Ceremonies of the Seasons: Exploring and Celebrating Nature's Eternal Cycle

by Jennifer Cole

Nature lovers will delight in this opulent handbook and its unique blend of ritual, meditation, and symbolism. Superimposing the solstices and equinoxes on the landmark events in the farmer’s year, it divides the calendar into eight ancient seasonal segments: each segment features an image of the relevant sector of the Wheel of the Year, annotated with insight into key dates and festivals such as Easter or All Souls’ Night. Throughout, we get background on symbols, myths, and ceremonies from across the globe, along with suggestions for how we, too, can celebrate that phase of the natural cycle. Rich in artwork to savor and use, this year-long companion presents an enjoyable program of exercises and ideas for making a brief escape from the pressures of modern life.

Genres: Nonfiction, Spirituality, Reference, Mythology, Holiday, History

244 pages, Paperback

First published April 15, 2007

Reviews

[Johnna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought I would get more out of this in terms of the wheel of life but it's pretty generic. Good resource for basic questions.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good general book; I liked that it went into all forms of festivals. The artwork was fantastic and beautiful :) I used this for my Research Project and it was a great starter.

[PrettyFlamingo · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting tour through all the major celebrations of the seasons with history, photographs, vintage drawings and wonderful mandala drawings. I loved this book.

[Amanda Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. I like to use this book for inspiration with my spiritual practice. This is a great educational resource for libraries of any kind as well. Beautifully illustrated.

[tequila Corbly · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's an excellently written book that gives small and easy to understand details of the different ways the seasons and their changes are celebrated around the world and through history. The illustrations are gorgeous, and the photographs were selected to work with the text.

While it does give basics, I will recommend finding further details on ceremonies if you would like to learn more about them. It contains several variants of the Wheel of the Year that highlight the season, and different holidays celebrated within that season.

I will recommend it to anyone wanting to learn more about religion, changes of the seasons, and celebrations around the world.

[Ralph · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoy the books setup. I can read a new chapter during each new season. It has recipes, folklore, history, invocations...a potpourri of different cultures and ideas for watching nature work her magic. Jumps around a bit too much for my liking, but I love the ideas they give, and I still use the book frequently.

[Kelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so interesting! It's fun to learn about where our traditions come from. If I ever go on jeopardy, I am going to know some great trivia facts. The book is written in a clear but intelligent style. The pictures and marginal notes help make it not a dry read, although it is information dense.

[Paula Mitchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely, illustrated overview of basic history of seasonal celebrations across various cultural traditions. Useful as a reference, but not a deep study of any one tradition or holiday. Those with more than a casual interest in the history of our holidays and festivals will want to seek additional resources.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Basic ritual recommendations for year-round. Beautifully illustrated.

[Kendra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read 10/1/2009

Re-read 7/29/14