Walking the Tides: Seasonal Magical Rhythms and Lore

by Nigel G. Pearson

Behind the seasonal calendar most pagans celebrate is an ebb and flow of natural energies, and this book provides important insight on those great rhythmic tides. Walking the Tides takes you on an intimate journey, exploring the natural world, the seasons, holy days, star lore, and much more.

Genres: Witchcraft, Paganism, Nonfiction, Spirituality, Occult, Collections, Magic

400 pages, Paperback

First published April 8, 2009

Reviews

[Steve Cran · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are looking for a great book on the seasonal practices of natural crafter and traditional British Witchcraft then this book is for your. Author Nigel Pearson firmly believes in following the natural cycles of the year without using the crutch of the calendar. For each tide there is a corresponding season. The year starts off in November with the first cycle of winter. February starts the spring cycle, May the summer cycle and August the fall cycle. For each tide or cycle there are several sections. There are sections that tell about the star constellations that are visible along with the connecting mythology for each. There are great sections on which plants or herbs are active. Contained in this section is how to harvest them, magical uses and even medicinal uses. The author does caution the reader about which ones are poisonous and which ones are sacred to the faery folk. Ones that are sacred to the faery folk are best not messed with with. The fae are not too fond of the human beings encroaching in on their world. Mr. Pearson also includes seasonal dishes that sound delicious. Something I would like to try. Other sections include rituals to be done in the home and which animals are out and about at this time. This book is loaded with information yet the author makes it so interesting that it breezes through like a quick read of lighter reading. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and finished it in less then a week. This is a book that I will defintley reread and consult probably on a monthly basis so I can gather more information to keep in sync with the worlds energies.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I consider this book and Walking the tides by the same author, as companions. One gives an insight to the seasonal year and the other a more practical guide to the craft of the Traditional witch. These are not books about Wicca but about an older craft based on the lore of the wise woman/pellar/cunning men and women whose stories are some of the last vestiges of the old ways.

Well written in good plain language, Pearson brings the subject alive and makes it plausible and practical and very approachable.

For me personally this version of the craft makes more sense and for those who want to look beyond Neo Paganism, I would heartily recommend these books.

[Marci · Rating 3 out of 5]

Parts of this are really good, and parts of it are highly suspect. He ascribes things to Bede that aren't in Bede and that type of thing. (Oh, and some nonsense about rune yoga, which is 100% some nonsense with no historical basis.) So while I really enjoyed it, I'm not sure how highly I'm willing to rate it. The good bits seemed good, but...