Author: Sharon Blackie
Genre: Nonfiction, Self-Help, Spiritual, Psychology
Publication date: 2018
Format: Audiobook
Publisher: Anansi Audio
Narrator: Fiona Reid
Book Description: Taking as her starting point the inspiration and wisdom that can be derived from myth, fairy tales, 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. Enchantment . By Dr. 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 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. 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.
Thoughts:
I have mixed feelings about this book. Self-help books are always a hit or miss for me. I was hoping that we would get more psychology or maybe it's just that the vibe didn't align with me. There are plenty of tips to activate an"enchantment," develop a sense of connectedness, and a sense of community, and plenty of examples of reaching out to nature and the great feeling it provides. Again I like the core idea of the message, the execution left much to be desired.
What didn't work for me:
This is written from a very specific social and economic ladder. You have to throw it all overboard, which is not realistic for most people. It feels like you have to condone everything in your lifestyle, a steady income job and not living off the land 100% is sinful.
Again I struggle when people write in such huge black and white- its not realistic. I did not expect this to be so heavily linked to a religious belief. Even that could have been ok but she took it in a direction I do not agree with linking a disbelief in god with a lack of regard for our planet. Atheism ≠ consumerism.
It's clear that Blackie feels very strongly about the environment and our effect on it, but I did not expect this book to go down this path of making the Western culture the root cause of all evils. Blackie is writing from her own experiences and POV but she makes it seem so absolute. Maybe there's some wisdom here that I'm not in the right life stage to understand. There's no advice for those of us who live in urban or suburban areas without access to nature, who don't have the means to move house to another part of the state or even country trying to find an area with the means of connecting and trying the lifestyle she deems as the absolute only way. There are a lot more people who are stuck in corporate or even retail and menial jobs and have no option to change. Even we deserve pockets of enchantment in our lives but very little of the advice mentioned here could apply to the vast majority of everyday people.
I like the principles behind it and think if it was written a little more light-heartedly it could have been a great guide to connecting with nature and the world. It's not the worst book ever but it didn't do what I was expecting it to.
I'm struggling maybe I'll lower it to 1.5 stars.
This was used for the following challenges:
Nonfiction
Buzzworathon: Magic in the title
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