Author Description

In the tradition of Estes' Women Who Run with the Wolves and Duerk's Circle of Stones, these earthy spirited tales, born from the author's Celtic heritage, celebrate and honor the evolving passages of woman's life. For over twenty-five years, psychotherapist Peg Elliott Mayo has been creating stories for her clients that address the soul-deep quests and struggles of their lives. Saturated in the oral tradition of Celtic myths, Jungian symbolism, and Feminine archetypes, RiverVoices offers a collection of connected stories that instruct, challenge, and heal -- and link women's seasons to the larger river of life. Fox, the Rememberer, begins her duty and privilege of initiating Sprout, her youngest granddaughter, into Women's Mysteries. Calling on the other elders -- Mother, Recluse, Voyager, Warrior, and Midwife -- Fox helps Sprout follow the deepest prompting of the human spirit through each passage of her life. Bridging Sprout's stories with reflective essays, Mayo considers the mythic and modern perspectives of the Seasons of Childhood, Youth, Maturity, and Age. The lyrical combination of ancient womanly story and Mayo's psychological perspective engages both the intuition and the intellect. Mayo's magical cauldron of whimsy and wisdom will appeal to every woman's longing to explore her own depths and satisfy her spiritual hunger.