This is modified from an earlier MySpace posting - ENJOY!

It still seems very surreal to me when I explain this to others, as it wasn't just one event, but a series of events that brought my attention to this path. I had been involved in pursuing a spiritual path since my Saturn Return in 1993, when I had some unusual experiences that led me to learning astrology amongst other metaphysical talents - and those led me to exploring my spirituality, or connection to Spirit. Paganism as a whole seemed to have a missing ingredient - not just contact with Spirit but also ancestral contact. I resonated with many pagan mythologies and pantheons, from Celtic/Druidic and Teutonic/Norse to Egyptian, Hindu/Eastern Indian and even Native American. I never mixed these experiences but instead wish to immerse myself in one at a time to really "feel" that mythology and that pantheon. However, I never knew what was to come.

I had earlier experiences with Tolkien in my life (particularly with The Hobbit) and liked it, but my interest at the time told me they were just stories. My interest in Tolkien was put on the back burner until the Lord of the Rings movies came out. I absolutely loved the portrayals of the Elves, but CRAP WHO DIDN'T? :-) I then re-met my now husband who is a complete Tolkien Geek (a good thing!) and told me that if I liked the Elves that much, I should really read The Silmarillion, since it is the back-story to the Hobbit and LOTR and much of it was from the Elven point of view. We got married, moved from CA to MT and just "lived" for awhile, again pushing Tolkien to the back burner.

In August 2004, a friend (Fern) who identifies himself as an otherkin druid who resonates with ent and gnome energy (amongst other things) straight out asked me if I knew I was an Elf! I laughed SO HARD - as at the time I thought he was just messing with me. Then, I started thinking about why he would say that to me - and that led to wondering if he was right.

The final straw was when my husband found his copy of The Silmarillion for me to read in Spring 2005. NOTHING was to prepare me for what I experienced - I just KNEW at the deepest recesses of my heart, even down to a DNA level that these stories were utterly REAL!! And I mean "real" in a mythic mode, the way that some people feel about the Bible, and others feel about their respective mythologies and pantheistic connections with their ancestors (or past lives, or both). My head was telling me I was crazy and that these were just stories, but my heart and collective intuition would not rest. But then I had a new dilemma - how to find ANYONE who also felt this way!

Well, I was lucky enough to find him! It took me 8 days and very diligent internet effort, believe me! In fact, I learned that Dave had been searching for like-minded people in this endeavor for well over a decade without success. Here is the deal: Most people "role-play" the Elves in the story and only believe it to be a story - and this is their way of pretending or playing. Many other explorers of elven energies did not involve the Tolkien type, or the Quendi - in fact, many of these are of galactic origin, be they from galaxies in the direction of the Big Dipper (i.e. Elenari) to the Orion and Pleidaen systems. Of the non-roleplaying Tolkien Elves found, their emphasis is different than what we were looking for. There are also wiccans who used odd pairings of Middle-Earth characters in their practice, and this didn't feel right either. So this is our beginnings!

Now, Dave and his new wife have gone on to form Ilsalunte Valion, as their group is more research-oriented, where Tie eldalieva, the Elven Path, is more education and outreach-oriented. Regardless of our group leanings, all of us have different stories of how we came to this path, and contribute in our own ways. In the near future, Tie eldalieva, the Elven Path, hopes to submit a manuscript to Llewellyn. We wish to acknowledge and thank the handful of reputable pagan and magickal authors who have shown support for our project (and appreciate the information for presenting this material in a way wherein the Tolkien Estate would not have to be legally contacted!) :-) We will keep all of you posted.

For more information, please visit our websites:

Tie eldalieva - http://www.elvenspirituality.com

Ilsalunte Valion - http://forum.westofwest.org

If any material here interests you, we have many resources, so feel free to contact us - and ENJOY!!

Calantirniel, co-founder