Compass of the Heart

The Small Press Book Award-winning author of Winona's Web returns with a magical tale of love and enchantment, in which timeless Lakota wisdom meets a very contemporary midlife romance.

"Love is very tricky," warns Winona Pathfinder, the elderly medicine woman who has introduced psychologist Meggie O'Connor to the spiritual ways of Lakota prayer and healing. Soon, however, Meggie's teacher and friend will cross over to the Other Side, leaving Meggie, just forty and newly divorced, to make her way on her own. But before she goes, Winona nudges her young cousin Hawk to walk alongside Meggie on a journey of the heart and soul. Wary yet optimistic, these two seek out the Pipe Road--the path that will lead them to harmony with the world and with each other. Love may indeed be tricky, but with faith and hope, it is a road they will attempt to navigate.

Graceful and powerful, its story deeply rooted in traditional Lakota teachings, Compass of the Heart is a moving song of wonder and magic, an incandescent tale of love in all its dimensions.


"Compass of the Heart is not just another novel, it's much more. It's a must-read, a real education."--Steve Wall, author of Dancing with God

"Reencountering Winona is more than a pleasure. It's the relief of meeting a light-bearer on a dark night. Cogan's voice of ancient wisdom is one we need to hear." --Jennifer Barker, author of The Goddess Within