How Do I Use It?

The main purpose of the e-book is to help strengthen communities by helping to show all fully mature, adult members how to fulfill their role as an Elder. The course outlined in the e-book is for existing Elders, who want to improve their skill sets, or for those about to become Elders, who want to know what's involved. Its ultimate purpose is build viable long-term communities within Neo-Paganism and Wicca. It proposes to do this through creating a framework for mentoring Elders within a community. Most communities wind up surrendering a good portion of their power and autonomy to outside specialists for services that could be fulfilled from within the community. By creating and maintaining a pool of "trained" Elders, a community can reclaim that lost power and autonomy.

What Can You Expect from Mentoring Elders?

• An alternative world-view—a new paradigm
• An exploration and improved understanding of mentoring
• Knowledge of the skills required to act as a mentor
• Knowledge of how to help others thru mentoring
• Knowledge of how to improve your effectiveness at mentoring
• An improved understanding of community
• Improved skills required to build community
• Knowledge of how to maintain and transmit community values
• Knowledge of how to build and conserve the power of a community
• Knowledge of how to build and maintain relationships within a community
• Knowledge of how to develop a set of standards with which you can build community
• An enhanced understanding of spirituality
• Increased personal growth
• A sharing of information
• Support from your peer group

Recommended Methods of Use

The above methods are variations of a method we use to teach within a Wiccan training group. Our version evolved during the group's fifteen-some years of existence, and has proven effective in helping people learn how to teach themselves.

• Several Neo-Pagan Elders meet with people who are either already Elders and want to better understand their role, or are soon to become Elders within their respective communities.
• The experienced members act as facilitators for the newer members.
• They meet every two weeks and discuss one of the topics outlined in the e-book.
• The two week cycle allows people time:
• to read further.
• to reflect upon and process the information.
• to internalize the discussion.
• Each of them, in turn, expands upon individual items as the group goes through the outline, filling it in with their own experiences.
• After the discussion, one of them modifies the outline to reflect any new understandings gained.
• Rinse and repeat.*

* Okay, maybe not rinse, but definitely repeat. This is one of those never-ending cyclic things.

The Mentoring Elders Program (MEP)

Stone Dragon Press has joined with Evenstar Bookstore and with Evenstar School of Sacred Paths in sponsoring the Mentoring Elders Program, based on this e-book. The MEP is a circle of Elders. It's presented via a study circle format, where the more experienced members act as facilitators, guiding the discussion through the synopsis.

An Overview of MEP

The organization of the topics within the program, a short description of each topic, and our reasons for including it under the rubric of elders' responsibilities.

A Final Caveat

This e-book is just a synopsis of the MEP, and is only meant to be used as an aid to a group of Elders, who act as mentors to those who are already or about to become Elders. It is not geared towards creating an Elder as a specialist, but rather as a generalist, who needs to know enough to be able to make informed decisions for her or his community; including knowing when to call in the specialists.