At the Foot of the Mountain

Book excerpt: TEXT FOR AUTHOR BIO: Like philosopher and teacher Joseph Campbell, Alla Bozarth explores life's mysteries through the power of myth and metaphor: the salmon; the great bear; the ocean; the phoenix; the chambered nautilus; the iris; the lotus. Above all is her mountain -Mt. Hood- her "Medicine Woman" -rising outside her window, always changing in mood and meaning. TEXT FOR BOOK DESCRIPTION: This remarkable work proves that a time of devastating change can result in magnificent growth and illumination. In these intensely personal and universal ponderings, Episcopal priest, author-poet, and therapist Alla Renée Bozarth relates the wrenching decisions that caused her to move from her "exile" in the Midwest back to Oregon, to her place "at the foot of the mountain." She takes us through her grief at the death of her father and of her young husband, then shares her gradual healing through the creative process of writing this book. As she finds strengths to minister to herself, she ministers to us. In introducing us to her special places and symbols, her teachers, we are moved to discover our own healing metaphors for ourselves.