Why do buttercups glow when held beneath your chin? Why are bluebells known as fairy phones? Why are foxgloves sometimes given the ominous name ‘Deadman’s Bellows’? And what is the true meaning of a rose? Discover the fascinating folklore behind more than 40 of nature’s most beautiful flora and fauna, and learn how you can apply their timeless teachings to modern day life, and embrace the ritual of getting out into nature.   Often forgotten but always intriguing, humans have given meanings and stories to plants and flowers for thousands of years. From myths of Ancient Greek Gods who pecked out the eyes of anyone who moved the sacred but thorny Peony plant, to 19th century Victorian tales of superstition that saw flowers foreshadow love, life, and death, you’ll never look at bunch of flowers in the same way again! With details on the origins of the folklore behind each plant, and a beautiful ritual to help you better connect with the teaching each plant has to offer, this is the perfect gift for foragers, gardeners, and budding horticulturists looking to develop their knowledge of plants beyond the exterior. From the old wife’s tale that sage thrives in the garden of a woman who rules her household (and husband!) firmly, to poppies growing in places where blood has been shed, learn the meanings and stories behind: Tulips / Sunflowers / Orchids / Lily of the Valley / Basil / Bay / Lotus / Mint / Mulberry / Daffodil / Hyacinth / Rose / Rosemary / Parsley / Nightshade / Ragwort / Red Clover / Solomon’s Seal / Yarrow / Lavender / Cistus (Rock Rose) / Aconite / Violet / Cowslip / Hawthorn blossom / Stitchwort / Valerian …and more! Including common plants found all over the world, and traditional herbs and flowers used in medicines for thousands of years, this is a truly unique and fascinating exploration of floral folklore from around the world.

The Celtic Year is your year-long companion to the magic and mystery of the Celts.

As you follow along with the Wheel of the Year, you will discover the traditions, beliefs and rituals of these ancient people. With this beautiful book as your guide, immerse yourself in nature and harness the power of the elements as you discover everything from practices and deities, to signs, symbols and sacred sites.

Learn your tree sign and discover a new festival every month. Plus, with simple creative exercises and nature-inspired rituals, this book will remind you to live more in tune with the seasons.

Celebrate the magic of the Celts in every phase of the year with The Celtic Year.

Following on from the success of Wisdom of Flowers, this beautifully illustrated book will share the infinite wisdom of birds, providing inspiration from these small but mighty creatures on how to live bravely and care for the things we love.

Taking sixty of the world’ s most amazing birds, including the great blue heron found on the Galapagos Islands, the sooty tern of the tropical oceans, the black-throated blue warbler and the Acadian flycatcher, this book will share their unique characteristics and strengths that allow them to thrive, inspiring us to build with care and spread our wings.

In an introduction to the tarot unlike any other, join storyteller, tarot reader and teacher, Alison Davies, and read 78 unforgettable tales behind all the cards in the modern tarot deck. Every tarot card has a story to tell and is rich in symbolic meaning. In this gorgeous book for aspiring and experienced tarot readers alike, expert practitioner Alison Davies brings the stories of the cards alive. With key words and themes to help you understand the meanings of the cards, use this storybook as a tool to learn the tarot, or take your tarot readings to the next level.   Follow The Fool on his journey through the Major Arcana as he travels down the path of life, meeting iconic characters along the way such as The Magician, The Hermit, Death, and The High Priestess. Follow the stories of the four suits in the Minor Arcana, and watch three sisters rise to power in the Suit of Pentacles, and a world-changing idea is born in the Suit of Wands.   Stories give us context, context gives us knowledge, and knowledge is empowerment. Enhance your tarot practice, and learn to understand, decode, and apply the wisdom and meaning of the tarot in your life through the power of these stories.  

The Self-Care Year reveals how to re-connect with your body and mind and engage with your surroundings, how to slow down, live in tune with the seasons, and pay attention to the present moment. Each season is different and special, bountiful and beautiful in its own unique way. The book is divided into spring, summer, autumn and winter and covers how you can harness the changing seasons and take inspiration from the natural world, with bite-sized self-care practices, projects and mind and body exercises for each chapter. Offering tips and rituals for better sleep, yoga positions, breathing and meditation exercises, as well as simple craft projects and seasonal affirmations, this book is for those who are seeking a slower pace and want to carve out quiet, mindful moments in their lives. Whether you're a lover of the first buds of spring, a summer sun worshipper, a fan of the autumn leaves as the year turns or a winter wonderland devotee, there is something for everyone.

A deck of 50 illustrated meditation cards that will transport you to the world’s most restorative places Each card features a guided meditation practice and immersive illustration, presented in a keepsake gift box Use the power of your mind to access calm, healing places across the globe from wherever you are The perfect gift for anyone who needs a sliver of peace and tranquility in their lives   Find peace and calm, anywhere   Transport yourself to powerful, restorative locations with these 50 immersive guided meditation cards. From Iceland’s soothing blue lagoon via the healing forests of Japan to California’s soaring Mount Shasta, breathe in and access inner calm inspired by peaceful places around the world.

With beautiful, bright gouache illustrations and little-known facts about our most mysterious feline companions, this is the perfect gift for all dedicated cat owners. Often a confusing mixture of affectionate and aloof, one minute seeming completely disinterested in you and the next, following you around the house, how much do you really know about your cat? For example, we may think of them as discerning and fussy eaters, did you know that they have very few taste buds and no sweet tooth at all? Or that, like their owners, cats can be either left or right pawed? And, despite their reserved and dignified demeanour, they love nothing more than one of your smelly socks.

Dive into the fascinating world of coastal wildlife with this holiday pocket guide. Featuring 40 beautifully illustrated pebbles, shells, crabs, small sea creatures and more, discover more about life between the tides with The Little Guide to Shorelines. Each entry has been delicately illustrated by printmaker Tom Frost to capture its individual characteristics, and is accompanied by associated facts and fables. There is also an interactive spotter's guide at the back, where you can check off what you find. This informative, practical and beautiful guide is part of a new nature series designed to encourage creativity through exploring the outdoors. An activity for adults and children alike, enjoy The Little Guide to Shorelines on your next trip to the sea.

Learn the powerful stories behind over 40 goddesses from around the world, and discover how you can embody their power to improve your wellbeing, and live your best life.  From ancient myth to modern day icons, there’s a goddess to help you with every situation. Including some of the best and less well-known goddesses throughout mythology, and accompanied by a gorgeous illustration of each, learn the stories of:  ·    Freya (Norse Goddess of Love, Beauty, and War) ·    Eostre (Celtic Goddess of the Dawn and Spring) ·    Guan Yin (Buddhist Goddess of Compassion and Mercy) ·    Nut (Egyptian Goddess of the Sky) ·    Selene (Greek Goddess of the Moon) ·    Jaci (Brazilian Moon Goddess) ·    Gaia (Greek Goddess of the Earth) ·    Pele (Goddess of Fire, Volcanoes, and Dance) ·    Inanna (Sumerian Goddess of Love, Fertility, and Sensuality) ·    Amaterasu (Shintu Goddess of the Sun) ·    Lakshmi (Hindu Goddess of Wealth, Good Fortune, and Success) …and many more!  With a simple ritual or activity alongside each story to help you channel the iconic energy of each goddess, this is the ultimate book of female empowerment. 

This book is a compendium of symbols with sacred meanings, perfect for anyone looking to find a meaningful tattoo design, professional tattoo artists or anyone interested in folklore and religion.

It gathers some of the most popular and lesser known signs from around the world in a comprehensive and accessible guide. Looking at each symbol's history and origins, it unveils the cultural and spiritual significance, alongside any folklore to give each image context, and showcases different tattoo styles for those seeking inspiration or just a fresh approach to a traditional design.

The directory includes 75-100 lead symbols and themes, reflecting the way these develop and emerge across different folklore and religions. Each of these has an accessible list of meanings as well as a list of key uses and context to where the sacred origins lie.

Celebrate spring and summer as a time of renewal with Flora the Roman Goddess of flowers and learn about balance in Litha. As the nights get longer, create beautiful garlands of herbs to ward off evil spirits. Explore the magic of each month, with mystical tips and practical projects, and delve into the annual cycle of a modern mystical year. With supersitions and sayings, crystals, birds and beasts, this is a book for the modern mystic that is accessible for everyone. Based on spirituality in nature, The Mystical Year reveals how to wind down, and celebrate the seasons with folklore, festivals and simple, creative projects for each month of the year.

Step aside cat ladies, it’s time to put the men in the spotlight – when it comes to the felines in our lives, men are just as OBSESSED as women. Celebrating the unique bond between cat and dad, this cute little book is an ode to all cat dads out there and a guide on being the best cat parent possible. It might take a little while for their hearts to be won over, but men, eventually, always fall for their cats. With chapters covering everything from cat–dad psychology to fathering quizzes and from a toolkit of parenting essentials to basic behaviour interpretation, this is the perfect gift for the man in your cat’s life. Peppered throughout are feline-inspired quotes from famous cat dads, including Charles Dickens and Ernest Hemingway, and advice to help to ensure your cat is happy, healthy so you can really be the perfect Cat Father.

Discover the transformative power of the lunar cycle in The Lunar Year, your year-long companion to the magic of the moon. With a chapter for every month of the year, The Lunar Year reveals how to tune into Mother Nature and celebrate the power of the moon. In this beautifully illustrated guide, you will explore the phases of the moon and learn to tap into lunar wisdom. Discover how to harness the power of your emotions by getting in touch with your moon sign and find inspiration in the wisdom lunar gods and goddesses of traditions past. Filled with ancient traditions, grounding rituals and spells for a sprinkle of magic for every season, this is the essential companion to the lunar cycle. Celebrate the magic of the moon in every season with The Lunar Year.

For thousands of years, charms and symbols have allowed us to communicate powerful feelings without the use of a single word. From the elegant, sacred Feather to the strong, rooted Tree of Life, signs and symbols such as these can help guide us on our journey through life. Charms & Symbols is a guide to symbols from cultures around the world. Discover the meanings of these beautiful emblems and learn how to work with each of them to improve your overall wellbeing. Including exercises and self-care tips, this book mixes ancient wisdom with a modern and accessible approach to self-care. Learn how to focus and meditate on symbols through activities such as breathing exercises and mindful practices to help boost your self-esteem, restore and rejuvenate your body and mind, connect with your intuition and ease feelings of anxiety and worry. Discover symbols such as: - The Tree of Life, for a greater connection between life on earth and the afterlife - The Triple Moon, used to represent the power of the goddess - The Endless Knot, an important symbol in Buddhism representing the endless cycles in life - The Triquetra, a Celtic protection symbol representing the Mother, the Maiden and the Crone - The Hamsa, a Middle Eastern symbol that represents protection, fortune, health and happiness

This book explores the discourse of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), one of the most debated mental health categories attributed to children and adults across the globe. The authors trace the origins, development and representation of ADHD to demonstrate how the category is produced through competing explanatory theories and processes of scientific, professional and lay discourse. Starting with the idea that medical categories are as much a product of cultural meaning, social processes and models of medicine as they are of scientific fact, this book utilises a range of perspectives from within critical discursive psychology to approach this topic. The authors discuss historical construction, media representation, parents' accounts of family life, and the personal experience of children and adults to demonstrate how the construction of social identity and cultural stereotypes are embedded in the meaning of ADHD. They explore the origins of ADHD and how biological and psychosocial explanations of the mental health category have been produced, circulated, debated and resisted within a culture of 'Othering', and the discourse of blame.

In Group Music Therapy Alison Davies, Eleanor Richards and Nick Barwick bring together developments in theory and clinical practice in music therapy group work, celebrating the richness of what group analytic thinking and music therapy can offer one another. The book explores the dynamic elements of the processes that take place in both group analytic therapy and group music therapy, exploring both the commonalities and the distinctive characteristics of the two modalities.

To music therapists, psychotherapists and other arts therapists Group Music Therapy offers a body of knowledge and enquiry through which to understand the music therapy group process through some of the central proposals of group analysis; to group analysts it offers insight into the possibilities of non-verbal communication through improvised music and, more widely, invites thought in musical terms about the nature of events and exchanges in a therapy group. Links are made with group analytic theory as well as with other associated theoretical traditions, such as attachment theory and theories of early infant development. The book explores the history of group music therapy and the history of group analysis, looking both at core concepts and at more recent developments. Attention is also given to developmental issues, drawing upon theories of infant development and attachment theory and clinical vignettes drawn from music therapy practice with a wide range of patient groups illustrates these ideas. The book concludes with a discussion of the possibilities of co-therapy and other collaborative working and of the value of experiential groups in training.

Group Music Therapy will be a key text for clinicians and students seeking to expand their theoretical thinking and enrich their practice, and offers a grounding in group analytic ideas to professionals in other disciplines considering referrals to group work."

In Group Music Therapy Alison Davies, Eleanor Richards and Nick Barwick bring together developments in theory and clinical practice in music therapy group work, celebrating the richness of what group analytic thinking and music therapy can offer one another. The book explores the dynamic elements of the processes that take place in both group analytic therapy and group music therapy, exploring both the commonalities and the distinctive characteristics of the two modalities.

To music therapists, psychotherapists and other arts therapists Group Music Therapy offers a body of knowledge and enquiry through which to understand the music therapy group process through some of the central proposals of group analysis; to group analysts it offers insight into the possibilities of non-verbal communication through improvised music and, more widely, invites thought in musical terms about the nature of events and exchanges in a therapy group. Links are made with group analytic theory as well as with other associated theoretical traditions, such as attachment theory and theories of early infant development. The book explores the history of group music therapy and the history of group analysis, looking both at core concepts and at more recent developments. Attention is also given to developmental issues, drawing upon theories of infant development and attachment theory and clinical vignettes drawn from music therapy practice with a wide range of patient groups illustrates these ideas. The book concludes with a discussion of the possibilities of co-therapy and other collaborative working and of the value of experiential groups in training.

Group Music Therapy will be a key text for clinicians and students seeking to expand their theoretical thinking and enrich their practice, and offers a grounding in group analytic ideas to professionals in other disciplines considering referrals to group work."

Religious events and cultural celebrations form an important part of societies throughout the world. They are key to social development and understanding, for celebrating diversity, as well as finding common ground. Covering a wide range of festivals from around the world, this book shows practitioners and teachers how they can introduce young children to some of the ideas behind these events and encourage them to have fun, get creative and work together. Aimed at those working with children aged 3 - 7, Using Festivals to Inspire and Engage Young Children covers a range of cultural celebration by each calendar month, explaining the background to these events and provides fun and imaginative activities and stories based around each one. Features include: a basic outline of each festival; a wide range of activities to suit children at different stages in their development; development and learning aims at the end of each chapter; suggestions for working with parents and links with home; top tips for creating your own activities relating to celebrations; story models that can be adapted and used to suit different events. Highly practical with an emphasis on fun and hands on learning, this book is a fantastic resource for Early Years practitioners, Primary School teachers and those that want to inspire young children and celebrate the world we live in.

Discover the intriguing world of wildflowers with this handy pocket guide. Beautifully illustrated throughout, The Little Guide to Wildflowers offers a fresh perspective on identifying the flowers around you. Featuring 40 of the most beautiful flowers from around the world, including the common wildflowers we know and love, as well as the rare and interesting. Each flower has been delicately illustrated by printmaker Tom Frost to capture its individual characteristics, and is accompanied by information about the plant family to which it belongs and where it can be found, plus associated facts and fables. There is also an interactive spotter's guide at the back, where you can check off each flower you find. This informative, practical and beautiful guide is part of a new nature series designed to encourage creativity through exploring the outdoors.

Law touches more and more upon the daily practice of medical professionals. This trend continues as modern medicine delivers more therapies, and modern society demands increased rights for individuals and increased accountability for medical professionals. This handbook is written by a practising physician and qualified lawyer to provide an accessible text that allows medical professionals to grasp the legal rules that impact on their daily practice quickly and clearly. The handbook format and clear numbered paragraphs aid speed of use, and legal references are matched to short case summaries and legal statute summaries throughout to provide a solid evidence base. The work enables practitioners to clarify legal questions in all key areas in moments. It concisely and comprehensively covers the core topics including confidentiality, consent, and negligence, and clarifies particularly complex issues such as abortion, assisted reproduction, surrogacy, human tissue and the end of life. This book is an essential reference for medical professionals at every level and in every setting, from students to consultants. 'The purpose of this book is to provide an accessible resource for busy medical professionals. The text assumes no knowledge of law. The medical factual details that are often frustratingly missing from legal textbooks are retained. The point is to locate the cases not just on the legal maps but also upon the medical maps.' Raj Mohindra in the Introduction

This is not just another book on ADHD. This book tells the side of the story most of us are otherwise unlikely to hear. ADHD has become a clinical phenomenon, a modern-day epidemic of incredible proportions, unlike any we have seen before. It has swept over us like a tidal wave. "The Other Side of ADHD" brings into sharp focus some of the controversial aspects of ADHD that help maintain its status as the most hotly debated subject in children's mental health. The book draws together the many issues that ADHD raises, clinically, socially, philosophically, ethically and politically. The result is a challenge that goes far beyond this diagnostic label, and reaches into just about every aspect of our lives. Everyone who cares about social issues will want to read this book. This passionate and illuminating work is a clarion call for clinical and educational psychologists and other health and social care professionals including counsellors and therapists. It is a life-line to parents with hyperactive children, and teachers, youth and social workers will also find it invaluable. "ADHD has become a clinical phenomenon, a modern-day epidemic of incredible proportions, unlike any we have seen before. It has swept over us like a tidal wave. I have found myself in a position where I have been at odds with the prevailing view about these children's problems. As the situation has unfolded, it has seemed to me that the subject of ADHD touches on other important issues, some of which are pivotal to our thinking about mental health. It seemed to me that there was a need to pull together the different strands of the debate so that parents and clinicians could build up more of a complete picture and make their own informed decisions." - Angela Southall, in the Introduction.