personal life and the need to return culture to its mythic context. Meade is a masterful storyteller with a genius for metaphorical thinking; he draws on the power of myths, fairy tales, and his own personal story of descent and transformation during the Vietnam War. At once a mythic journey, a study in depth psychology, and a treatise on initiation The Water of Life addresses the roots of conflict, the recurring hunger for war and the issues of reducing the warrior. Throughout the text the water of life functions as the core symbol for both personal and cultural renewal, and redemption in the spiritual wasteland. Using ideas gleaned from many years working with youth and communities at-risk Meade s writing rings with the echoes of truth and sings with an incantational voice that takes you right to the edge of elemental knowledge.

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