albert Einstein
An Immense World: How Animal Sense Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us by Pulitzer Prize-winning science journalist Ed Yong is a wonderful exploration into how animals (including the human variety) are enclosed in their own unique sensory bubble, each perceiving only a sliver of our whole world. Funny, rigorous, and suffused with the joy of discovery, we are taken on a journey to what Marcel Proust called “the only true voyage…not to visit strange lands, but to possess other eyes.”
Guardians of the Trees: A Journey of Hope Through Healing the Planet: A Memoir is Dr. Kinari Webb’s personal story of how she came to spearhead a global initiative to heal the world’s rainforests and the communities who depend on them. Full of hope and optimism, Webb takes us on an exhilarating journey around the world, sharing her passion for nature and for humanity.
A Wilder Life: A Season-by-Season Guide to Getting in Touch with Nature by Celestine Maddy is such a lovely book – oversized and full of gorgeous photos – giving the reader indispensable ideas for interacting with the great outdoors. Let’s go!
Evolutionary Herbalism: Science, Spirituality, and Medicine from the Heart of Nature by Sajah Popham weaves together herbal and medical traditions from around the world into a singular cohesive model, guiding herbal practitioners to a wholistic, intimate, and intuitive understanding of the practice and philosophy of healing with herbs.
Marie White’s The Intimate Herbal: A Beginner's Guide to Herbal Medicine for Sexual Health, Pleasure, and Hormonal Balance is a brilliant and inclusive guide to making herbal infusions, tinctures, oils, and powders to enhance pleasure and reproductive health, with a very welcome emphasis on a non-binary approach. Readers will learn how to address and treat specific conditions as well as what not to try at home. Appropriate for beginners, DIY natural-medicine makers, and at-home herbalists, this book is also written for clinical herbalists, naturopaths, community health advocates, and complementary and alternative medicine practitioners.
The Wisdom of Wilderness: Experiencing the Healing Power of Nature by Gerald G. May is perhaps best introduced in his own words: “The call of wilderness is very familiar to me. In one way or another, it is probably always calling. Sometimes I have felt it inwardly as an old, familiar longing, a passion unfulfilled – what Thoreau called a ‘yearning for the Wild’ that no language could ever express. At its most powerful, however, the call seemed to have come from outside me, from some wild place and Presence – a true ‘call of the wild’. The image that comes to me is of a mountain forest opening invisible arms to me, inviting me to enter into its secret places so deeply and completely that I finally disappear – and there, in soft, rich lostness, I will be healed; my own true nature will be restored. It is a familiar feeling.” If these words resonate with you, I encourage you to gift yourself the entire book - it’s truly special.
The Wonders of Nature by Ben Hoare is intended for readers aged 7-9, but, really, it’s for anyone with a deep curiosity about the natural world and a strong capacity for awe. Essentially, an illustrated encyclopedia of the nature, the book brings over 100 remarkable items to life – from orchids to opals and lichens to lizards and so much more. Each plant, animal, and rock is shown both photographically and illustrated – in that very special DK publishers way.
Buddhist scholar and poet Gary Snyder brings us The Practice of the Wild - a collection of meditative essays highlighting a deep understanding of Buddhist belief, wildness, wildlife, and the world. First published in 1990, this powerful collection comes with a new introduction by the acclaimed former Poet Laureate of the United States, Robert Hass.
And last, but not least, I offer The Secret Language of Animals: Endangered Voices of Mother Earth oracle card deck by Chip Richards as a beautiful tool for reconnecting with the wisdom of nature through the messages of our planet’s most threatened species. By honoring the insights they bring to us, we deepen our connection to our own path and calling, while awakening our role in the preservation and balance of life.
Books for Young Readers
“A children’s story that can only be enjoyed by children is not a good children’s story in the slightest.”
~C.S. Lewis
Multiple award-winning A Snake Falls to Earth by Darcie Little Badger is a wonderful work of Indigenous futurism, drawing on traditional Lipan Apache storytelling structure to weave together a tale of monsters, magic, and family.
Kapaemahu by Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu, Dean Hamer, and Joe Wilson tells the story of how four extraordinary individuals of dual male and female spirit, or Mahu, brought healing arts from Tahiti to Hawaii in the 15th century. Beautifully illustrated by Daniel Sousa, this book is an inclusive introduction to nonbinary concepts with an empowering theme.
Rosa’s Song by Helena Ku Rhee, illustrated by Pascal Campion, brings us into the world of Jae, a young immigrant from South Korea, as he learns a new language, how making friends is the same wherever you go, and how, when he’s feeling especially homesick, he can use his imagination to bring back special memories from his past.
You Are My Favorite Color by Gillian Sze with illustrations by Nina Mata is a lyrical story of parental love that celebrates and takes pride in the many shades of brown skin.
See You Someday Soon by Pat Zietlow Miller, illustrated by Suzy Lee is a heartfelt picture book for anyone who’s ever loved someone far away.
To Change a Planet by Christina Soontornvat with illustrations by Rahele Jomepour Bell is a beautiful ode to our planet and a clarion call to protect it. If you’re looking for a book to help children understand the natural world, their place within it, and to foster responsibility and stewardship, this is for you.
I’ve always had a fondness for Snail Medicine (slow down, be gentle) and when I saw the cover of Swirl by Swirl: Spirals in Nature by Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Beth Krommes, I was instantly smitten. With simplicity and grace, the many spirals in nature are revealed – from fiddlehead ferns to elephant tusks, from crashing waves to spiraling galaxies, from sunflowers to roses, and more. Oh, happy sigh!
Kuan Yin: The Princess Who Became the Goddess of Compassion by Maya Van Der Meer, illustrated by Wen Hsu, brings us the story of Princess Miao Shan, a young girl who likes to spend her time quietly meditating with the creatures of the forest or having adventures with dragons and tigers. Her heart is so full of love that her dream is to spread happiness throughout the land. But her father has other plans for her - and with this conflict at play, a profound journey of the heart and spirit begins.
A ‘Just Because’ Book
The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows by John Koenig is a truly unique delight. Within its pages we find words for feelings, circumstances, and processes we didn’t realize we needed a word for until we see it there on the page and it resonates with deep recognition.
This is a book for anyone who enjoys (or could benefit from) a shift in perspective while pondering the ineffable feelings that make up our lives. It’s a perfect gift for creatives, word nerds, and curious human beings everywhere!
Please visit our online Bookshop to see our full selection of lists and titles.
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