The Complete Guide to Living by the Moon: A Holistic Approach to Lunar-Inspired Wellness (9) (Complete Illustrated Encyclopedia)

I love this book, jammed pack full of information, even for a beginner, experienced, knowledgeable etc. This is one that is a reference and stays out. I would highly recommend and purchase it again.

This is more of a 'general astrology' book than I was expecting. I'm coming from a witchy perspective and wanted a book with rituals and activities to orient my goals around the lunar calendar, whereas this is more suited for general astrology fans. Specifically, I don't have much use for the vague 'astrology speak' found in second half of the book, but there is still plenty of very useful information in the front half that I'm glad to have, so I'll try to elaborate below.Things I like:There's a chapter for each moon phase. Each phase has about 8 pages of information about what each particular phase moon phase represents, what it's a good time to do (ie take action, try different approaches with projects, handling turning points, setting intentions, etc). I like that I can flip to the chapter of the current moon phase and gain some insight as to how I might best direct my energy. This part of the book is why I purchased it.Various journaling/workbook pages. They're general but inspire me to think about what I just read in the context of how I might proceed once I close the book. They can be easily copied into your own journal using the questions/prompts as a guide or by writing directly into the book in the provided spaces.It has really pretty, soothing artwork and good page design. It's easy reading with lots of bullet points, lists, sidebars, etc. For people who struggle with focus like I do, this is very helpful. The artwork throughout the book is lovely. Good quality too, with good binding and page quality.Practical exercises; actual things to do. Things like sound healing and creating a playlist, meal planning, using a weighted blanket and more. Not all of it is fitting or practical for everyone of course, but it helps to inspire other ideas, so it's helpful nonetheless.Tarot sidebars. There's a tarot card for each phase/chapter, which has an interesting interpretation that can be applied to the moon phase and our activities. It's a different use of tarot than I'm used to, but it's another tool to incorporate and I like the concept.An overall theme of self-acceptance, trusting our intuition and practicing self-care that I appreciate and find beneficial. This would be a nice gift for any astrology fan, although it definitely has a feminine feel to it, which might be good to know.Things I Don't Like:My biggest disappointment is that only the first half of the book is useful to me. The entire second half of the book is general astrology about your 'moon sign'. So each chapter of the second half of the book is for each sign; meaning that only about 8 pages of the entire back half of the book apply to my particular sign and the rest is non-applicable to me because it's for other people's astrological signs.Even the one section that is for my moon sign doesn't actually fit me at all. I know my exact time of birth to the minute, as well as birthdate and location of course, but it's like I'm reading about someone else. For example: "you thrive in group settings" - I'm actually an extreme introvert who has social anxiety and avoids groups like the plague, etc. It's typical astrology generalizations and flattery which is exactly the stuff I dislike about mainstream astrology. I wish it had stayed focused on the moon phases.So, I just wish this was two different books, instead of one more expensive book when I'll only ever use the first half. The first half is more fitting to the book title ("Living By the Moon") with information about the moon's phases with activities and practical, usable information, whereas the second half of the book is almost entirely about other people's signs, and the one section for my moon sign is a summary of character traits which don't even describe me accurately and has no real useful information. The second half might be right up your alley if you're into general astrology, but for those of us looking for books specifically about moon mapping, be prepared for only 100 useful pages out of a 200+ page book.