The water of life : initiation and the tempering of the soul

In response to demand for a new edition of The Water of Life, Michael Meade has revised and refined the classic text and added a new preface that addresses the important issue of men and violence in modern culture. As a recent reader remarked, This book is even more prescient and important at this critical point in the world than when it was first published. At once a mythic journey, a study in depth psychology and a treatise on initiation, Meade mines ancient stories, finding wisdom and guidance for the turbulent times in which we live. Throughout the text, the water of life functions as a core symbol for both personal and cultural renewal, and for the redemption of nature from a wasteland condition. Using ideas gleaned from many years of cutting-edge work with at-risk youth and oppressed communities, Meade's writing has the ring of lived truth. Contents Preface Introduction Part One: The Road of the Two Fathers 1 The Hunter and His Son 2 The King’s Hut 3 Two Tests, Two Slayings 4 A Fondness for Swords 5 Spirit Fathers Part Two: Moving the Mother 6 The Boy and the Half-Giantness 7 The Spell 8 The Fire Lizard in the Fire 9 Breaking Spells, Finding Inspiration Part Three: Ceremonies of Innocence 10 Recovering the Boy, Uncovering the Man 11 The Druid’s Hut 12 The Land Below the Waters 13 Bound for the Sacred 14 Conditions on the Soul Part Four: The Land of Fire 15 The Burning Feather 16 Litima: the Inner Heat 17 Those Who Are Burning 18 Cooling the Fires 19 Leaping into the Cauldron Part Five: Water of Life 20 The Territory of Brothers 21 Permission, Submission, Surrender 22 Men of Stone 23 The Path of Betrayal and the Golden Road Part Six: The Companions 24 Incurable Wounds, Dark Times 25 Sacred and Afflicted 26 The Writing on the Wall 27 On the Way to the Wedding Acknowledgements Select Bibliography Index About the Author "A mythic tapestry of multicultural stories that encourages both women and men to examine their own lives and find seeds of initiatory and healing experiences that can become the threads of meaningful community"--Page 4 of cover