Sarah Rigby, publishing director at Elliott & Thompson, has secured world rights for The Wheel of the Year: A Nurturing Guide to Rediscovering Nature’s Seasons and Cycles by Dr Rebecca Beattie. Due to publish in October 2022, The Wheel of the Year will celebrate eight key moments within the changing seasons, from solstices to equinoxes and cross quarter days-in-between. It is ‘alive with what is happening in the natural world,’ offering tools and rituals to mark each seasonal festival. Beattie intends to connect readers ‘to the wheel of their own life as well, allowing them to chart the turning of their personal seasons alongside these wider cycles.’
Beattie holds a PhD in Creative Writing and has previously published works on modern paganism. She has been practising solitary witchcraft for 20 years and has been an initiate of the Gardnerian Wiccan tradition for 15 years. She considers herself an ‘expert guide to the power of these seasonal rhythms.’
‘I’ve long been intrigued by the ways in which our folklore and folk song connect so directly to the natural world,’ said Rigby. ‘So it’s been fascinating to see the Wheel of the Year – celebrating our solstices and equinoxes and those moments in between – rising into our collective consciousness in recent times. With such a keen interest in ritual, wild magic and seasonal tradition on- and off-line, I was thrilled to find the perfect author for this new project in Rebecca Beattie, a Wiccan priestess.’
Beattie commented: ‘I have long wanted to write this book, but was seeking the perfect home for it, which I have found in Elliott and Thompson. I am thrilled to have such a marvellous collaboration with Sarah Rigby and Michael Alcock and their respective teams. I hope the book will shed some light on the beauty and benefits of celebrating the year with nature as its focus and its inspiration – and show that our relationship with nature is at source a symbiotic one that enriches our lives.’