Episode 117: The Deer Trods with Elen Sentier

“Elen Wakes.” Watercolor and digital colored pencil. By Barbara Fisher 2023

Hello, my Keelian friends and listeners!

This is a very interesting and special episode to me, because its one of those times when a guest and I click pretty much right away.

Elen Sentier is a practitioner of Britain’s magical Old Ways. She’s also an author, a teacher, life coach and a transpersonal psychotherapist, and she’s bringing the Old Ways forward into the 21st century by teaching them to businesswomen and entrepreneurs. She’s helping them find their connection to the Earth and the spirits of the land, and the seasons, so they can use them mindfully in their business pursuits and work holistically.

Elen is also a very fun lady to talk with who has wonderful stories to tell about her life and how she’s learned all of these magics that she teaches to others. She tells us of Elen of the Ways, a British Goddess who is antlered, much like the reindeer females who bear antlers as well.

Her books include Following the Deer Trods: A Practical Guide to Working with Elen of the Ways, Dreamweaver , Gardening with the Moon and Stars, and Moon Song.

Woods Woman and Her Daughters. Collage, acrylic and alcohol ink on canvas. Barbara Fisher 2017.

It turns out that we have many things in common, as I’ve been dreaming of ladies with antlers since I was a very small child. The painting above is the one I did of the Genius Locii of Athens, Ohio—she shifts shape between deer and woman. I relate a story in the episode of when this painting was first shown publicly and how people kept asking if she was from a book, because she looked so familiar.

I also made mention of the book, The Giant Golden Book of Elves and Fairies, edited by Jane Werner and illustrated by Garth Williams. It was first published in 1951, but it has been since reprinted. It’s full of stories and poems, including 19th century Irish poet William Allingham’s “The Fairies,” which I heard so many times as a child I had it memorized by the time I went to school in first grade. Not only was this book my very first introduction to fairy lore, the full color illustrations by Williams were probably the most formative inspirations to my art style.

This is the illustration that goes with the second half of Allingham’s poem. You can see the flowing hair, pointed faces, large eyes, lush plants, and sinuous waterfalls that are echoed in my work to this day. Compare this page to the cover art for this episode and you will see the likenesses.

This episode is full of old lore and new ideas, and I hope you enjoy it. We’ll be having Elen back again in the future.