…and never stop at all.
Odyssey of the 8th Fire is my giveaway — an epic, nonfiction saga of the Americas. – S.M.
Sing the tune without the words…
Keys for Adept Aging
Teach Us to Number Our Days: Keys for Adept Aging – by Steven McFadden
Census trends show that we are steadily changing to a world populated – at least for a brief cycle of history – with many millions more people who are older. Rather than seeing this as a set of problems, as some are wont to do, we might well recognize that this also represents a potential blessing of the elders.
One can become old simply by surviving the passage of years. But an elder is someone who has earned authority and respect by virtue of advanced age, experience, integrity, and understanding. As history shows, for their families and for societies, elders can be, and frequently have been, profoundly steadying and enriching influences.
Not everyone who becomes old also becomes an elder. But some do, and many more could. In our era of raucous cultural transition, the world could benefit enormously from such a development. Young people who may feel confused about or disappointed in the world and their place in it, could especially benefit.
True elders are people who have gracefully accepted the passage of time, integrated their life experience with understanding, and made the fruit of their long experience available to others. But how does one do this? How does one become a true elder?
That question has long engaged my interest. Out of my inquiry into the subject came one of my Soul*Sparks gift books, Teach Us to Number Our Days: Keys for Adept Aging. It’s a concise compilation of insights that a great number of experienced elders have shared from antiquity on up to the present. My hope has always been that this little gift book would be a welcome and helpful companion for elders, as well as for people who are becoming elders – a category that includes all of us.
Set your compass true
True epic saga. Read for the highest.
As the author of this true saga, I cordially invite one and all to make a great literary pilgrimage, traveling day by day, page by page across North America. Odyssey of the 8th Fire is a free, online epic saga of the Americas. In it, circles upon circles, elders make a great and generous giveaway of teachings that have critical relevance to our era of time..
Keys for Adept Aging
Through the centuries many perceptive elders have expressed their understandings about aging, and about the parallel ennobling quest for wisdom and understanding. With appreciation for this reservoir of knowledge, I assembled this slender compilation of thoughts, feelings, and insights from wisdom leaders around the world. The book is smooth, deep, straightforward, and readily serves as a basis for contemplation and enrichment. I feel that Teach Us to Number Our Days is a small treasure, a meaningful gift for elders, as well as for family and friends who are advancing in age.
As Lesley Jones wrote in Readers’ Favorite: “This book is a real soul-searching piece of writing. I loved the concept and this would make a fantastic gift to any older family members.”
Savoring a rave review for Tales of the Whirling Rainbow
This just in: a rave review of Tales of the Whirling Rainbow from Small Press Bookwatch:
“Absorbing, engaging, thoughtful, thought-provoking, exceptionally well written, and thoroughly ‘reader friendly’ in organization and presentation, Tales of the Whirling Rainbow: Myths & Mysteries for Our Times is unreservedly recommended for personal reading lists, as well as community and academic library collections.”
DNA’s Double Whirling Rainbow Helix
The other day while looking online at a model of our human DNA genetic code I had an insight that I felt was worth noting. As a consequence I added some new sentences to my nonfiction book, Tales of the Whirling Rainbow: Myths & Mysteries for Our Times.
I wrote, “The natural and the mythic image of the whirling rainbow conveys growing awareness of the reality that now in world history with sophisticated communications and transportation systems, different cultures (colors of the rainbow) are whirling (interacting).
“Likewise, as many millions of people have their DNA tested out of genealogical curiosity, we are discovering the fundamental reality of how complex and multifaceted are the whirling double-helix strands of genes that give evidence of each person’s multicultural lineage. These DNA molecules embody the inherited instructions that an organism – such as a human being – needs to develop, live and reproduce. These instructions are found inside every cell, and are passed down from parents to their children.
In virtually all realms of nature, abundant interaction and diversity are characteristic of health and vitality.
While I was adding that passage to the manuscript, I also had the pages of this small treasure formatted professionally, for a better look in both print and eBook editions.
Now in print: Classical Considerations
I’m pleased to announce that Classical Considerations is now available in a print edition. Life’s foundational questions come elegantly to the fore in this skillfully crafted nonfiction story about the late John H. Finley, Jr.
For 51 years Finley was the celebrated and erudite Eliot Professor of the Classics at Harvard. His musings transport readers on a soul-engaging journey of contemplation. Luminous and compellingly relevant, his story leads readers into direct engagement with the fundamental wisdom questions of a fulfilled life.
Classical Considerations is a small treasure, offering a compact but brilliantly lyrical array of intellectual sparks to help kindle enduring knowledge.
Step by Step ~ Paso a Paso
When I have a few moments I like to create memes like the one below, and then set them free on the internet. It’s a way to let people know about the epic, nonfiction saga of the Americas that I had the opportunity to live, write, and publish. The freely-available online saga is Odyssey of the 8th Fire. The true pilgrimage tale proceeds for over 225 deepening days from Atlantic to Pacific across the landscape and soulscape of both ancient and modern Turtle Island (North America).
In print: Teach Us to Number Our Days
I’m pleased to offer readers an engaging compilation of keys for adept aging. It’s not my wisdom, per se, but rather the wisdom of the ages gathered and curated in an easy-to-read, and poetic form. Teach Us to Number Our Days is now available in both print and ebook editions.
Would you happen to know anyone who happens to be growing older? As a gift, this small treasure can serve to uplift and enrich them as they condense their life experience in soul memory.
