Shaman Pathways - Following the Deer Trods: A Practical Guide to Working with Elen of the Ways

by Elen Sentier

Following on from the author's successful book Shaman Pathways - Elen of the Ways, this is a practical handbook filled with tried-and-tested exercises, journeys and experiential work for the reader to engage in. Essential reading for anyone wanting to begin the old British paths.

Genres: Spirituality, Paganism, Mythology, Ebooks

99 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 30, 2015

About the author

I write magic, mystery, murder & (sometimes steamy) romance.

All my life I’ve followed the deer trods of Elen of the Ways. My mother's mother was a witch from the Isle of Man and my father was a cunning man from Lancashire. I grew up in an ancient village on the edge of Exmoor where the church is dedicated to the goddess Iwerydd and my aunt owned her sacred well. My parents and the elder folk in the village taught the ways of the awenydd, the old native shamanism of Britain.

I live in the back of beyond with two cats and a host of wildlife where I write novels and I teach the ways of old ways of the awenydd that I grew up with. I read massively and am now converted to Kindle as well as having bookcases full of the lovely old paper stuff. Whenever I can I get out into the wild places.

Reviews

[Lou · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you don't know anything about Elen of the Ways, this book is entirely unhelpful to the uninitiated. It doesn't really offer anything substantial in terms of history or context. It's mostly anecdotal based on the author's upbringing. Some of which can be nice to read, but a lot of it gets bogged down with really distracting anti-Christian rhetoric.

I am not a Christian (ex-Christian, actually,) but I don't like reading books about spirituality or other pathways that constantly compare themselves to Christianity. It comes across as bitter and unprofessional.

I wish there was more factual information in this book, more research, more historical context. In some ways, it feels incomplete - like one part of a much larger book. I feel it would have worked much better if it had been published as such. I feel like I only received part of a book for what I paid for, or like I was reading someone's blog entries.

Overall, I'm disappointed. I don't think it's entirely useless, though. There are a few exercises which some might find helpful, but nothing groundbreaking or wholly unique. I don't think this book offers anything you can't find through your own online research, other than the previously mentioned personal anecdotes. I almost wish the author had committed more, and had put MORE stories about her upbringing then, to give the book a bit more personality and life. I think the author could produce something much better if she would get a better editor and spend a little more time fleshing out the ideas and concepts she tries to explore here.

[NanLT Pagan Witch · Rating 1 out of 5]

It is not enough to say that I did not like this book, nor do I have any desire to seek out any other writings by this author. What came across for me while reading Shaman Pathways – Following the Deer Trods by Elen Sentier was a lot of anger and blaming, and a strong sense of the author’s own self-inflated superiority.
Review continued here.

[Theophanea · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm actually incredibly disappointed in this. Finding literature on Elen of the Ways is particularly hard to begin with, and this book and another from the same author seem to be two of the only ones. This book was incredibly lacking.

First, the most glaring issue I had was that, for a book about Elen of the Ways, she was certainly not mentioned in any sort of important way. Each time she was brought up, it was in passing. If I hadn't read the title, I would have thought I had picked up a different book. Each of the rituals and steps and things the author wants you to do could be done for (insert deity here) because they were so generic.

The book is also not Neurodivergent or modern-life friendly, either. The "rituals" don't fit into a modern life where many of us are trying to juggle our unfortunate necessities (9-5 jobs, long commutes, some people living in cities, bills, unaffordable lives, etc), and this book and the contents don't fit into those in any way. They're really involved, step heavy, and require time that no one has, even if they're trying. There's also NO alternative. The author just assumes everyone has access to a forest or even "earth" as it was.

This leads me to my next point about it feeling very ableist and snooty. The tone is very condescending, and reading it felt like she was chastising me before I'd even managed to do anything. The vibe was off, the language was off, and I felt like someone on the outside looking in on something the author didn't even want me to be a part of.

All in all, it was a disappointing read, and I can't recommend it for anyone looking for text about Elen of the Ways. However, it could, I suppose, be good for anyone looking into basic shamanism.

[Cynthia · Rating 1 out of 5]

To say this book was a waste of time and disappointing is the tip of the iceberg. I had really hoped this follow up to Sentier’s ‘Elen of the Ways’ would feel more focused and intentional - it was not.

So much of this book felt dedicated to random anecdotes and rambling thoughts, with occasional half-hearted attempts to connect them to ‘following the deer trods.’

I do think it’s fair to say that there were a few pieces that weren’t utterly useless, but they felt as though they had been plucked from a much larger project.

Once again I came across several grammatical errors and oddities, which I hold the editor and publishers accountable for. Overall I am not a fan of they way this whole thing was put together.

I’m also not a big fan of the tone that Sentier seems to take, it’s like she’s constantly trying to justify her perspective and blustering up her own importance rather than trusting her readers to simply experience what they are reading.

As someone who is interested in learning about Elen of the Ways and ways of building a relationship and ways of working with and honoring her, that is what I was hoping to gleam from this “book” and those elements were not present.

[Ellen Garside · Rating 2 out of 5]

I felt the need to write this review because I was rather disappointed with how little of this book was actually about Elen of the Ways, despite the title claiming to be a 'Practical guide to working with Elen of the Ways'. As someone who has recently felt drawn to Elen of the Ways I have been trying to learn more about the goddess and how to work alongside her. This book was pretty much useless for that and didn't hold any focus on Elen. A lot of the book was about respecting the land and discovering ancient roots, which is all very well, but when you purchase a book with Elen of the Ways in the title it is logical to actually expect some of it to be about Elen of the Ways...

Some of the exercises may be useful to some (the reason why I gave a generous 2 stars), but nothing that is not available from other sources for free. The author got on my nerves slightly with some of her writing coming across as preachy and judgmental. I'm not sure if this book was edited or proof read at all before being published as the writing seemed jumbled and unfocused. The less said about her analogy to s**t, the better.

[Cosette · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Shaman Pathways - Following the Deer Trods: A Practical Guide to Working with Elen of the Ways" by Elen Sentier is like an introduction to an introduction.

Sentier emphasises the importance of rekindling our connection with the land and fostering a reciprocal relationship with the earth, mirroring the ancient wisdom of our ancestors. She encourages readers to embark on their journeys and provides basic exercises to get them started with shamanic techniques.

For me, I needed more. Despite its title, this book has very little information about Elen of the Ways; her name appears only eight times, and the connections between the exercises and Elen, deer, or British Shamanism need to be stronger.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book and it’s prequel ‘Elen of the Ways’ to be wonderfully informative and immersive reads. I first discovered Elen of the Ways when I was just a child, although at the time I didn’t know that this was who I was meeting repeatedly in my dreams. These books truly helped to connect all of the dots in a wonderfully comprehensive and atmospheric way and expanded my knowledge on a subject and people who I find to be fascinating. I own both of these books in kindle format but intend to buy the paper copy as well in the near future as they are definitely books you will want to take notes on.

[Kelly J Applegate · Rating 3 out of 5]

As advertised, a good into to old British practice.

[Royal Montgomery · Rating 2 out of 5]

it's ok! i didn't dislike it, i just don't really have much to say about it.

[Jenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Working with Elen of the Ways is not an easy journey. It is for those who wish to look deeper into the world around them and those who are willing to walk a path with few others. It is a path of the awenydd. As I am always willing to learn more about the old ways of living close to the earth and honoring the spirit of nature, so I was excited to get a review copy of the Shaman Pathways title Following the Deer Trods.


Although there is a very short bit early on that shows a strong dislike to Christianity, this book is incredibly valuable. How often do we pass the blame for our mistakes on to someone else? It happens, even if we try not to do it. It is simply a part of our culture. By not accepting our mistakes we are actually doing ourselves a disservice. How can we possibly learn if we don't make mistakes? This is simply the first of the lessons explored in this book. Not quite a quarter of the way into the book and already we are given incredible exercises. How often have you tried to really and truly listen? I mean listening in a way that removes our own preconceptions and leaves our minds truly open and accepting... Here is just another example of the value I discovered in this book.

This truly is a book about working and growing close to the earth. A seemingly single yet profound part of this is a more naturalistic view of the elements. We are all familiar with the standard earth, air, fire and water. Yet how often do we think of them in terms of water going through the full cycle, or earth as the molecules to help growth emerging from the decay of that which has died? Most of us don't very often, if at all.

Normally when I read one of these short books from the different Moon Books series I think of it as a lovely introduction or a handy book for reference. This entry goes far beyond that expectation. Here is a book that is short, yet far from a quick read. It is worthy of going back to read over and over again, both for the incredible exercises and because as you progress along your own path, whatever that may be, you will be able to gain even more from the insights within. Whether you work closely with Elen or just want her help to grow a deeper, more naturalistic practice, you will find great value in this book. Highly recommended.

http://www.moon-books.net/books/shama...

[Kate Robertson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent, full of practical ways to follow this path. A great companion to her first book on Elen.