Crone Chronicles, October, 1997
In a gentle mix of narration and poetry, the author addresses life's ultimate mystery in a sensitive, thought-provoking, believable, and very reassuring way. She does this through conversations with the newly dead, or as she terms it, 'spirit-walking.' Spirits who have just crossed over speak candidly to her about the world they have found and how they felt about dying, and also about their former lives in the world they left. As Stearns explains, "No one was more surprised than I when I found myself communicating with spirits, people who no longer live in body but very clearly are continuing to live in spirit. Sometimes I see spirits and sometimes I just feel them. Always I listen." The voices she hears are varied - elderly or sick, sweet-natured or difficult, suicides, even a dog or two. They manage to communicate comfort and courage while avoiding the sentimental. Stearns' approach to this universal human concern cuts across cultural and religious boundaries. Readers will find the book useful for coming to terms either with their own death or that of another. I found the book so powerful that I had to put it down halfway through to catch my breath, and think hard about what I was reading.

Metaphysical Reviews, January, 1997
Carolyn has given us a superb and healing delight. There is much to be learned from this compassionate guide to bereavement. This reviewer found Spirit-Walking to be dynamic, warm and visionary. Carolyn's poetry found a place in my heart. If your interest is to learn how to overcome fears about death and dying, then Spirit-Walking is a must read!

Baltimore Resources, Winter 1997
Perhaps (the book) should be SPIRIT-TALKING, as humans and animals found ways to get their messages through to Carolyn. The results are this little book with big ideas, full of vignettes related to the recently deceased. Each story will touch a chord within a reader (Butch brought tears to my eyes and I don't even have a dog), as the details are about life and death and no matter which side you are on, there is no end--just the next place.

Book Description
Spirit-Walking is a record of Carolyn Stearns' encounters with spirits and the messages they gave her for their loved ones - an essential book for anyone seeking comfort while grieving for a loved one, or for those who are simply curious about what is to come. These stories from the Spiritual World are sure to ring a chord or touch a nerve.

From the Publisher
Spirit-Walking is a Reading Group Choices Selection for 1998. Carolyn has given us a superb and healing delight. There is much to be learned In a gentle mix of narration and poetry, the author addresses life's ultimate mystery in a sensitive, thought-provoking, believable, and very reassuring way. She does this through conversations with the newly dead, or as she terms it, "spirit-walking." Spirits who have just crossed over speak candidly to her about the world they have found and how they felt about dying, and also about their former lives in the world they left. As Stearns explains, "No one was more surprised than I when I found myself commnicating with spirits, people who no longer live in body but very clearly are continuing to live in spirit. Sometimes I see spirits and sometimes I just feel them. Always I listen." The voices she hears are varied - elderly or sick, sweet-natured or difficult, suicides, even a dog or two. They manage to communicate comfort and courage while avoiding the sentimental. Stearns' approach to this universal human concern cuts across cultural and religious boundaries. Readers will find the book useful for coming to terms either with their own death or that of another. I found the book so powerful that I had to put it down halfway through to catch my breath, and think hard about what I was reading.

From the Author
I hope we will all begin to think a little more creatively, even joyously, about death. If we succeed, I believe we will be able to let go of our tired and/or injured physical frames more easily when life on planet Earth no longer serves us, when our learning and loving here is complete and it is time to move on.

About the Author
Carolyn Stearns began her dance career as a butterfly in first grade. She received a MS in dance from Smith College and studied with dance legends Martha Graham, Hanya Holm, and Jose Limon. As Carolyn Coles, she performed with prominent dance companies including Karamu House in Cleveland and the Jose Limon Dance Company in Philadelphia, taught dance at Smith, Swarthmore, and Connecticutt Colleges and the University of Maryland, and for years was a dance critic for Choice magazine. Since 1982, she has taught her own bodywork program Stretch and Meditation and practiced massage therapy, specializing in psychic body readings and grief massage. Writing has also been her passion for the past 16 years. Since the publication of Spirit-Walking, Stearns has lectured and performed extensively at bookstores, book clubs, conferences, festivals, hospice groups, libraries, museums, and society meetings. Carolyn has appeared on radio and TV stations in New England and the Washington, D.C. area. Her articles on Life, Death and Dying have appeared in earthlight!, FODDERWING, Reality Change and Pilgrimage. A theatrical version of Spirit-Walking with music, dance and six actors was performed at Dance Place in Washington, D.C. in March of 1997.