The Heart of the Elder: Good Elders and Their Influence
offers everything you need to know about Pagan/Neopagan Elders.
How to identify, meet, and work with Elders.
Distinguishing the characteristics of great Elders.
Originating and maintaining meaningful relationships.
Navigating unique teaching styles.
Synchronicities and mysterious benefits of training with them.
Amazing stories of life-changing events.
Honoring them through Ceremonies.
Saying goodbye.
Lillith ThreeFeathers and Joy Marie Wedmedyk share astounding real-life experiences, magical blessings, and spiritual connections that prove the importance of Elders in Paganism. They provide essential advice to students and Elders on dedication, patience, accountability, being present for the experience, and using personal failure as a stepping stone. Building upon decades of unique personal experiences, they offer a practical guide to navigating respectful relationships across spiritual traditions. They include insights from interviews with more than thirty active Pagans/Neopagans, including noted teachers, writers, and Elders.
No other book deals with the particular challenges of identifying Elders, their roles in our culture, and their impact on those they guide. The information gathered by the authors offers an adventure that will support your own personal path.
"The book is well-written and nicely edited and formatted. As pagans who joined the Earth Spirituality movement during the 1980s and 1990s start to reach the age and experience level of Elderhood, there will be a greater need for rituals to mark their transition to this phase of life. This book is additionally valuable because it emphasizes the strong thread of respect for Elders in pagan tradition that is sadly absent in contemporary culture. As the authors point out, this Elder respect is one way pagans can take the lead and set a good example in mainstream culture in the 21st century. Very highly recommended book; and big kudos to the authors for their remarkable efforts to make this material coherent, easily understood, and available to all. Blessed Be! "
- Elizabeth Hazel, Facing North pagan review site