“The Power of Timing: Living in Harmony with Natural and Lunar Cycles” by Johanna Paungger and Thomas Poppe

"With these clear-cut tips, living a lunar life doesn’t have to be rocket science.

Filled with straightforward insight, well-articulated concepts, and useful charts, this guidebook offers a strong starting point for anyone interested in living according to moon phases and other natural rhythms.

Written by Johanna Paungger and Thomas Poppe, best-selling authors in Germany, The Power of Timing is the English-language edition of a work that first appeared in 1996. Offering distinctive, timeless advice, the authors draw upon their experiences in aligning health, gardening, and daily activities with moon phases and zodiac signs.

Although these techniques were used for centuries, Paungger and Poppe believe that new technologies and tactics have caused them to be overlooked, resulting in low crop yields, abundant pests, poor health, overmedication, and other modern ills. Getting back to lunar phases helps to correct the imbalance, they contend: “After you have tried it out a few times you will soon notice how much easier everything seems.”

The topics covered are wide ranging, from watering crops and building fences to preserving herbs, combating weeds, cutting firewood, and even cleaning a house and baking bread. Nearly every activity benefits from better moon awareness, according to the authors.

One of the book’s greatest strengths is the clarity with which the authors describe their strategies. Although following moon phases, zodiac signs, the modern calendar, and seasonal rhythms can seem daunting at first glance, the detailed advice Paungger and Poppe impart makes each strategy seem manageable. For instance, they discuss gathering medicinal herbs on specific days according to someone’s condition: "Herbs gathered on Virgo days, for example, are especially helpful in dealing with complaints of the digestion. From herbs collected on Pisces days an excellent foot ointment can be prepared".

In conveying the importance of syncing up to lunar rhythms, Paungger and Poppe do give a nod to ancient wisdom. It would have been helpful, however, for the authors to include more compelling evidence than just their initial general statements. For example, they write, "Many archaeologically significant buildings from ancient times testify to the important status that our forefathers attached to the precise observation of heavenly bodies and calculation of their paths". But they fail to include any examples of those buildings, or to give specifics on how those long-ago architects used moon phases in the construction. Additional layers of evidence would have better served skeptics.

That said, for those who are already keen to embrace more natural rhythms and delve into how lunar cycles can be beneficial, this guide will be a valued resource. Particularly helpful for farmers and carpenters, the insight here is also applicable for a wide array of uses, from scheduling a massage appointment to gathering medicinal herbs. The authors also include an easy-to-follow lunar calendar up until the year 2020.

Getting the hang of living by the lunar cycle, particularly with zodiac signs thrown into the mix, takes some effort and patience, admit Paungger and Poppe. But with their clear-cut tips, anyone can live in greater harmony with lunar rhythms."

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