A trusted guide to discover all things natural and traditional in 2025

Get closer to Nature this year by embracing local traditions, dates and events through the months and celebrating an abundance of natural bounty through the seasons. This wonderful Almanac by Lia Leendertz is a go-to resource for all kinds of information that will help you tune into Nature's rhythm and feel all the better for it.

This annual guide provides a wonderful way to celebrate Nature, honour local traditions and mark every moment enjoyed through the seasons. You will discover lots of regular features which this year include:

• The Month Ahead
• Gardening by the Moon
• In The Ancient Meadow
• Megalith of the Month
• Star Story of the Month
• Cake of the Month
• Folk Song of the Month
• Ancient Astrology

In addition, this guide to the seasons includes times and dates for the rising and setting of the Sun, schedules for tides and Spring tides, tables of Moon phases and planet positions, a monthly calendar of special days, traditional events and historical knowledge and more. It is a pleasure to explore and enjoy through the seasons.

Content variations

The inner covers are printed with a yearly calendar - January to June within the front cover and July to December 2025 in the back. There is a preview of key dates at the start of each month, charts for sunrise and sunset, moon phases and tides with simple tables and striking black and white illustrations throughout by Sarah Abrehart.

A feature not included in this Almanac for 2025 is a list of vegetables, fruits, herbs and nuts in season or what you are likely find at your local farmers' Market or while out foraging. These are included in Almanac 2022 as they are generally in season at the same time each year.

This information I have carried forward to include in my Almanac for 2025 series for Spiral Leaf which will be published on the blog on the first of every month.

Ancient Astronomy

The featured theme for this year's Almanac is Ancient Astronomy to reflect how every culture around the world has gazed at and endeavoured to read the skies. Each month provides information on different planets, stars and mythological stories. This ties in with another feature, Megalith of the Month, and how these mighty stones and stone circles connect with Nature's calendar as the year enfolds.

This year marks a major lunar standstill which is a phenomenon that occurs every 18.6 years. This may have been tacked by our Neolithic ancestors in many stone circles. All of this year the moon will oscillate between being extremely high and low in the sky. In northern latitudes it will barely skim the horizon at times making the Moon always look larger when it is near the horizon.

The expression major lunar standstill was termed by archaeologist, Alexander Thorm, who theorised that a great many of the standing stones and stone circles of Britain and Ireland tracked this cycle, perhaps using the stake method, and eventually replacing the stakes with standing stones.

A trusted guide

This is my fourth Lia Leendertz Almanac and with so many themes to enjoy this year, I will make this review short and sweet in the hope that you will invest in this beautiful book and use it as a guide to all things natural, bountiful and traditional.

I will follow the seasons with you this year as I always do, together with some of the wonderful things I continue to learn about the natural world. This book will help you get familiar with natural events and local traditions this coming year so that you can connect with things happening around you and enjoy Nature more.

It's important for our body, mind, spirit and soul to stay in tune with Mother Earth's natural rhythms. We know how good it feels when we tune in, relax and feel more alive. For this reason, I highly recommend this modest purchase to keep by your side and dip into for information, insights and inspiration.

Wishing you a very Happy New Year and I look forward to seeing you soon.

Sue Cartwright

Spiral Leaf

Buy the book!

Purchase a copy of this wonderful seasonal guide book by clicking through to my affiliate bookshop below. Spiral Leaf may earn a small commission for books sold at no extra cost to you!

The Almanac - A Seasonal Guide to 2025 by Lia Leendertz