Enchantment. By Dr. Sharon Blackie’s definition, a vivid sense of belongingness to a rich and many-layered world, a profound and whole-hearted participation in the adventure of life. Enchantment is a natural, spontaneous human tendency — one we possess as children, but lose, through social and cultural pressures, as we grow older. It is an attitude of mind which can be cultivated: the enchanted life is possible for anyone. It is intuitive, embraces wonder, and fully engages the mythic imagination — but it is also deeply embodied in ecology, grounded in place and community.

Taking as her starting point the inspiration and wisdom that can be derived from myth, fairytales, and folk culture, Dr. Sharon Blackie offers a set of practical and grounded tools for enchanting our lives and the places we live, so leading to a greater sense of meaning and of belonging to the world. To live this way is to be challenged, to be awakened, to be gripped and shaken to the core by the extraordinary which lies at the heart of the ordinary.

Out April 2018

MY THOUGHTS:

I received this book in exchange for my honest review.

Hmmm. I tend to stay away from this type of book because they often are bias and written from one perspective, usually preachy and often the true message is lost on the reader because it generates from the writer’s own personal beliefs.

Although there are many moments of salvation for Blackie, I did run across a lot of the above noted clichés. The author’s message was often lost under the piles of rhetoric about what the author ‘thinks’ best for the reader despite lacking an apparent realistic understanding of the differences each reader faces in life.  It’s okay to tell someone to quit their job and got back to nature, but seriously, only the privileged would be able to do this.   What about the others?

Despite this, there were many more aha moments. I do give credit to the author for getting her points across most of the time in a few chapters that held my attention.  There is this belief that we all live in a layered sheltered version of life and need to break free of this  in order to enjoy life.

Folklore, psychology, history, philosophy and life examples are used to get her points across in a refreshing and practical way. Overall, I would recommend that you read this book for yourself and make your own decision about whether or not you find it preachy, etc.   I have to admit, there are some interesting perspectives contained within its pages.

I gave it: