A beautiful new spell book
The Folk by the Oak festival team, proud commissioners of Spell Songs, were thrilled with the release of this wonderfully inventive, dazzlingly beautiful book and the opportunity to create new music with the Spell Songs Ensemble!
Kindred in spirit to The Lost Words but fresh in its form, The Lost Spells is a pocket-sized treasure that introduces a beautiful new set of natural spell-poems and artwork by beloved creative duo Robert Macfarlane & Jackie Morris.
We were honoured to feature some of these 'Lost Spells' in the liner notes for our Spell Songs album, and are over the moon that yet more of these inspirational words and images have now been released into the world. Each "spell" conjures an animal, bird, tree or flower -- from Barn Owl to Red Fox, Grey Seal to Silver Birch, Jay to Jackdaw -- with which we share our lives and landscapes. Moving, joyful and funny, The Lost Spells above all celebrates a sense of wonder, bearing witness to nature's power to amaze, console and bring joy.
Written to be read aloud, painted in brushstrokes that call to the forest, field, riverbank and also to the heart, The Lost Spells summons back what is often lost from sight and care, teaching the names of everyday species, and inspiring its readers to attention, love and care.
The Jackdaw Challenge
J-J-J-J-Jackdaw,
circling the back door,
showing of your knack for,
letting rip that high caw,
cutting like a hacksaw,
through the evening's calm core,
giving it the jaw-jaw!
Do you know someone who has learned the Jackdaw Spell by heart and spoken it aloud?
If so please show your admiration by downloading this certificate and presenting it to them!
For Lost Spells Explorers
As with The Lost Words, the publishers of The Lost Spells have commissioned Eva John to create an 'Explorers' Guides', but this time the guide has been designed to follow the seasons, and updated editions will be made available as the year progresses.
These guides are for teachers, librarians and children. They are for anyone who want to explore The Lost Spells and celebrate the magic of nature and language. These guides are for use in classrooms, at home or in an outdoor space of your choosing. The various activities and challenges included can be dipped in and out of or used consecutively as a cross-curricular scheme of work.
We hope you enjoy them!
The Spring Edition:
Click here to download your free copy of The Lost Spells Spring Explorer's Guide
Click here to download in easy to print Black and White
The Winter Edition:
Click here to download your free copy of The Lost Spells Winter Explorer's Guide
Click here to download in easy to print Black and White
The Autumn Edition:
Click here to download your free copy of The Lost Spells Autumn Explorers' Guide
Click here to download in easy to print Black and White
And don’t forget there are other free Lost Words and Spell Songs resources available for teachers and parents here! thelostwords.org/resources
Videos & Downloads
Click here to download the Red Fox Spell.
Beautifully illustrated and a delightful accompaniment to the Explorers' Guide.
A Message from the Authors
"One of my hopes is that it will deepen the work of The Lost Words in helping a new generation find their voices and raise them in protest in defence of all we are losing"
Jackie Morris
“We have to keep hoping, making this world a better place will be the work of many hands… reaching out together to one another
in connection… We can do this, we can be good ancestors”
Robert Macfarlane