The Quiet Moon
Pathways to an Ancient Way of Being
Published on 5. January 2023
258 pages
978-1-80399-290-7 (ISBN)
Description
The ancient Celts lived by and worshipped the moon. While modern, digital life is often at odds with nature - rubbing against it rather than working in harmony with it - is there something to be said for embracing this ancient way of being and reconnecting to the moon's natural calendar?
January's Quiet Moon reflects an air of melancholy, illuminating a midwinter of quiet menace; it was the time of the Dark Days for the ancient Celts, when the natural world balanced on a knife edge. By May, the Bright Moon brings happiness as time slows, mayflies cloud and elderflowers cascade. Nature approaches her peak during a summer of short nights and bright days - this was when the ancient Celts claimed their wives and celebrated Lugnasad. With the descent into winter comes the sadness of December's Cold Moon. Trees stand bare and creatures shiver their way to shelter as the Dark Days creep in once more and the cycle restarts.
In The Quiet Moon, Kevin Parr discovers that a year of moons has much to teach us about how to live in the world that surrounds us - and how being more in tune to the rhythms of nature, even in the cold and dark, can help ease the suffering mind.
January's Quiet Moon reflects an air of melancholy, illuminating a midwinter of quiet menace; it was the time of the Dark Days for the ancient Celts, when the natural world balanced on a knife edge. By May, the Bright Moon brings happiness as time slows, mayflies cloud and elderflowers cascade. Nature approaches her peak during a summer of short nights and bright days - this was when the ancient Celts claimed their wives and celebrated Lugnasad. With the descent into winter comes the sadness of December's Cold Moon. Trees stand bare and creatures shiver their way to shelter as the Dark Days creep in once more and the cycle restarts.
In The Quiet Moon, Kevin Parr discovers that a year of moons has much to teach us about how to live in the world that surrounds us - and how being more in tune to the rhythms of nature, even in the cold and dark, can help ease the suffering mind.
Reviews / Votes
'A book for anyone seeking a roadmap for resilience in uncertain times.' * Dan Kieran, author of 'The Idle Traveller and The Surfboard' * 'A fascinating journey through myth, moonlight and ancient history.' -- Chris Yates, author of <i>Nightwalk</i> 'Like its subject, The Quiet Moon is glistening, rich and strange ... soulfully bewitching at every quarter, good company through every wax and wane.' -- Tim Dee, broadcaster and author of <i>The Running Sky and Four Fields</i> 'A powerfully honest and deeply reassuring exploration of an individual's place in the world, and the incalculable wealth found when we take the time to notice the natural world and its rhythms.' -- Fergus Collins, editor of BBC <i>Countryfile</i> magazine 'Lunar curiosity guides this graceful sharing, not only of Parr's deep knowing of the natural world, but also his vulnerability as he wrestles with mental health. A beautifully personal book that's bound by a sweet melancholy.' -- Verity Sharp, broadcaster 'Kev Parr stands among the finest natural history writers of our generation ... a masterful storyteller and a man wholly unafraid to bare his soul on the page. With him, the reader is blessed with the most thoughtful guide and companion.' -- Will Millard, BBC presenter and author of <i>The Old Man and the Sand Eel</i> '[The author] writes seamless prose like a moonlit weaver.' * <i>Country Life</i> * 'A book for anyone seeking a roadmap for resilience in uncertain times.' * Dan Kieran, author of 'The Idle Traveller and The Surfboard' * 'A fascinating journey through myth, moonlight and ancient history.' -- Chris Yates, author of <i>Nightwalk</i> 'Like its subject, The Quiet Moon is glistening, rich and strange ... soulfully bewitching at every quarter, good company through every wax and wane.' -- Tim Dee, broadcaster and author of <i>The Running Sky and Four Fields</i> 'A powerfully honest and deeply reassuring exploration of an individual's place in the world, and the incalculable wealth found when we take the time to notice the natural world and its rhythms.' -- Fergus Collins, editor of BBC <i>Countryfile</i> magazine 'Lunar curiosity guides this graceful sharing, not only of Parr's deep knowing of the natural world, but also his vulnerability as he wrestles with mental health. A beautifully personal book that's bound by a sweet melancholy.' -- Verity Sharp, broadcaster 'Kev Parr stands among the finest natural history writers of our generation ... a masterful storyteller and a man wholly unafraid to bare his soul on the page. With him, the reader is blessed with the most thoughtful guide and companion.' -- Will Millard, BBC presenter and author of <i>The Old Man and the Sand Eel</i> '[The author] writes seamless prose like a moonlit weaver.' * <i>Country Life</i> *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Stroud
United Kingdom
Illustrations
14 Illustrations, black and white
File size
4,21 MB
ISBN-13
978-1-80399-290-7 (9781803992907)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Book
08/2024
The History Press Ltd
€16.50
Shipment within 3-4 weeks
Book
01/2023
The History Press Ltd
€30.50
Shipment within 10-15 days
Person
KEVIN PARR is a writer, fisherman and naturalist. He is the author of the critically acclaimed Rivers Run (2016), which was longlisted for the inaugural Richard Jefferies Prize for Nature Writing. He is a monthly columnist for BBC Countryfile Magazine and the angling correspondent for The Idlermagazine and has written for the Daily Telegraph and Independent. Kevin lives in West Dorset with his wife and a colony of grass snakes a few strides from his garden gate.
Content
- Intro
- Title
- Copyright
- Contents
- Prologue: A Glint of Moonlight
- 1 The Quiet Moon
- 2 The Moon of Ice
- 3 The Moon of Winds
- 4 The Growing Moon
- 5 The Bright Moon
- 6 The Moon of Horses
- 7 The Moon of Claiming
- 8 The Moon of Dispute
- 9 The Singing Moon
- 10 The Harvest Moon
- 11 The Moon of Smoke
- 12 The Cold Moon
- Epilogue: The Blue Moon
- Acknowledgements
- Bibliography
