Moon Phases: Use the Lunar Cycle to Connect with Nature and Focus Your Intentions

by Cecilia Lattari, Emilio Ignozza (Illustrator)

Cultivate your wild side and harmonize your personal connection to the moon and its ever-changing phases with this helpful guide, Moon Phases .

From herbalist expert Cecilia Lattari comes a practical tool that teaches the essentials of the different moon phases each month of the year and the wide symbolism beyond them. Explore the rocks and medicinal plants best utilized during different phases, along with popular icons that embody each different phase. Connecting to nature with a few simple practices related to the moon can help readers get better in touch with themselves. This book is the perfect instrument to help to create a magical daily routine in which to be free and completely fulfilled!

Genres: Witchcraft, Nonfiction

160 pages, Hardcover

Published April 26, 2022

Reviews

[Jessica M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Moon Phases by Cecilia Lattari is an explorative book on the alternating moon cycles that happen each month. Lattari delves into each month's core energy, including specific information about every lunar phase during that month.

Moon Phases is a spectacularly illustrated book with a geometric art style that captures the essence of the cycles of life. Lattari links symbolism and a diverse list of practices to each month of the year.
Unfortunately, I found the book not as compelling as I was expecting it to be. Which surprised me as I’m avid about the moon and its many cycles. However the writing style did not resonate with me.

The overall book is easy to digest and would be great for a beginner. Thank you to Netgalley, Cecilia Lattari, and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the DRC!

[Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book took an interesting approach to the moon and its messages throughout the year - even helped me curate a full moon playlist!
I found a lot of the book to be highly subjective and didn’t resonate with me -particularly with the seasons. In part I know this is because I live in a much colder climate than the author.
All in all, it was interesting. I liked the ideas of things to do throughout the month. I may get a copy and keep it for reference.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

In questo manuale vengono elencate e descritte le tredici lune dell'anno, insieme con i loro simboli e associazioni, e una serie di attività e riflessioni legate a ciascuna di esse. Carine le illustrazioni e l'idea di associare alcuni personaggi della cultura pop contemporanea alle varie lunazioni.

[Ashleah · Rating 4 out of 5]

(3.5 rounded up to a 4)

Moon Phases: Use the Lunar Cycle to Connect with Nature and Focus Your Intentions is guidebook on lunar spiritualism by Cecilia Lattari, with gorgeous illustrations by Emilio Ignozza. It was originally published in Italy; this is the U.S. debut. The PDF version is around 162 pages.

The author, an expert herbalist, uses this book to thoroughly explain the different phases of the moon each month of the year (starting with January) and what they symbolize. Lattari features aa plant for each month's moon as well, along with pop stars for some months, which are interesting concepts. She details what materials you can use best during different moon phases, and includes several suggested practices and rituals to complete during each phase. This book can help the reader feel more in touch with themselves, while also helping them to better connect with nature.

I was a little confused during the Introduction when the author notes that the word Sabbat comes from the Italian word sabba because I thought the term came from various places, including Hebrew and Latin. I understand that this book was originally published in Italy, so maybe the author wrote it this way for her Italian audience, but I think it was a bit of a misstep in the U.S. version of the book. Another bit of information that felt off to me was her note that the New Moon always occurs in the same zodiac sign as the sun. I believe this is very common, but it's not exclusive (I personally was born on a Virgo New Moon but my Sun sign is Leo). For these two issues, I docked a star off of my rating.

Special thanks to Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley for providing a PDF of this book for me to review. All opinions contained herein are my own. Moon Phases: Use the Lunar Cycle to Connect with Nature and Focus Your Intentions releases on April 26th.

[Emma C · Rating 2 out of 5]

As beautiful and nicely pieced together this information is, I didn't love it. I think there is potential for this being a good gift for someone who is really into pagan traditions and whatnot. But for myself personally this was a miss..

The problems I have with this are the sources of information for the moons themselves. I'm not at all qualified to say they're wrong for a couple of reasons though. One I'm not a scholar in this area, and two I do not speak Italian, so I can't read through the full bibliography for more information. I also feel like the information was based only on outdated information since the bibliography features only "old" sources. I know that moon phases are based off old traditions but I digress.

[Dyanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will begin with I loved this book. It will most definitely be on my reference shelf. The author explored the energy of each monthly lunar phase. She gives an in-depth look at the energy of the month's full moon explaining how to use it to manifest specifics into your life. Moon Phases lists symbols for each month and gives a thorough look at the chosen plant. This information is followed up by practices and rituals and finally a pop icon that is a good representation of that month's full moon. It was a very enjoyable book, full of information and easy to read. It will add another dimension to any information you already have on the Moon Phase. If you are a beginner in this exploration or a more experienced practitioner this is a great addition to your library.

[Roberta · Rating 3 out of 5]

I disegni sono fantastici e la struttura in sè del libro è interessante, ma c'è molto sincretismo newage non ben contestualizzato e secondo me si perde molto con questo "errore". In ogni caso, è bello vedere che ad ogni luna mensile siano associate storie, erbe, pop icon e quanto altro, molto interessanti anche tutte le fonti italiane citate. Però non è decisamente il mio tipo di libro siccome sembra il riassuntino fatto per una ricerca delle medie

[Belle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore books of this kind, I have an ever-growing collection. This particular book isn't really practical for those in the southern hemisphere - but I enjoyed it all the same.

Good layout and nice visual aesthetic. The pop icon addition is something that's new to me.

There is a lovely energy within these pages - I would definitely choose a printed copy.

*Free e-copy received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Meryjane82 · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is like a deeply guide for anyone looking to deepen their connection with nature. The idea of aligning herbal practices and stones with moon phases adds a unique touch—definitely an interesting way to bring mindfulness into daily life and I was also found an informative guide from https://moonphasesoulmate.com/.

[Mabh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gorgeous book with beautiful illustrations and a great format. Sadly packed with inaccuracies and misinformation, especially around “Celtic” sources. For example, there’s no such language as “Celtic”, and the Maid, Mother, Crone trope is modern, not Celtic.

[Julia Wooten · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting. Lots of knowledge gained!

[Ann Dudzinski · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up.

I’ve practiced lunar living for quite awhile and my life always flows much better when I’m aligned with the moon. However, sometimes I get bored of the same thing or I get out of sync and need a little push for inspiration. Hence, why I was drawn to this book. I love getting new perspectives to freshen up my own practices and this book gave me some ideas to incorporate.

Before I dive into the information contained in its pages, if you’re interested in this book I highly recommend the regular book format rather than an ebook. My review copy was an ebook and I was itching to get my hands on this in a hardback version with glossy pages. I imagine it’s quite beautiful.

As for the information it contains - overall really beneficial. The author not only explained the significance of the moons each month (and by moons, I mean the origins of their names, such as the strawberry moon, oak moon, snow moon, etc.), but also delved into plants associated with each lunar cycle, deities, astrological influences, and rituals and activities to bring you more in line with each month’s energy.

I’m pretty up to speed on the astrological influences in each lunar cycle, but I really appreciated the in-depth information on the herbs/plants/trees associated with each moon. Despite completing an herbalist course, I can’t keep them straight and it gave me some good ideas on what I may want to add to my garden this year. The author also included pop icons that embody the energy of specific moons and while I’m not a fan of all of them, I did add one or two songs to my Lilith playlist.

Overall, this is a good resource to have on hand, whether you think this sounds interesting and want to delve into lunar living or if you already practice it and want to add to your collection. There is also a bibliography in the back for further reading. What I liked is that it’s not packed with information you have to sift through - it’s a fairly quick read and you can easily just turn to the month at hand to employ the suggested practices. Although fair warning, there’s a lot of house cleaning during the winter months.

My one wish is that the author had been a little more consistent with the information presented each month. While she included things I loved like the best-associated Tarot card and colors, she was a little hit or miss on the astrological influence and pop icons. I’m also not sure about her intended audience since there was more focus on Christmas than Yule in the December chapter, but my assumption is that she’s casting a wider net to appeal to pagans and non-pagans alike (since there was plenty in that chapter on the Holly and the Oak Kings.)

I’d like to thank NetGalley and Andrew McMeel Publishing for providing the ARC copy of this book. I have left my review honestly and voluntarily.

[Ferenc · Rating 4 out of 5]

I see this book's faults and other reviewers have pointed them out already (not too informative, not always accurate, etc). I still love this a lot and love to return to it regularly. These kind of beautifully illustrated books that focus on seasonal traditions and the change of nature are just a weak spot of mine and this does its job greatly in that sense. I love that it somewhat introduces the Wheel of Year but in the aspect of the moon, going through each month separately and also has some great ideas for esbats, something that I didn't find in other books that deal with similar topics. Adding some pop icons and songs to some of the months was also a fun idea and they usually match the vibe perfectly (for example, listening to Björk on cold January evenings or Nina Simone on stormy July days is something I'd do too myself). Overall I could gain some inspiration on how to connect with nature for each month from this, and what can I say, I just love these kind of books.