A wonderful workbook for any woman poised at the threshold of her 'third age' and wondering how to step through it in a meaningful and graceful fashion. A book that shows how to make the very most of this important time of transition.

                     ---Marion Van Eyk McCain, Editor,  Elderwoman Website

Using her background in Jungian psychology and transformative learning, Parrish explores the uncharted territory of life after 60.  With refreshing candor and thought-provoking analysis, she offers possibilities for growing old with purpose and passion.

                            --Ruth Dempsey, Editor/Publisher Aging Horizons Bulletin

What stirs up my excitement over Dr. Parrish’s book is the ease in which she guides her reader in the process of meeting her own Inner Wise Woman and dialoguing with her. Meeting our Inner Wise Woman is just one step of Parrish’s initiatory process, which encompasses awareness, visualization, letting go, trust, and celebrating the passage. Parrish makes the process as uncomplicated as this sounds with a balanced mix of practical guidance, spirituality, personal memoirs, suggested activities, and intention-setting guidelines. This is decidedly an important book for all women.

                                                                       -- Win Fiandaca, Writer

"Wise Woman's Way," a guide to growing older with purpose and passion takes the reader, women approaching 60, on a timely adventure of self-discovery. As Berta Parrish reminds us, to live a purposeful life one needs to look inward and explore one self. I found the book empowering. Berta has created an artful, inspirational, fun and therapeutic venue for growth and development. In my private practice, I often employ the reading assignments and exercises from her book. In the future, I look forward to facilitating Wise Women's Groups, where women can come together, grow and support each other in consciousness and intention as they navigate their individual third act using Berta's book for study and structure.

                             ---  Berthena Parrish, M.S. Marriage, Family Therapist 

Remember the first teacher who led you to ask "who am I" and "where did I come from"? Well, Berta Parrish's Wise Woman's Way is like that teacher. This book wakes up dormant human thoughts about aging not just gracefully but with passion. Her ideas changed my mindset. After reading the book I wanted to talk about it but (go figure) "crone" is just not the descriptive word eagerly envied, especially by women over sixty. One of the whole ideas of the book, however, is to celebrate and share the experience - and I had the great good fortune to find a small group with whom to read one chapter each month and actually do the exercises that Berta makes perfectly clear. We compared childhood experiences,happy marriages and failed ones, menopause, death, taxes - whatever. Somehow the book insists that you be honest. Somehow you want to be. And somehow you understand more about being a woman. Its magical. I don't just want to be a crone, I want to be a juicy crone.  

                                                               ---  Kathy Makeyev

I was so moved by Berta's book that I bought over a dozen copies of her book and sent them to my sisters, my mentors, my friends AND relatives. I took the class that she taught which was based on "Wise Woman's Way" in Morro Bay, California. While in the class, I did every assignment and created a collage that represented events in my life since birth. After reading the book, and the 5 week class, I felt like a new, improved, empowered, self-aware, wise woman. I loved our graduation ritual. The next time my sisters and I meet, we plan to have our own ceremony. The book has suggestions on how to do your own ceremony or celebration. I would recommend this book to any woman; whether you are 16 or 60 years old. There is something for everyone.

                                                       ----  Marsha Thorlakson

"Among my agreements with myself, I intend to learn, reveal, unfold and ’pay-it-forward’ more each day. Wise Woman’s Way gives me ideas, inspiration and a-ha’s. When you read the thought of the "quarter turn" you will understand what I mean. Berta’s own insights, and her compilation of others, is a definite ’wise’ choice to read and use along Life’s Journey.”

        ----  Kathryn R. Ryan

"This book truly speaks to the journey of the self - as well as - to the rites of passage that women, throughout history, have experienced. Berta Parrish reminds us that "The unexamined life is not worth living" - and in doing so challenges us to not only explore the deep recesses of the psyche but to also contemplate the seemingly idle meanderings of daily life. She shows us how to identify and integrate "the ways of the wise woman" into all facets of living. And as a 40 year old woman (yikes how time flies...) I found this information to be relevant to women of all ages - including my 84 year old grandmother - my 65 year old mother and my 18 year old daughter. The exercises are fun and thought provoking. The wisdom is practical. And the questions Berta posses have elicited some pretty amazing conversations between my daughter, my mother, my grandmother and myself. It is my sincere hope that this book generates a dialogue and exchange of ideas between all women - AND - reminds us that the wise woman lives in all of us...and that all we need to do is look inside to find her. Thanks so much Berta for being a light on my path."

                                                      --- Monique Bowen

Berta Parrish's "Wise Woman's Way" is a unique contribution to the subject of spirituality and aging. And even though it addresses specifically Women's issues, it has a universality that makes it highly valuable even for the male reader and seeker.

Parrish's approach is extremely valuable in the way she combines three genres in a remarkably clear style: the theoretical or "idea" exposition, the practical guidance or "workbook" approach, and-- a most appealing quality in a book that urges lifestyle transformation-- the personal memoir. Parrish, in a word, provides the ideas, activities, and the personal biographical background that credibly grounds spirituality in the practical world of real experiences...the reader's and her own.

Parrish is especially convincing in her insistence that to enter fully into "elderhood" (the "crone" archetype for women; "wise old man" for men), one must pass through an initiation. This is very counter-cultural in our current American society, which defines itself by corporate answers for buying into the unlivable myth of perpetual youth. Parrish cuts through this siren's song of "forever young" by providing a step-by-step means for the reader to pass through the gates (viz., "initiation") into one's own "personal myth", which can never be found in a product or service, but can only be found within oneself.

Unlike some books that do a good job of critiquing our cultural denial of the aging process, "Wise Woman's Way" does not fall into the "spirituality-lite" category of works that then try to offer quick fixes. Supported by many personal examples of her own trial and error process in living and in writing this book (the book itself was a five-year "initiation"), Parrish stresses the need for concrete inner work as the basis for achieving a meaningful transition into elderhood. She is particularly effective in showing the ongoing importance of ancient myths, and then showing how to use one's own dreams to see how these myths apply to one's personal life today. Her book also abounds in practical suggestion for single and group activities, as well as resources for going beyond the material within the text itself.

"Wise Woman's Way", in other words, is not just a good read; it is not just a concise summary and pleasant excursion into the fascinating way that contemporary psychology (particularly Jungian) and ancient myth invite each of us to go deeply and consciously into the later phase of our very individual spiritual journey- it moves the reader into the personally experienced landscape of the author's own journey...and leaves the reader with the map and the means to initiate oneself into the fascinating and beckoning land of elderhood.

                                                          -- Bob Pelfrey

“This is one of those wonderful books that contain useful and inspiring information on every page. So if you don't have time to read it from cover to cover at the moment, just open it to any page, and be prepared for wisdom to lift your spirits and enrich your day.”

                                                          ---  Sharon Riley

"During the evening I began reading the book, and at midnight I couldn't stop. The stories, the insights, and the organization of each section is so helpful I am finding it especially appropriate right now and I will be referring to it for month (years?) ahead." 

                                                                       --- Betty Stout, San Francisco