Kelsey Lucas has been fascinated by spirituality from a young age, reading books like The Alchemist and The Celestine Prophecy in roll call during her school days.
The former Cessnock woman – who now lives in the United Kingdom – has put pen to paper and published a book on how traditional astrology was used in ancient and medieval times and how it can be applied to modern living.
Published under the name Kelsey Avalon, Moon Magic provides an insight into how societies used the movement of the sun and the cycle of the moon each month to plan everything from travelling to sleeping to harvesting their crops.
“We live in a time where people feel disconnected and disenfranchised, and our natural circadian rhythms are disrupted by our use of technology, schedules, artificial lighting and so on,” Kelsey said.
“Moon Magic explains how you can plan your month to adhere more to those ancient natural energy cycles that we all carry in our genetic makeup, to have better sleep, increased energy, lowered stress and improved relationships.”
The former Mount View High School student was always a keen writer – she scored a Band 6 (above 90 percent) in English Extension 2 in the 2008 HSC.
She moved to Maitland after high school, and went on to become Miss Maitland in 2013.
She trained as a counsellor and moved to the UK to work in social work, while continuing to study spirituality and traditional tribal practices, travelling everywhere from to the jungle in Peru to ancient Druid sites in Ireland to take part in ceremonies and courses.
“In my 'normal work' it is so clear how much people need a sense of meaningfulness and balance in their lives, regardless of their beliefs,” Kelsey said.
“So I wanted to create something that could be used as a guidebook for everyone to access this traditional knowledge in a way that can benefit modern living.”
Kelsey said the practices helped her recover from a horrendous battle with chronic fatigue syndrome a few years ago.
She said she has been meaning to write the book for years, and was lucky enough to receive a small grant this year which enabled her to achieve her dream.
“I was thrilled when the book was published,” she said.
“So much work has gone into this and it has been quite a journey managing it alongside full-time work.
“However I had about one day to be excited before I had to get stuck in again.
“The publisher has asked for a second book so I'm back on a deadline to get that completed too.”
