Also by Sarah Bartlett

The Little Book of Practical Magic

The Little Book of Moon Magic

The Little Book of Earth Magic

The Little Book of Crystal Magic

The Little Book of Love Magic

PIATKUS

First published in Great Britain in 2023 by Piatkus

Copyright © Sarah Bartlett, 2023

The moral right of the author has been asserted.

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN 978-034943-655-5

All names and identifying characteristics have been changed to protect the privacy of the individuals involved.

Piatkus

An imprint of

Little, Brown Book Group

Carmelite House

50 Victoria Embankment

London EC4Y 0DZ

An Hachette UK Company

www.hachette.co.uk

To my daughter, Jess, and all who delight in
treading along Mother Nature’s pathway.

Safety with tea-lights and candles

To be safe with tea-lights and candles, make sure to place them in holders, and always remember to snuff them out as soon as the ritual is over; however, you don’t have to light candles if you prefer not too, instead you could imagine the lit candle flame for rituals to work. Remember never to leave a lighted candle or tea-light unattended.

Be respectful to nature

Please remember to be respectful and to avoid going too close to birds and wild animals or their habitats.

Be ethical when foraging. Never harvest endangered or threatened plant species, nor take from nature reserves or conservation areas that are protecting wildlife and wild plant life. Follow the forager’s rule of thirds as explained on page 69.

Contents

Prologue

Part One: The Art of Enchanted Living

1    Getting in Tune with Nature

2    The Four Elements

3    The Cycles of the Luminaries

4    Getting Back to Nature

5    Foraging

Part Two: Enchantment Through the Seasons

6    The Enchantment of Spring

7    The Enchantment of Summer

8    The Enchantment of Autumn

9    The Enchantment of Winter

Conclusion: The Enchanted You

Acknowledgements

Glossary

About the Author

Note to Readers

Feminine and masculine principles In most ancient mythology, folklore and belief systems ‘nature’ was, and still is, considered a feminine principle, as in ‘Mother Nature’ and ‘Mother Earth’. In nature, every copse, tree, ocean, star or cloud was also identified with, or personified as, a male or female spirit, god or goddess, and so on. As such, I use these masculine and feminine archetypes according to tradition.

Northern and southern hemispheres Please note that for the purposes of this book, I am working with the northern hemisphere; for example, when we talk about the summer solstice of 21 June, this is the winter solstice for southern-hemisphere dwellers. Please swap accordingly.

Similarly, I refer to a new crescent moon as being an ‘arc of light curving outwards to the right’ according to the northern hemisphere, but in the southern hemisphere a new crescent moon would be seen as an arc of light curving outwards to the left.

Prologue

‘But the day will come when you will gather stones and stars as a child plucks the valley-lilies, and then shall you know that all these things are living and fragrant.’

The Garden of the Prophet, Kahlil Gibran

When I was very young, I lived in a small village not far from Cambridge. In autumn, I remember the kindly sparrows would act as my protectors. I would often run wild in our garden, but their tweeting acted as a gentle warning – it was almost as if they were whispering, ‘Don’t slip! Don’t slip!’ And, somewhat miraculously, I wouldn’t fall over. By the time I was about six, an imaginary friend, Shropsy, appeared by my side, and opened the door to a world of magic and wonder.

In the summer, Shropsy and I would lie on the lawn, our backs flat against the grass, watching the clouds float by. We spotted faces in their scudding wisps. Some faces smiled down at us, others scowled, and once we started reading fairy tales and fantasy novels, we were sure that they must be spirits, gods or fantastic sky people. Among the trees and flowers we spotted fairies, talked to the ladybirds, fed the birds and smiled respectfully at the great crested newt (we called him the ‘water dragon’), who lived near our pond. Here, in nature’s wonderland, time was no longer linear, and possibility and enchantment were abundant.

As I grew up and moved away from the countryside, I believed that there was a clear future mapped out for me in city life. Yet I felt there was still something missing, a pathway I had been on before, which had somehow got lost in the tangle of urban distractions. Many moons later, I rediscovered this pathway: of being at one with nature. Even if just for a few moments, every day I would stop and listen to birdsong, whistle back, hold out a leaf as a gift to the stars, or quench thirsty flowers with spring water. For me, these simple gestures, or rituals, are ways to reconnect with the enchantment of the world around me and to find my way back to myself.

This book is about finding a way forward and back to yourself and who you truly are, by engaging with the wild enchanted soul of the world. If you only dare to open your eyes, notice, observe and engage, you’ll find that magic is all around you.

After all, Mother Nature’s gifts include you.

How to use this book

The experiences, practices and rituals in this book are designed to help you shift from disenchanted thinking to enchanted living. You will dance with the rain, talk to the trees, delight in stones and rocks, and bask in the presence of gods and spirits, and in doing so you will appreciate the wild and mystical nature of the world.

You will connect with the landscape, lunar and solar cycles, the equinoxes, solstices, and the flora and fauna. You will discover the practical crafts of foraging, birding, and how to tune in to the rhythms of nature – its music, its art, its dance, its theatre, its grace, its humility and its beauty. Perhaps, most of all, this book will enable you to realise that you belong to it and are a part of it.

If you can’t literally get back to the wild side of nature, it can still be found hidden within urban life. In fact, it’s all around us if we take a moment to observe, listen, notice and experience this joy. It’s about seeing the beauty in the house sparrow or the tatty town pigeon; reflecting on how remarkable it is that the cobweb on the car wing mirror, although ravaged by a windy drive, reappears every morning.

There are no rules, no musts or shoulds, but the more you become aware of and engage with nature on a regular basis, the more you will feel enchanted, alive and inspirited, and most of all connected to the intrinsic ‘nature’ of yourself.

Perhaps keep a journal or diary to make a note of your experiences and encounters with nature, jot down your thoughts, impressions and experiences, and anything you notice, photograph, draw or discover on your journeys. The seasonal themes in the second part of the book will give you an insight into the joy of aligning with different times of year, although most of the encounters I have highlighted can be experienced through the imagination too, as an additional interface with the soul.

This book enchants you into being the essence of you, to be at one with the moment, the place you are in, to be amazed by the world around you, to cultivate your authentic self, to embrace mystery and discover personal meaning and your true soul’s purpose. By aligning to the rhythms of nature, you can reconnect to the wonder of the universe and care not only for yourself, but also for that to which you belong.

Enchanted living is to be in wonder of planet Earth and to embrace the wisdom of the ancients, and to acknowledge the gods, goddesses and spirits who still walk here – for if we know where to look, we will find them. They are waiting under stones, running through waterfalls, singing on the wind, smiling from behind a rainbow, or sketching self-portraits in the clouds – as they did for me.