Seeing “Elven Spiritual Path” as this organization’s name, if you’re unaware of the answer already, you may be asking the question, “What IS the Elven spiritual path?” Hopefully, after reading this page, you'll understand the gist of what this emerging spiritual tradition is about, and, perhaps, how it may practically apply to your life.

[Note: This is just a reminder from our "About..." page that, throughout this web site, you will see

• "the Path", or "this Path", (referring to the entire tradition that is the Elven spiritual path, using a singular term), differentiating it from [albeit the same meaning as],


• "Elven spiritual path", (also referring to the entire tradition, using lower case letters on the latter two words to differentiate our using that term per se) from


• "Elven Spiritual Path", (which refers to this organization's legal name with the I.R.S., i.e. ELVEN SPIRITUAL PATH [EIN: 86-64118870]), and from

Now, let's look into answering that question.

An Ancient Spiritual Path [heretofore hidden in fiction, now]
Newly Emerging From Collective Spiritual Consciousness


Modern Elven spirituality and [the spiritual tradition known as] the Elven spiritual path arise from a visceral, oftentimes lucid, interactive awareness amongst many persons, worldwide, of a personal, spiritual resonance with Elves. Rather than the tiny lawn gnome-like depictions, consistent with the Brothers Grimm’s “The Elves and the Shoemaker”, or the equally fictitious Santa’s elves, the resonance to which I’m referring is one with literal, (and much taller) beings; (notwithstanding the Elves of Iceland, of course). Some persons who feel such resonance have been authors, such as J. R. R. Tolkien, Terry Brooks, Ursula K. Le Guin and others. From their writings, others (not necessarily writers) became aware of their sense of Elven resonance, which lead to an upswell in such awareness that culminated into a social movement, the “Elven Movement” in the late twentieth century. “But”, you may be asking, “How does that relate to Elven spirituality, and the Elven spiritual path?” To answer that question most effectively, I’ll share an excerpt from my book, "The Way of the Elven Spiritual Path :: Book II: Initiation":

“Once upon a time, far away, Elves walked the planet just as humans do today. Not the shoe making, toy making, cookie baking type of elves, but the tall, immortal, graceful type of Elves represented in writings such as Terry Brooks’ Chronicles of Shannara, R.A. Salvatore’s Forbidden Realms, and Margaret Weis’ and Tracy Hickman’s Dragonlance—all of which were primarily inspired by the novels of J. R. R. Tolkien.

“In the context of literature, long before Sumerian, Babylonian, Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Mayan, Celtic, and, well, all other mythologies since Sumaria, and with a Creation story rivaling each of those paradigms of mythology, the mythology of a Time Before Men unfolded; the mythology of Middle-earth. In that Time, Elves were the dominant bipeds on Earth, or “Arda” as they called it, and Humans were only a thought in the Mind of the Creator/Creatress. Elves learned directly from archangel-like beings, and mastered everything they set their minds to, including the arts, an extensive array of craftsmanship, healing, and even community governance. Eventually, long after Humans appeared, as quietly as the Elves showed up in that story, they shifted into a higher bandwidth of planetary existence; a bandwidth that has since been accessible only through dreams, and Active Imagination.

“Through both avenues, J. R. R. Tolkien accessed that bandwidth, communicating what he experienced there in a manner very much like an historian, rather than a creative writer. As noted in the introduction, Tolkien discreetly acknowledged that he channeled a considerable amount of the Legendarium, writing about his communicating what he was receiving about that myth, “But as it is, though, it seems to have grown out of hand, so that parts seem (to me) rather revealed through me than by me.”  Circa ten thousand published pages embody what Tolkien learned, and shared from his observations of that myth, objective and inspired; collectively, they are known as, “the Legendarium”, and the land wherein the myth unfolded is known as, “Middle-earth”.

“As above mentioned, according to the Legendarium, Elves did not leave actually leave Earth, and it’s possible for Humans to directly partake of the Elven spiritual continuum as part of their personal spiritual experience. As that knowledge has been increasingly dispersed, since the publishing of Tolkien’s greatest literary work, (and bedrock of the Legendarium), the Silmarillion, a reemergence of Elven energy, and Elven spiritual Resonance has begun; thanks to spiritual Seekers who have connected with, and embraced that Resonance as part of their regular spiritual experience. To understand the cause of that effect, it’s necessary to have, at least, a perfunctory awareness of the Middle-earth Mythology .


“The Myth That was Middle-earth

“In the beginning, (according to the “Silmarillion”, the foundation of the Legendarium), there was “Eru”, (also known as “Eru Ilúvatar”, the Father of All), the One Spirit, and One Mind; the Creator/Creatrix. The Mind of Eru conceived the “Ainur”, Divine beings analogous to archangels, and angels, and manifested millions of them; subsequently, the universe was born via the sound waves that flowed from the singing of the Ainur, That collective chorus became known as “the Music of the Ainur”. “Ainulindale”, the story that expresses the account of that Divine origin is simply regarded as fantasy; however, in 2005, (almost as if supporting the account), according to astronomer’s, “The early universe rang with the sound of countless cosmic bells, which filled the primordial darkness with ripples like the surface of a pond pounded by stones. The wave fronts later served as spawning grounds for galaxies” (Britt, 2005). In fact, (to this author’s knowledge, based on the Scientific American’s presentation of the evolution of the universe), the only Creation story of all human religions, and spiritual traditions that matches the revelations of modern astronomers, cosmologists, is the one expressed by Tolkien’s Legendarium.

“That mythical, and scientific parity seems to establish Middle-earth as a probable, literal reality, presented as a literary possibility; hence, it poses the possibility that Tolkien channeled at least a very significant amount of the Legendarium content; which he admitted in a letter he wrote to Peter Hastings in 1932. The Legendarium goes on to introduce several of the Ainur, and to tell the origin, and cultural evolution of the Elves, and the first Humans, who like the Ainur, were born from the Mind of Eru; albeit not as the Ainur, but as the Children of Iluvatar. In the Legendarium’s account of the Middle-earth evolution of Earth (“Arda”), human, and elven cultures intermingled, even having personal relationships with some of the Ainur; with at least one Elf marrying one of the Ainur, as well as other Elves marrying humans, and bearing offspring, (thusly establishing Elven ancestral bloodlines).

“Since Tolkien was the conduit, rather than the creator, of the Middle-earth mythology, and since  interdimensional principles enabling humans to embody Elven spiritual resonance are amply evident in the Legendarium, there seems to be an high probability that there is a constant interdimensional continuum between the realm of the Legendarium, and the realm of conventional, historical Earth that may enable persons to actively interface, and interact with entities in Middle-earth. Hence, it may be possible, for persons who wish to do so, to contact, to connect with, and to communicate with the Ainur, the Maiar, and the Elves, and to vicariously embody, and express the Divine Energies, and Presence of the former, as well as the noble, creative, and valiant presence of the latter. Just as science has empirically revealed that some aspects of Tolkien’s mythology that seem to parallel literal events that actually manifested our universe, that aforementioned constant, interdimensional continuum seems to have been validated by the actual spiritual contact, connection, and communication between humans, Ainur, and Middle-earth’s Elves, (as well as other Elven continua), by persons who have wished to have that experience, and the consequent reemergence of Elven energy, awareness, understanding, wisdom, and vital presence in the last few decades of the twentieth century.?


“The Rise and Evolution of the Elven Movement

“The Hippies of the 1960s were the first noted community to recognize the Elven spiritual resonance in the Lord of the Rings, and to actively embrace it by including passages from it in marriage ceremonies, and enhancing the spiritual experience of reading it by the use of psychedelics. Soon, within, and without community, some people began to self-identify as Elves. Throughout the ‘60s, whilst some communities had begun to embrace Middle-earth as a prehistoric reality, and Neo-pagan communities began to explore the integration of interacting with Middle-earth in their rites, there was no organized observance of an Elven paradigm. However, there were some persons who had genuinely, and seriously tapped into that resonance, embracing it as a literal, practical experience.

“In the early 1970’s, two women from Illinois, Susie Creamcheese, (who adopted the name “Arwen”), and Mary Sunshine, (who adopted the name “Elanor”), were directed by a Ouija board session to found the “Elf Queen’s Daughters” (EQD)  The Elf Queen therein referred to is Tolkien’s “Varda”, the High Queen of the Ainur who became the “Valar”; the Valar being regarded as the energetic Matrix that established, and sustains Arda. Contrary to what may be assumed by the name, EQD’s members were both female, and male.  The EQD began to advance what would become known as “the Elven Movement” by widely traveling in the USA, establishing Elven vortexes,  and enabling Elven “Awakenings” amongst those who may have been spiritually inclined toward the Elven spiritual realm; and referring to themselves as Elves. A couple of years later, two members, Zardoa Love and Silverflame, established a vortex, and an independent EQD cell in southern Illinois, calling thems’elves, “The Elves of the Southern Woodlands” (ESW). Soon thereafter, Tolkien’s Silmarillion was published, both the general body of the EQD, and the ESW found it to be a profound inspirational foundation, which lead to many of their members adopting Tolkien-based Elven names, and the ESW integrating Elven insights drawn from the Silmarillion into its spiritual paradigm. [Although this book is focused on the Tolkien-based Elven spiritual path, it’s fair to note that, during the 1970s, to the present, concurrently with the Elven inspiration of the Legendarium, a continuum began in which some persons have experienced a sense of Elven Awakening from the Shannara writings of author Terry Brooks. For the past 4 decades, many of such persons have developed what may be regarded as “Shannara-based” Elven spirituality.]

“Rather than adopting the languages of Quenya, and Sindarin that Tolkien’s writing presented, the ESW began to develop their own, respectably extensive Elvish language, “Arvyndase”. By the early-1980s, the EQD’s leaders to began to turn their attention away from awakening, and inspiring persons who identified with Elves, and the group, at large, began to disband, and to disperse. During the next 2 decades, the EQD, effectively, became non-existent as a formal group, with only a proverbial handful of its member scattered around the globe; while the ESW continued to grow, moving from Illinois to the San Francisco Bay area, changing their name to the “Silver Elves” (SE), and then relocating to their current locale in Hawaii to advance what they had established as “the Elven Way”; writing, and publishing several books, and letters to teach the Elven Way to those who wished to walk it. In 1984, in Sacramento, California, the Tribunal of the Sidhe (TOTS) was established. TOTS is a Neo-pagan community that, amongst its veneration of gods, and goddesses from an array of other pantheons, it has also developed rituals focused on interaction with the Valar; with great reverence of the Valie, Yavanna. For the SE, and TOTS. although Tolkien’s writings have been inspirational, and motivational, they are not seminal; far less canonical. It wasn’t until the early years of the 21st century that canonical regard was given to the Legendarium, in a particularly Elven context. Then, a new organization embraced Tolkien’s writings as a canonical source, and the Elven Movement spawned the Elven Spiritual Movement. [It’s also fair to note that, during the 1980s, to the present, concurrently with the Legendarium’s Elven inspiration, a continuum began in which some persons have experienced a sense of Elven Awakening from the role playing paradigm of Dungeons and Dragons; most notably, the Dragonlance writings of Tolkien-inspired author Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, and the Forgotten Realms writings of Tolkien-inspired R.A. Salvatore. For the past 4 decades, many of such persons have developed what may be regarded as “D&D-based” Elven spirituality.]


“Tië eldaliéva and the Rise of the Elven Spiritual Movement

“In 2005, seeking to find others who may have been likewise inspired by the Elven mystique in the Silmarillion, particularly toward establishing a community based in the Tolkien Elven mythology, Lisa Allen and Dave Woosley met each other, respectively adopte the names “Calantirniel”, and “Nathan Elwing”, and began to work toward developing a viable, modern, Tolkien-based Elven spiritual tradition. They embraced a gnostic approach, regarding what Henry Corbin (1972) qualified as the “mundus imaginalis”, or Imaginal Realm, which presented the possibility of conscious, lucid, and enlightening communication, and interaction with the Valar, the Maiar, and, (as they may exist in a realm removed from our 3D experience, nonetheless alive), the Elves. They laid the foundation for such a tradition by determining the Gregorian calendar dates corresponding to particular Elven events within the Legendarium, respectively assigning the Valar to those dates, and developing rituals (which later became known as Solar, and Lunar Observances ) aligned with the respective Valar for those events. Thusly enabling persons to have direct interaction with the Valar on a regular, cyclical basis, they, along with Calantirniel’s husband, guitarist Ray Allen, and a handful of other persons, including Dr. Eärendil Spendelilus, founded “Tië eldaliéva” (T-e), (which in Quenya, the High Language of the Elves developed by Tolkien, means “the Elven Path”), of which they comprised the organization’s leadership, or Inner Circle. Thereby, T-e became the first genuine, Tolkien-based Elven spiritual path, and community, and formally established “Elven spirituality” as a focus in the Elven Movement.”


"The Bifurcation of Elven Spirituality

"Within two years, after attracting another handful of members, it was evident that some of them wished to strictly adhere to the content of the Legendarium in their spiritual development, whilst others preferred to enhance their Tolkien-based Elven experience with a gnostic, experiential approach that went far beyond their Tolkien-based experience into other Elven spiritual continuums. Nathan being one of them, departed from T-e, and founded Ilsaluntë Valion (Quenya: The Silver Ship of the Valar) (IV), to enable those T-e members so aligned to gnostically further their conscious elven interactions.

“In 2008, this author, (hereinafter referred to in the third person by my middle name, “Alyras”), was introduced to Calantirniel by master Quenya translator, Rodger Ashton-Smith, and soon became a member of T-e. T-e had remained small after the 2007 split, informally advancing its membership via its online profile on Facebook (Fb). In the early part of the 2000-teens, “Llefyn”, a member of its Inner Circle departed from T-e, leaving a critically large gap in the group’s leadership. Alyras had been significantly advancing T-e’s informal membership by posting regular Observance notifications on the group’s Facebook page, and by making a substantially significant contribution to the doctoral dissertational research of the group by (Dr.) Markus Altena Davidsen. Hence, Alyras was invited, and accepted the invitation to become a member of T-e’s Inner Circle. Soon thereafter, suddenly, one afternoon, Ray died (from coronary arrest). For the next 5 years, T-e served “Eldalië”, and “Elendili” (Quenya: Elves, and Elf friends, respectively) primarily through its Fb page, with Lisa posting Full Moon Observance notices, and Alyras posting New Moon and Dark Moon insights and meditations enabling people to more deeply interact with the respective Valar, without the ritual format. Thereby, the two increased the group’s informal membership by several hundred, and its Fb followers from the low 100s to nearly 1200, widely informing people that a genuine, Legendarium-based Elven spiritual path, and community was present, and available.

“In the mid-2010’s the membership of IV had dwindled to the extent that Nathan, and its chief technical coordinator, “Luthien”, decided to formally dissolve the organization; whilst keeping its extensive, online, gnostic-focused forum available to the general public. Having advance the scope of T-e, in early 2019, Alyras communicated to Calantirniel that she wished to have Nathan aboard as a member of the Inner Council again.What IS the Elven spiritual path? Calantirniel proposed that to Nathan, and he accepted. For 3 years, T-e had been watching Kimberly Lennon, who had adopted the name, “Kimberel Eventide”, independently advancing Elven spirituality by sharing her personal experience, and expression of Elven spirituality via her YouTube channel, “High Elven Wisdom and Love”. On Fb, Kimberel had acquired thousands of followers. A couple of months after Nathan had rejoined T-e, Kimberel announced that she was interested in starting a Tolkien-based elven organization. Fearing Kimberel would do so, and thusly eclipse T-e, remarkably impairing its ability to expand, to the IC, Calantirniel proposed bringing Kimberel into T-e as a member of the IC. The IC agreed, and when given the invitation to do so, Kimberel agreed…” (de Cygne, 2021).

There is much more to that true story, (e.g. Eärendil, Kimberel and I have departed from T-e; Eärendil founding Lambengolmor The Elven School of Loremasters, Kimberel advancing High Elven Wisdom and Love, and I founding the 501(c)(3) organizations, Elvenspirit, [and] Elven Spiritual Path/Fëavanda Eldaliéva, [both independent of T-e, nonetheless continuing to advance Elven spirituality on the foundation that T-e laid]); however, that account should have given you a clear, essential understanding of what the Elven spiritual path is about. The Elven spiritual path is a viable, well-developed, modern spiritual tradition, serving all who resonate with it, in a variety of ways, through a variety of organizations, groups, and ministries. Since the dawn of the twenty-first century, it is increasingly common to hear people say, “I’m spiritual, but not religious”; nonetheless, humans are inclined toward traditions, and all religions began as spiritual traditions. Certainly, the Elven spiritual path is part of the vanguard of modern, emerging spiritual traditions that are being appreciated by persons who have become disillusioned by, (or are simply not resonating with) established religions. Now that you’ve seen where it’s been, keep an eye on the Elven spiritual path, in its many expressions, to see where it leads; definitely, as a whole, it most likely leads to a more en-Light-ened Earth, and to a more enlightened humanity.


Namárië, (be well)!

References