Introduction - Elders Group Bios: Who Are We
and Why Should Anyone Listen to Us?

Over the years there have been hundreds of books about various Neo-Paganisms, but all of them, until very recently, were basic 101 information. There were a few 101.5 books which covered the some of the specialties, of the more advanced levels, in greater detail, However these still did not squarely address the issue of Neo-Paganism as religions, as spiritual endeavors. So, in the fall of 2000, after many years of waiting for someone else to do it, we three (Volkhvy, Sheberos and Valire'brand) got together, and started working on what would eventually become Neo-Paganism 201: Mentoring Elders.

We soon found George, who agreed to act as a guinea pig for our first attempt. Fortunately, none of us realized just how large this attempt would become, or we might not have embarked on this journey. So, with George in tow and 17 brief outlines of topics in hand, we set off in pursuit of what soon proved to be ever receding goal posts. Between the four us, we have over one hundred and twenty five years of experience in Neo-Paganism, and leadership issues; it turned out to be enough… just barely.

Fast forwards to early '03. The synopsis has since grown to 54 topics and outlines each in much more detail. We have just finished the first round, and now have a much better idea of just how much we don't know. Now, we get to do it all over again with a whole new group of volunteers…
"Oh, joy…"
"You knew the job was dangerous when you took it…"

In case anyone's interested in our credentials for undertaking this task, we've included brief biographies of us and our experiences:

Volkhvy shi-yaku-jin no hokora
Maggie Reiki Master
Valire'brand Leaping the Hedge — blog
George E. Original Protege & Guinea Pig