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Maya Greenwood #2
Walking to Mercury: A Visionary Novel
The word mercury conjures many images--the messenger god, the planet that rules over communication, the liquid metal that defies attempts to be held--images that form the backbone of Walking to Mercury, a story chronicling the early life of Maya Greenwood. Readers familiar with Starhawk's fiction may remember Maya as the 21st-century rebel leader who was introduced in The Fifth Sacred Thing . In Walking to Mercury, a younger Maya treks through Nepal carrying the ashes of her mother on her back as she searches for a reunion with her sister. Along the way, she finds messages (through the pages of her best friend Johanna's diary, in letters from her former lover Rio, and in notes from her elusive sister) that raise spiritual mountains rivaling the peaks of the Himalayas. She struggles with her past and hopes to find out why the power that once pounded through her like a drumbeat has fallen silent. However, like the metal mercury, the answer to her troubles continually slips through her fingers. While eco-feminism plays a supporting role, the star of Walking to Mercury is everything that Starhawk has to tell us about being human. As Maya discovers, no matter how independent one is, one's life is inextricably entangled with the lives of others--parents, siblings, friends, lovers, and even strangers who nudge us in one direction or another (sometimes imperceptibly) despite our best attempts at isolation. Starhawk permeates every step of Maya's journey with emotion, and pulls no punches, hitting us with everything from grief to ecstasy. There is no padding to separate us from the story, but Walking to Mercury is no stark, utilitarian piece of minimalist fiction. This is life, with all its bitterness and all its magic. --Brian Patterson
495 pages, Paperback
First published February 3, 1997
83 people are currently reading
990 people want to read
About the author
Starhawk
60 books1,010 followersStarhawk is an author, activist, permaculture designer and teacher, and a prominent voice in modern Goddess religion and earth-based spirituality. She is the author or coauthor of thirteen books, including the classics The Spiral Dance and The Fifth Sacred Thing. Her latest is the newly published fiction novel City of Refuge, the long-awaited sequel to The Fifth Sacred Thing.
Starhawk directs Earth Activist Training, (www.earthactivisttraining.org), teaching permaculture design grounded in spirit and with a focus on organizing and activism. “Social permaculture”—the conscious design of regenerative human systems, is a particular focus of hers.
She lives on Golden Rabbit Ranch in Western Sonoma County, CA, where she is developing a model of carbon-sequestering land use incorporating food forests and savannahs, planned grazing, and regenerative forestry.
She travels internationally, lecturing and teaching on earth-based spirituality, permaculture, and the skills of activism. Her web site is www.starhawk.org.
Starhawk directs Earth Activist Training, (www.earthactivisttraining.org), teaching permaculture design grounded in spirit and with a focus on organizing and activism. “Social permaculture”—the conscious design of regenerative human systems, is a particular focus of hers.
She lives on Golden Rabbit Ranch in Western Sonoma County, CA, where she is developing a model of carbon-sequestering land use incorporating food forests and savannahs, planned grazing, and regenerative forestry.
She travels internationally, lecturing and teaching on earth-based spirituality, permaculture, and the skills of activism. Her web site is www.starhawk.org.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 56 reviews
May 13, 2010
I loved this book! My brother got it for me because he's into Starhawk and he thought I would like the story because it is heavily influenced by the 1960s counterculture. He was right.
You really got to know the characters well and could empathize with them. Rio and Maya's relationship was so magical at first and you really felt that and when it changed I was really hurt too. I also loved the layout of the story. It takes place while Maya is carrying her mother's ashes as a middle aged woman and we learn about Maya's past through letters and journal entries. I could not put this book down I felt like I was on a journey of self discovery as well.
You really got to know the characters well and could empathize with them. Rio and Maya's relationship was so magical at first and you really felt that and when it changed I was really hurt too. I also loved the layout of the story. It takes place while Maya is carrying her mother's ashes as a middle aged woman and we learn about Maya's past through letters and journal entries. I could not put this book down I felt like I was on a journey of self discovery as well.
April 10, 2021
This book was my least favourite in the series by far, it slammed on the brakes on the main story in order to delve into the life of one of the lesser characters from the first book.
Walking to Mercury is chronologically the second book published in The Fifth Sacred Thing series, but it's a prequel to the first book. This book is mainly a character study of Maya, but also delves into the lives of her partners Johanna and Rio.
I found Maya to be extremely frustrating and self centred, expecting everything to be flashy and meaningful 100% of the time. A lot of her actions and beliefs were to the detriment of others. I also didn't like how much she was made into the wise woman of the Himalayan tour, especially when she was dealing with leaders from other cultures.
I came to really like Johanna, she's the most sensible and relatable character in this book. I admired that Johanna stood up to Maya when she wanted to run away to live the hippy lifestyle, because she realised that as a black woman she didn't have the privilege to make that choice. I also admired how hard she worked to make a life she was proud to live, especially given her circumstances and the era she lived in.
Rio felt like a stereotype, but I did like seeing his growth through the years. I also liked the chapter about the peoples park at Berkeley, I don't know that much about the Vietnam war era so that was really interesting and had me reading some articles on Wikipedia.
Overall I found the story slow and swapping between time periods is not something I generally enjoy, so I couldn't find myself getting into the story very much. I would recommend this to fans of The Fifth Sacred Thing, if they want to know more about the grandparents of the main characters in that story.
Walking to Mercury is chronologically the second book published in The Fifth Sacred Thing series, but it's a prequel to the first book. This book is mainly a character study of Maya, but also delves into the lives of her partners Johanna and Rio.
I found Maya to be extremely frustrating and self centred, expecting everything to be flashy and meaningful 100% of the time. A lot of her actions and beliefs were to the detriment of others. I also didn't like how much she was made into the wise woman of the Himalayan tour, especially when she was dealing with leaders from other cultures.
I came to really like Johanna, she's the most sensible and relatable character in this book. I admired that Johanna stood up to Maya when she wanted to run away to live the hippy lifestyle, because she realised that as a black woman she didn't have the privilege to make that choice. I also admired how hard she worked to make a life she was proud to live, especially given her circumstances and the era she lived in.
Rio felt like a stereotype, but I did like seeing his growth through the years. I also liked the chapter about the peoples park at Berkeley, I don't know that much about the Vietnam war era so that was really interesting and had me reading some articles on Wikipedia.
Overall I found the story slow and swapping between time periods is not something I generally enjoy, so I couldn't find myself getting into the story very much. I would recommend this to fans of The Fifth Sacred Thing, if they want to know more about the grandparents of the main characters in that story.
April 18, 2008
Lovely sequel to Starhawk's novel, Fifth Sacred Thing. This one takes us between the 60's and the 80's, between hippie psychedelic youth, to antiwar activism, to mid life crisis in landscapes of Haight-Ashbury, New York, and Mexican curanderas, to trekking the mountains of Tibetan Nepal. The vistas are gorgeous, the soul searching potent, the nostalgia delicious. Very magical, loving, and beautiful.
February 22, 2020
Update: REALLY tried but could not endure. Picked up the sequel to Fifth Sacred Thing instead, and so far it is absolutely lovely. City of Refuge is strong evidence of Starhawk’s wisdoms and movement sharpened analysis.
Original: I haven't finished this yet, and I definitely will. I care deeply about the Fifth Sacred Thing characters. I was so excited to read an extension of the magical Fifth Sacred Thing that I dug right into this one after finishing that one.
Unfortunately, Starhawk seems more adept at reflecting on race/ racism in a mostly post-racial society in which Fifth Sacred Thing is set. Set in the 1960s-1980s (so far), this installment's reflections about Black folks' experiences come off as... I don't know, stilted? And, there is a super long stretch in Nepal. Maya interacts with Nepali peoples in a flat, patronizing sort of way rather than giving any Nepali character any depth. They are flat props - cute, charming, servile cardboard cutouts - receiving lots of head-patting vibes from Maya and her tour group. I shudder. Perhaps a product of the 1990s growing ecotourism trend?
U.S. white citizen going on international tourism type stories, and stories told by a white author about Black experiences attempting a Black voice, can feel pretty gross sometimes, but they are possible to do well in some world. Though Starhawk *almost* reflects on Maya's internalized nationalism and racism meaningfully a few times, so far we're missing the mark. This yikes-worthy tone pops me out of fully experiencing the otherwise well-written and interesting protagonist deepening story. I'll update when I'm done.
Original: I haven't finished this yet, and I definitely will. I care deeply about the Fifth Sacred Thing characters. I was so excited to read an extension of the magical Fifth Sacred Thing that I dug right into this one after finishing that one.
Unfortunately, Starhawk seems more adept at reflecting on race/ racism in a mostly post-racial society in which Fifth Sacred Thing is set. Set in the 1960s-1980s (so far), this installment's reflections about Black folks' experiences come off as... I don't know, stilted? And, there is a super long stretch in Nepal. Maya interacts with Nepali peoples in a flat, patronizing sort of way rather than giving any Nepali character any depth. They are flat props - cute, charming, servile cardboard cutouts - receiving lots of head-patting vibes from Maya and her tour group. I shudder. Perhaps a product of the 1990s growing ecotourism trend?
U.S. white citizen going on international tourism type stories, and stories told by a white author about Black experiences attempting a Black voice, can feel pretty gross sometimes, but they are possible to do well in some world. Though Starhawk *almost* reflects on Maya's internalized nationalism and racism meaningfully a few times, so far we're missing the mark. This yikes-worthy tone pops me out of fully experiencing the otherwise well-written and interesting protagonist deepening story. I'll update when I'm done.
March 30, 2024
I really enjoyed this. I almost gave it five stars, but I feel like it doesn't have quite the re-read potential I would expect from a five-star book. Nevertheless, I liked it a lot. I like the multiple layers of meaning to the title. I like the integration of real historical events into fiction. I like the satisfying ending. I like how this reads like realistic fiction or magical realism, yet works as a prequel for the fantasy book, The Fifth Sacred Thing. I was going to move on to City of Refuge next, but now I think I might read The Fifth Sacred Thing again first. I think all the background information about Maya will enhance my experience reading The Fifth Sacred Thing, and having The Fifth Sacred Thing fresh in my mind can only improve City of Refuge for me.
March 9, 2010
My first introduction to Starhawk was from her eco-Feminist Sci-Fi, The Fifth Sacred Thing. The novel pits a Los Angeles dystopia against a San Francisco utopia several decades after the collapse of the United States due to nuclear arms. One of the main characters, Maya Greenbaum, is the subject of Walking to Mercury.
Of course, I was shocked to find out that Walking to Mercury was nothing like FST. It's a fiction story that examines the lives and loves of three central characters, one of which is Greenbaum, through their growth between the Summer of Love and the late 80s.
While it wasn't what I expected, it was nonetheless enjoyable. Seeing the development of a main character who is nearly 100 in FST was fascinating, and the way Starhawk tied the years together through first person narratives and supporting letters between them made a web of relationships that fully informed the FST. A great look at two incredibly strong women fighting against the steadily growing war machine of America.
Of course, I was shocked to find out that Walking to Mercury was nothing like FST. It's a fiction story that examines the lives and loves of three central characters, one of which is Greenbaum, through their growth between the Summer of Love and the late 80s.
While it wasn't what I expected, it was nonetheless enjoyable. Seeing the development of a main character who is nearly 100 in FST was fascinating, and the way Starhawk tied the years together through first person narratives and supporting letters between them made a web of relationships that fully informed the FST. A great look at two incredibly strong women fighting against the steadily growing war machine of America.
February 28, 2010
This is a prequel to Fifth Sacred Thing. Part of me wonders if some of this was cut from that other (awesome)novel,and reborn as Walking to Mercury. It's a fascinating story of the hippie lifestyle and coming into adulthood of Johanna, Rio, and Maya. Kind of reminded me of Marge Piercy's Vida a little, but that's a good thing. I love Starhawk's fiction, because she weaves Goddess culture into her stories and it's all very magical.
Want to read
March 3, 2010"...hopes to find out why the power that once pounded through her like a drumbeat has fallen silent." This may be JUST the book I need to read right now! [3/2010:]
December 18, 2018
I'm really not sure where I got this book from, but when I picked it out of my book case I thought I would be getting a feminist sci-fi along the lines of The Handmaid's Tale. Instead I very quickly discovered I'd committed to reading a (gasp) literary novel.
I am not a spiritual person. At all. It's just not in my nature. So I found it really difficult to identify with Maya's struggle - she's lost her spiritual mojo and she's walking through Nepal with her mother's ashes in the hopes of finding it again.
As she moped through the mountains I found myself getting increasingly annoyed with her. You're in one of the most beautiful places in the world and you want something more? Just exist in the world. That is what there is. That is enough.
I wavered on the edge of giving this book three stars until the very end, where Maya finally faces the tangled relationships of her past and begins to put things right. This is where this book really wins. The relationships it depicts are raw and real and powerful, and I have to admit I spent much of the conclusion in tears.
I am not a spiritual person. At all. It's just not in my nature. So I found it really difficult to identify with Maya's struggle - she's lost her spiritual mojo and she's walking through Nepal with her mother's ashes in the hopes of finding it again.
As she moped through the mountains I found myself getting increasingly annoyed with her. You're in one of the most beautiful places in the world and you want something more? Just exist in the world. That is what there is. That is enough.
I wavered on the edge of giving this book three stars until the very end, where Maya finally faces the tangled relationships of her past and begins to put things right. This is where this book really wins. The relationships it depicts are raw and real and powerful, and I have to admit I spent much of the conclusion in tears.
June 13, 2020
"Goddess of change, help us through the changes we face."
This is Karla Greenbaum's,aka Maya J Greenway's, backstory, the story roots that are the 98 year old of "The Fifth Sacred Thing". We see the High School dropout, the peace activist, the leader, the storyteller and the healer. We see her anger, her tears, her acceptance and her fears. That is what's good about this book.
However, it's "stream of consciousness" really never comes together until the very end.... and that's why it gets 4 instead of five stars. I finished it and I was tired and wished somehow this was the foundational book- the first one- and that "Fifth Sacred Thing" was the second. I have just received my long hoped for copy of "City of Refuge", but may wait until I read it.
This is Karla Greenbaum's,aka Maya J Greenway's, backstory, the story roots that are the 98 year old of "The Fifth Sacred Thing". We see the High School dropout, the peace activist, the leader, the storyteller and the healer. We see her anger, her tears, her acceptance and her fears. That is what's good about this book.
However, it's "stream of consciousness" really never comes together until the very end.... and that's why it gets 4 instead of five stars. I finished it and I was tired and wished somehow this was the foundational book- the first one- and that "Fifth Sacred Thing" was the second. I have just received my long hoped for copy of "City of Refuge", but may wait until I read it.
February 27, 2022
This is one of my favorite books! I first read The Fifth Sacred Thing and was thinking of going right to City of Refuge since that seemed Ike the more likely sequel, even though Walking to Mercury was the second book in the series. Although the story happens many years before the events of The Fifth Sacred Thing, I really enjoyed reading about Maya’s journey….from her youth in the 60’s as a budding revolutionary hippie witch, to rediscovering herself in the Himalayas and then the Nevada Desert as a Middle Aged woman. There were so many insights in this book and it was so beautifully written. I’m so happy to have discovered this book when I did!
Just a little note: it took me so long to read this book because it was one of many that I was reading but also because I wanted to savor it!
Just a little note: it took me so long to read this book because it was one of many that I was reading but also because I wanted to savor it!
March 30, 2023
FINALLY finished this one… man do I love Starhawk but a few edits would’ve been nice😅 This is a prequel to the Fifth Sacred Thing and explains the backstories of Maya, Johanna and Rio. This incited a lot of thinking about race, class, mutual aid and intersectionality due to asking questions like “should Starhawk really be the one writing these conversations?” however, it broadened my own thinking. Gave a good snapshot of anti-war efforts in the 60s and how male hypervigilance is just not it when organizing. The epiphanies and “sacred downloads” the characters go through were relatable and incited a little more balanced acceptance of my own. Grateful to have read it, but excited to move on to somethin else after 500 pages.
May 8, 2021
I was compelled to finish this book, since I had read and loved The Fifth Sacred Thing and was curious to know Maya’s backstory. There were parts of her story that I resonated with, but it was hard to feel fully invested in her story. Perhaps because she was so ponderous and it took longer than necessary to resolve some of her conundrums.
I also felt disappointed that the complexity of her relationship with her female lover/partner of over a dozen years was overshadowed by her earlier relationship to a man. I didn’t see her fully connected to anyone, and her emotional stuntedness made it hard to feel empathy for her struggles.
I also felt disappointed that the complexity of her relationship with her female lover/partner of over a dozen years was overshadowed by her earlier relationship to a man. I didn’t see her fully connected to anyone, and her emotional stuntedness made it hard to feel empathy for her struggles.
September 6, 2021
I finished this because I cared a lot about the characters from The Fifth Sacred Thing, but I didn't find it engrossing in the same way. I usually have to like at least some of the characters in order to like a book, and while most of these were sympathetic in one way or another, I didn't especially *like* them. The framing story (middle-aged Maya in the Himalayas) was pretty slow and reflective, not much in the way of plot. By contrast, the flashbacks were frenetic, with a feverish intensity at many points. Hopefully for many readers those balanced out-- I never quite found the balance.
July 28, 2019
Ugh, words cannot express how much I hated this book. The characters were so whiny!! I love Starhawk and The Fifth Sacred Thing was one of my favorites but I never did like Maya as a character. I felt that even though Maya thought endlessly about her life choices she had no depth. Samw with Johanna. She was just as whiny and shallow. I struggled to finish this book. What a waste of time!!!!
October 3, 2019
Magic!
I read the fifth sacred ring years and years ago and I loved it. When I came across this book which I think was the next fiction book that Starhawk wrote, I thought maybe I was too old for these kinds of ideas. But this book really articulated some important feelings in knowings that I am so grateful to have words to carry them with me.
I read the fifth sacred ring years and years ago and I loved it. When I came across this book which I think was the next fiction book that Starhawk wrote, I thought maybe I was too old for these kinds of ideas. But this book really articulated some important feelings in knowings that I am so grateful to have words to carry them with me.
Read
June 8, 2025I think I read this? At least I can't figure out what book it would be if it wasn't this. It was my roommate's; I took it from the collective bookshelf on the stairs of a sunny Craftsman house in Berkeley 12 years ago.
I can't give it a rating, it's kind of a blur of images and feelings, but I *remember* it at least, which is more than I can say for many books I've read in my life.
I can't give it a rating, it's kind of a blur of images and feelings, but I *remember* it at least, which is more than I can say for many books I've read in my life.
June 3, 2021
As one might imagine, feels very dated at this point. Looking forward to City of Refuge to see how the 3 books rest as a trilogy. Regardless, thankful for Starhawk’s wisdom- in this book however, it’s bit a choppy.
March 12, 2022
This is a prequel to Starhawk’s “The Fifth Sacred Thing” and I enjoyed it but not as much TFST. It’s nice to have a book dedicated to Maya and her journey and I’m looking forward to re-reading TFST then read the follow-up.
Read
March 21, 2022better than the first one because there were no bees
November 19, 2018
It took 90 pages for me to get interested. Just like with the Fifth Sacred Thing, I didnt want it to end. So I slowed down for the last 100 + pages.
March 11, 2019
really good
October 16, 2019
Really identified with this character and story and the essence of her inner journey. Beautifully written, I was done before I knew it.
September 18, 2020
prequel to Fifth Sacred Thing, Maya as teenager and adult
September 18, 2021
One of my favorite stories. As I get older I understand the journey of life more and more as I re-read this book. I used to take life much more seriously. Now I approach it with more love.
February 25, 2022
Wow, incredible journeys.
September 2, 2024
Great writing style using journals to jump the time line of the story back and forth. Much warmth and spiritually in this story.
March 20, 2017
Love Starhawk! Her novels reflect deep immersion in the peace movement, second wave feminism, and various rights struggles. Her characters live and breath and inhabit you long after you close the book. Their relationships are complex and dynamic. This one focuses a lot on the relationship of a black and a white woman and how it is impacted by racism.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 56 reviews