Outside of birthdays, special holiday celebrations, baptisms, weddings, and funerals, our lives are curiously devoid of meaningful ceremonies. Lynda S. Paladin has put together a first-class resource which addresses this need in our fragmented and frantic lives. Based on her study of shamanic and aboriginal ritual plus the insights of her half-Navajo husband, who was an artist, guide, and shaman, Paladin offers advice on creating ceremonies to mark the significant changes or transitions in our lives.

As Doug Boyd, the author of Rolling Thunder notes in the introduction, we need rituals of "remembering and forgetting, of accepting and letting go, of giving and forgiving" in order "to unshroud our fears, to share and release our worries, to celebrate our joys." Paladin gives examples of how we can commemorate these aspects of our lives through story, symbol, and action.

With abundant illustrative material, the author reveals the essential elements of ceremonies and the ways in which they can give texture and thrust to our private and public lives. Paladin's detailed outline of "The Giveaway Ceremony" and the ritual cards at the end of the book combine to make this a great resource for spiritually adventuresome individuals.