Solo Passage: 13 Quests, 13 Questions

(Paperback)

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Description

In her search to find healing and meaning in midlife, Glenda Goodrich undertakes a series of wilderness quests into the backcountry of Oregon, Washington, and California to discover what the natural world has to teach her about life, death, happiness, spirituality, and forgiveness.

This book chronicles the sacred ceremonies that connected Goodrich to the land, wove her into natures web, and transformed her from a woman who worked to please others into a woman who forged her own path. It is a brilliant collection of adventuresthe touch of coyote fur, a snakes kiss, a ceremonial blood offeringand a profound reflection on the healing and restorative power of nature.

Reviews

"Glenda Goodrichs mesmerizing memoir of her over twenty years of solo wilderness quests is an exhilarating and tender read. In moving and penetrating prose, she faces her fears, grief, regrets, even transgressions with the trees, rocks and creatures as her companions. Supported by the wisdom of the Medicine Wheel traditions and able guides, she stunningly recreates her sacred ceremonies as she more fully embraces her artist, wise woman self."
Wendy Judith Cutler, co-author of Writing Alone Together: Journalling in a Circle of Women for Creativity, Compassion and Connection and co-editor of Finding Home Within: Sanctuary and Solace During Tumultuous Times

A book for everyone who loves wild places and longs to live an examined life, Solo Passage is a wise, stunningly beautiful page-turner that will leave you moved, inspired and ready to connect more deeply with natureand yourself.
Rebecca Jamieson, author of The Body of All Things

"In its bravery, authenticity, and generosity, this book is pure gold. Through an honest reckoning of her own life, and the hard-won healing she co-created with the natural world, Glenda Goodrich suggests that we too might be capable of the extraordinary spiritual growththe forgiveness, possibility, and redemptiondescribed so beautifully in this book."
Ellen Santasiero, Writing Coach and Editor; Co-editor of PLACED: An Encyclopedia of Central Oregon

"Glendas honest memoir about her personal wilderness vision quests is a powerful statement about the relevance of this ancient form to those of us in modern life. Through the humble, intimate stories of her life, the vivid descriptions of the places she quested, and her beautiful artwork, I am reminded to keep finding ways to engage in this spiritual practice the rest of my own life. Thank you, Glenda, for this gift of inspiration."
Ann Linnea, author of Deep Water Passage, a Spiritual Quest at Midlife

"Glenda Goodrich carries bare-bones survival gear, deep intention, and astonishing trust as she ventures year after year into the wilderness in search of a deeper knowing of herself. Her seamless stories about the old ways of solitude, fasting, and exposure are laced with tenacity, tenderness, and the unexpected gifts of wild nature."
Susan Hagen, co-author, Women at Ground Zero

"Inspired by the raw honesty of the wild, Glenda Goodrich's book is a unique memoir in that it invites the reader to accompany her on this journey and not simply witness it. . . . The author's willingness to reveal her struggle will compel you to examine your own life and question old feelings, false narratives and outdated identity structures. In other words, if you allow the wonder of these pages in, you will be transformed along the way.
Philip Kenney, author of The Writer's Crucible: Meditations on Emotion, Being and Creativity

"Here is a compelling story, told with courage and deep vulnerability . . . a celebration of interconnectedness and belonging, a wild sacrament, a love song to Mother Earth.Through her stories, the reader is shown a path to transformation that anyone who is drawn to can follow. Glenda shows us the earth belongs to us all, and our souls know how to open to its beauty and wisdom."
Sara Harris, Co-Founder of EarthWays LLC, Wilderness Rites of Passage Guide

"An introspective, poignant personal narrative written with raw, animated honesty. This beautifully crafted book is drenched in wonder and wrapped with tenderness. It is a celebration of interconnectedness and belonging, a poetic love letter to nature."
Savannah Tenderfoot, Sensitivity Reader and Editor, Salt & Sage Books.

"Glenda Goodrich heads boldly into wild places in search of answers to the kinds of gritty, nagging personal questions that vex many of us all our lives. And in this book, she reveals the answers shes found. They are sometimes indirect and sometimes precisely aimed, often mysterious, and always profound."
Trebbe Johnson, author of Fierce Consciousness: Surviving the Sorrows of Earth and Self and Radical Joy for Hard Times

Author Bio

As an artist, art doula, SoulCollage facilitator, writer, and convener of ceremony, Glenda Goodrich brings together earth-based rituals, community gatherings, and creative expression in a search for new ways to show love for the Earth. She feels most alive exploring wild places and spending time with her two children, three grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren. Glenda lives in a cottage in the Willamette Valley, Oregon.