The Practice of Enchantment

It might often seem that the facts of life are hard, that we must stay ever alert for threats and pitfalls. The modern world seems to require strict rationality and pitiless focus, holding no place for magic, enchantment, or elusive ideas such as transcendence, ambiguity, compassionate cooperation, or creative paradox.

In this collection of essays inspired by the work of Joseph Campbell, mythologist Joanna Gardner affirms the palliating power of the soul, the healing consolation of beauty, and the radiant vision of eyes that have learned to see life's experiences not as threats foreshadowing catastrophe, but rather as trusted friends and teachers. This elegant book, aptly titled The Practice of Enchantment, attunes the reader to the magic of life and the quest for wonder and meaning.

The word "enchant" has its roots in the Latin incantare, meaning to sing upon or sing into. By compassionately engaging with life and myth, and discovering new revelations in old ideas, or "new incarnations of ancient patterns" as the book's introduction says, the incantatory, lyrical nature of the essays in this collection casts a welcome spell, guiding the reader from an overly rational and ultimately unsatisfying mindset into a world of myth and story, mystery and beauty, soul and imagination.