About this publication and community

Hello there –

I’m Sharon Blackie, psychologist, mythologist and the award-winning/ bestselling author of seven books of fiction and nonfiction. You can read more about my work below, but I’m delighted to welcome you to this newsletter, publication and global community: The Art of Enchantment.

The Art of Enchantment is a gathering place for lovers of myth, folklore and (Jungian and Archetypal) depth psychology. Here, we explore the mysteries of the psyche, Otherworlds and imaginal worlds, our relationship with place and planet – and whatever might lie beyond it all. My focus is on reclaiming and reimagining women’s stories, cultivating the mythic imagination, and delving into the relevance of myth and fairy tales to the personal, cultural and environmental issues we face today.

The Art of Enchantment has existed in various forms and on various platforms since 2015. Most recently it was a longstanding Top Ten Global Literature Substack. (In the transition away from Substack to this new platform, comments on my extensive post archive couldn’t be migrated across. I hope that readers will feel free to fill the empty space up again!))

Why subscribe?

My commitment to those of you who choose to subscribe to The Art of Enchantment is to ensure that you receive something of value in return. Not just carefully crafted words, but ideas and inspiration for how to live now, in these ever-changing, ever-more-challenging times. Because if I’m passionate about anything, I’m passionate about transformation – about life as a constant process of becoming. It’s only by transforming ourselves that we can hope to transform the world.

Join my community as a free subscriber, and you’ll receive a monthly newsletter with personal reflections, and mythic/ archetypal perspectives on our lives and the times. This is the best place to find out more about upcoming books and events, and other projects. There’ll also be occasional free-to-read long-form articles, but if you’d like new exclusive content from me in your inbox each week, do consider becoming a premium subscriber.

As a premium subscriber, you’ll also have access to my full archive, including all short courses and masterclasses, as well as new weekly work focused on myth and fairy tales, on depth/ archetypal psychology and the mythic imagination, on women’s stories, on the nature of calling and finding our place in this world. If you’d like to access this exclusive content from me, then for £7 a month/ £70 a year you can have it sent directly to your email inbox as well as browsing the archive on the web. You’ll receive:

– Short courses and masterclasses, like our September 2026 series on the Grail mythology within the Arthurian traditions.
– Monthly ‘Myth & Fairy Tale Salons’, in which you can join me for live Zoom sessions to talk about these beautiful old stories in greater depth. (If a short course is running, the live sessions for that course will replace the monthly Myth & Fairy Tale Salon sessions.)
– Each year, I host a Myth Summer School: and intensive, weeks-long dive into a set of related stories.
– Access to an embedded community with individual discussion channels on various subjects of interest to us all. Here, you’ll be able to post your own threads and information, and engage in conversation with me and with other members of the community.
– ‘On the couch’, an occasional ‘advice column’ where I give a long-form answer to one of your questions about an aspect of our journey through life that you’d like help with.
– Long-form articles and opinion pieces in my specialist areas.
– ‘Ask me anything’ opportunities.
– Priority early-bird access to my residential retreats, which have a tendency to sell out quickly.

All online sessions are recorded for later viewing. You can find live session dates on the Calendar page.

IF YOU’RE A PREMIUM MEMBER AND ARE LOOKING FOR INFORMATION ABOUT HOW TO MANAGE YOUR MEMBERSHIP, PLEASE VISIT THIS PAGE BEFORE CONTACTING US FOR SUPPORT.

Dr Sharon Blackie

I’m an award-winning and internationally bestselling author, speaker and teacher, a former neuroscientist, and a psychologist with an academic background in mythology and folklore too. As well as writing seven books of fiction and nonfiction, my writing has appeared in international media outlets and I’ve featured in many programs from the BBC, US public radio and independent filmmakers. I was recently the subject of a profile in the Guardian newspaper, which you can read here.

I’m a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, an Honorary Member of the UK Association of Jungian Analysts, and have taught and lectured at many academic institutions, retreat centres and cultural festivals around the world.

My unique approach to working with the mythic imagination, and with an archetypal approach to myth and fairy tales, highlights the insights these traditions can offer us into authentic and meaningful ways of being in the world. The transformative power of story has been at the heart of my work for decades. I’m a recognised pioneer in reclaiming women’s mythology, especially from old British, Irish and European traditions. My 2016 word-of-mouth bestseller If Women Rose Rooted offered groundbreaking ideas at the intersection of Celtic myth, women’s spirituality and ecology. With Hagitude and Wise Women, I led the way in reimagining the stories of midlife, menopause and the second half of life.

My most recent work, Nostos, is focused on Western wisdom and philosophical traditions and their integration with practices from contemporary depth psychology and related disciplines, to offer both a new mythopoetics and a living spiritual tradition that responds to the challenges and opportunities of today’s world.

You can find out more about me and about my books over at my main website.

Copyright notice

Please be aware that all writing and other material at The Art of Enchantment is my copyright and it may not be used or reproduced in any form without written permission. For permission, please email hags[at]hagitude.org.

Contact

For queries about your account or subscription, please email [email protected]. Please note we are based in the UK, and check emails a couple of times a day during standard working hours, weekends and Bank Holidays excluded. We’ll reply as soon as we can.

To contact me about my work and writing, and for agent details, please see the contact page on my main website.