About Elinor

My life

In my early twenties a psychologist friend of mine tried out one of those cute tests on me; you know the ones, where you choose three animals at random and they tell you about aspects of your self, or you draw abstract symbols in a grid, make them into pictures, and they show you your attitude to life.

On the latter test, in what turned out to be the ‘attitude to life’ box, I’d turned a wavy horizontal line into a ship on the ocean, sailing on to adventure. An adventure is certainly what my life has been, and hopefully always will be.

My adventure has so far brought me to a bothy in rural Scotland, with my partner and dogs, researching for my PhD in human geography, and working as a minister, priestess and celebrant.

My ministry

In 1998, after two years of training as an Interfaith Minister, I took a personal vow of service. This vow has changed subtly over the years, as I have come to understand my purpose in more depth, but the core remains the same now as then:

“Beloved, I vow to keep opening my heart to You, to surrender to Your love; I vow to serve You, and celebrate You, and revere You, in all Your forms.”

I seek to honour that vow in my day to day life (living in rural southern Scotland, with my partner and dogs in an increasingly self-sufficient home), my PhD research (into the relationship young men have with woods and forests), through writing my blog, and by offering services to the public.

I am a member on the register of the Interfaith Ministers Association of the One Spirit Interfaith Foundation, and abide by its membership requirements and code of ethics. I am also on the Pagan Federation Scotland’s Register of Celebrants.

My training

1994 – Holistic Aromatherapy and Stress Management at ‘Evolve’, taught by Jacqueline Herron

1994, 2001, 2003, 2007 – Conflict Resolution, Welcoming Diversity and Prejudice Reduction with the National Coalition-Building Institute, led by Val Carpenter and Liz Neat.

1996-1998 – Interfaith Ministry and Spiritual Counselling at The Interfaith Seminary, taught by Miranda Macpherson

1999 – Foundation training with LifeRites, taught by Cheryl Menzies-Runciman

2000 to the present – Ongoing spiritual development in the Anderson Faery tradition.