Writer Katherine May urges us to seek 'Enchantment' in this age of anxiety

British writer and podcaster Katherine May is the author of the 2020 best-selling book Wintering, her inspiring and personal narrative of the acceptance of sadness, and nourishment while in deep retreat during the pandemic.

May's new book is Enchantment: Awakening Wonder in an Anxious Age, where she encourages us to awaken our innate sense of wonder and awe in a time when we are exhausted by anxiety and the vigilance of waiting for what's going to happen next in the world.

Enchantment is told through personal narrative and is both inspirational and philosophical. As May wrote this book, she noted a theme of the elemental, so the book is divided into "Earth," "Water," "Fire" and "Air." Early in the book, May comes to terms with what she has lost during the pandemic:

"I have lost some fundamental part of my knowing, some elemental human feeling. Without it, the world feels like tap water left overnight, flat and chemical, devoid of life. ... I need a better way to walk through this life. I want to be enchanted again."

Enchantment is a thoughtful read and beautifully written. May's voice reveals both big and small truths about the world and ourselves and these connections make this a compelling book.

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