Ruth Finnegan, writing under the pen name of David Campbell Callender, has released ‘The moon, the watching witching moon: Our light and companion’, Paperback. This is Volume 2 of the CALLENDER NATURE series. All other books in the series have also been written in the name of Ruth’s grandfather. They include ‘Grass, Miracle from the Earth’ and ‘Birds, What Are They, First Look’, with more on the way.
“The ‘witching’ in the title alludes to the view that the moon is associated with lunacy (Luna = moon),” says the author while explaining the relevance of the book’s title. “It is often believed that people come out in a mad way, as werewolves etc., and animals behave oddly at the time of the full moon – that mysterious body. Its origin is mysterious too – there are lots of guesses, both good and bad, but nobody really knows.”
Ruth has had the moon as her friend right from her childhood days. The moon guided her through the streets and the rocks as there was no road or electricity in those days. The light of the moon was the saving grace for her and her family.
She has some fascinating things to share about the full moon. Under the full moon, all the little rabbits would come out of their burrows and play in the sand and the grass. The ants scuttled around, and even the birds, not just the night birds like the owls, but all other birds, would raise their heads from their nests and look out. The whole family and its previous generations knew about the phases of the moon.
Ruth was familiar with the beautiful crescent. She saw it as a line in the sky – enchanted, entrancing, and at first too slim to be visible. She also witnessed how the crescent grew magically night after night, increasing its visibility and inspiration. She discovered how half-moons transformed into full moons and what the transformation did to the tides. She learned too about the great spring and ebb waves and the moon’s connection to them by closely following the celestial changes.
She does not see the moon as a ‘he’ or a ‘she’. For her, the moon is neuter but living and with a capital letter. It is an object she reveres, and that’s why her book has some spelling inconsistencies – for her, it is the fluid ambiguity of the moon. She loves the ever-recycling moon with its incredible serenity, watching and entrancing people all the time.
‘The Moon, The Watching Witching Moon: Our Light and Companion’ was chosen as a Finalist in the non-fiction/culture category in the Readers Favorite Book Competition, 2021.
For more information, and to buy the book online, visit:
https://www.amazon.com/moon-watching-witching-light-companionship/dp/1667157892/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Callender+witching+moon&qid=1619978878&sr=8-1/
About The Book:
‘The Moon, The Watching Witching Moon: Our Light and Companion’ presents an engaging overview of what we know about our fascinating, ever-present moon as seen through the eyes of the great Irish naturalist David Campbell. The book vividly captures the recycling phases and what we can expect from each phase. The book also analyzes the connection between the moon and its gravitational tug of the tides, spring, full, and ebb. It also touches upon aspects we don’t know about the moon: where does it come from and how did it start, and so on. Of course, it also touches upon the lunar-lunacy theory that humans and animals behave oddly at full moon. It’s all here.
About Ruth Finnegan
Ruth Finnegan OBE is a renowned scholar and celebrated writer who is an Emeritus Professor of. The Open University, a Fellow of the British Academy, and an Honorary Fellow of Somerville College Oxford. She was recently elected as one of the first four International Fellows of the American Folklore Society, a much-valued honor. She is the author of twenty or more academic books plus novels and screenplays, many of them prize-winning. She has three daughters (two of them born in Nigeria), five grandchildren (one in New Zealand), and now lives in Old Bletchley, England, with her longtime husband David.
Media ContactCompany Name: Faculty of Social Sciences, The Open University/Callender PressContact Person: Dr Ruth Finnegan (aka David Campbell Callender)Email: Send EmailPhone: 01908372605Address:125 Church Green Road City: Milton Keynes MK36DEState: EnglandCountry: United KingdomWebsite: http://www.ruthhfinnegan.com/