Praise to the Moon: Magic & Myth of the Lunar Cycle is one of my favorite books about the moon. It combines world folklore, scientific fact, mythology and magic ritual into one intensive manuscript. The breadth of this work is astounding while there is sufficient depth for the more advanced lunar fans. Due to the breadth of topics, you are certain to learn many new facts about how the world relates to the moon.

Elen Hawke does a wonderful job of arranging the information into sections that flow smoothly and logically. Her writing style is lively, energetic, emotionally charged and extremely entertaining. She explains things in a way that anyone can understand and her instructions are a breeze to follow.

Hawke begins with an examination of the ancient cultures and their relationships to the moon. Next, she devotes a section to each phase of the moon alternating with a section on a special topic. The topics are "Eclipses," "The Man in the Moon," "Initiation" and "The Indian Lunar Zodiac." "The Moon in Astrological Signs" tells you the best types of magic or topics to work with during each lunar sign. It suggests the colors and incense and provided the ruling sign. "The Celtic Tree Calendar" lists the Celtic name, any associated festival, a narrative description of the tree, and details about its qualities. The appendices are "Circle Casting," "Color Correspondences," "Magical Tools," "Moon Gardening" and "Ogham Alphabet." Several pages are devoted to a glossary and the bibliography includes a lengthy list of websites that I have found quite useful and entertaining.

I enjoy reading this book for pleasure, but it is also a useful tool for harnessing the lunar energies to promote change within your life. For each lunar phase there are detailed instructions about working rituals and magic and the areas of your life that are most affected by this phase. The sections devoted to the mythology and folklore of the phases are fascinating.

My favorite section is "Eclipses." I really like the way Hawke deals with this topic. She explains what eclipses are, both solar and lunar. She relates some of the mythology and beliefs about them, tells about their significance, tosses in an email conversation from a fellow astrologer and details how to use the eclipse in rituals, both pre-eclipse and post-eclipse. Most importantly, she includes the nodes with their explanations, mythology and how they fit into astrology. Her thoroughness is commendable for most writers fail to touch on the nodes with eclipses.

If the moon has ever fascinated you, get this book.