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Dear Friends committed to living and aging consciously:
Welcome to the Spring 2023 edition of Conscious Eldering Inspiration and Resources: The Journal of the Center for Conscious Eldering. Readers have told us that this quarterly offering, with its substantial articles, inspiring poetry, beautiful images, and resource suggestions, is in actuality more than a “newsletter.” Many recipients tell us that they read it in several sittings, taking the time to savor and reflect upon one article at a time. And with more writers offering us their informative and inspiring articles, we have decided to include even more articles in each edition, with the hope that among them you will find some especially compelling material that is just what you need at the time.
As we approach the season of Spring in the Northern Hemisphere, we present four articles that we hope will give you a sense of what new beginnings can be as the letting go of Fall and the darkness of Winter gives way to new life. Anne Wennhold writes about her new sense of self and life-giving new projects as she has let go of her identity as a Choosing Conscious Elderhood guide. Kris Govaars tells the story of the new life he is growing into as he lets go of a strong former identity. Karen Zeller’s article recounts the writing project that gives her a strong, passionate sense of purpose after having undergone times of darkness and lack of direction. And Bob Calhoun shares about his journey through profound encounters with his mortality, into a life stage filled with gratitude for each precious day.
We also present poetry to touch your heart and stir your intuition. You will find information about our 2023 Conscious Eldering retreats. And we share information about books, partner organizations and other resources and that can be valuable supports for your conscious eldering. May this journal support your growth into the conscious elderhood that is your birthrite, but which requires your willingness to accept it as both gift and responsibility.
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A Message
by Anne Wennhold
The Vermont sunshine blanketed me with its golden warmth as I climbed onto the sandy bank of the swimming hole. Glorious day! I shook my head flinging water drops into the still air. Reaching for the towel I saw a small transparent spiral curled up in the grass. As the rays of the sun touched its surface it brought out a translucent glow that revealed a small snakeskin perfect from head to tail. It must have belonged to a young garter snake completing its yearly growth. A message?
Alerted by my Native American teachers to be aware of information relayed from the universe through nature’s beings large and small, I wondered if this could be just such a notice. After all, I had just completed my first experience co-facilitating a Choosing Conscious Elderhood retreat! Something I had wanted to do ever since retiring and attending my first retreat nearly 20 years ago. Message or not, I decided to act as if the universe actually did send this snakeskin as confirmation of time to move into the work I desired. Carefully I wrapped up the snakeskin to take home and place on my altar.
Message received!
For the next eighteen years I was honored to facilitate retreats with Ron Pevny, director and creator of the Choosing Conscious Elderhood program. From Ron I learned the micro management of time, place, content, process and, more importantly, the nuances of flow
learned only in the act of doing: things never taught in the classroom or found in a book.
And Magic happened! Based on Ron’s carefully crafted framework, my own spiritual path was deepened and integrated even as I worked with nature, the spirits and human beings: actually because I got to work with them all! Bringing my own spiritual tools of ritual and ceremony learned from Shamanic and Native American teachers and combining them with Ron’s spiritual format, we constructed an atmosphere of safety within which all participants could open their minds and hearts to the work at hand.
One such ritual was to go outside early in the morning and drum a welcome to the sun as it rose over the mountains in New Mexico: a daily task as satisfactory as greeting a loved one home after a long absence. After breakfast there was the ritual of drumming and lighting sage leaves, cleansing ourselves with their burning fragrance and inviting all supportive spirits to join us in our work for the day.
Rituals such as these are a repeated action or activity. Ceremony on the other hand tends to be a more specific celebration of one kind or another. For me, the Fire Ceremony is a bright/dark heat shaped by the Spirit of Fire leaping to the thunder of the beating drum and answering the call to be of assistance in transformation: always a mesmerizing event. Often a fire ceremony is held to mark a time of ‘letting go’: a celebration of releasing something that no longer serves one’s life purpose. That could be anything from an obsession with sweets, to a habit of judging others, to lingering resentments of others or parts of oneself, to a role or self-identification that no longer fits. Opening to the nature of Fire can be cleansing, healing or an announcement of the completion of a time or a job.
In addition to the gifts nature provides and the spiritual help that surrounded us, some of the best teachings I received through those years of spiritual feasting came from individuals who attended the retreats, either alone, in couples or small groups: teachers, writers, healers, ministers and workers in all professions, each intent on conscious growth as they aged. We learned from each other’s stories of persistence, of doubt, illnesses, forgiveness, and strength and even as we witnessed each other’s truths, we were changed. And we grew!
Last year as I retired from those mystical eighteen years as a facilitator in the CCE retreats, it was clear that it was time to let that work go. My body no longer had the energy or inclination for travel or managing weeklong events.
Shortly after that retirement, while I was visiting with friends, I was asked to conduct a Fire Ceremony for them. Standing in the north, the place of the elders, of wisdom and transition, I realized I was there not just to conduct the ceremony for others as I had done for years, but that I now needed this Fire Ceremony to celebrate my own letting go of the work I loved. As our drums sounded and the Spirit of Fire danced, I felt cocooned in a timeless peace. It stole over me like a benediction sealing the release of the past and slowly opening into the spaciousness of whatever was to come.
Still later when I returned home and looked at the snakeskin lying on the altar, I saw it had disintegrated into minute particles lying, crystalline and sunlit, in the outline of the young snake it had clothed.
Message received!
As we so often said after our sharing circles on our retreats:
I have spoken my Truth, I have been witnessed and I am forever changed.
Anne Wennhold is our conscious eldering guide emeritus, who for many years co-guided our retreats with Ron Pevny. She now runs support groups for older adults and facilitates online Memoir Writing, Drumming and other new courses. Anne can be reached at annewennhold@gmail.com
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Notes from an Elder Nomad -
by Kris Govaars
Elder: a person who has attained both a greater age and has developed wisdom and personal qualities that serve both their own fulfillment and the greater community.
Nomad: a person who moves from place to place - physically, mentally, and/or spiritually.
Picture in your mind a timeline marked off from January to December. Now, put a dot on the corresponding month for each of the following: I am in the October of my life - my mother-in-law is in the December of her life - my grandchildren are in their January - and my children - now grown - are in the May of their lives. Can you picture it? The visual is simple yet so profound and insightful into the stages of life we all go through - for me - this was an awakening. Putting those I love in the context of time was a powerful reminder that at any moment we may face the reality of our mortality.
“The real action of discovery consists not in finding new lands but in seeing with new eyes.” Marcel Proust
In May of this year (2022) I turned 70 - the day after attending a week long Choosing Conscious Elderhood retreat in Abiquiu, New Mexico. It was held at Ghost Ranch, facilitated by Ron Pevny and Dennis Stamper, of the Center for Conscious Eldering. With my fellow Intrepid Elders, this was an opportunity to slow down, focus on myself, and celebrate the next stage of my life—a Rite of Passage signifying elderhood that I had anticipated embarking on for well over a year, stalled by the pandemic, until we could gather on site as a group. Would it be worth the wait?
We live in a world that judges our success or failure by speed and achievements - no matter whether they are worthy or not. I had been so busy making things happen in my life - being somebody that was respected in my profession and by my family that I had little time to think about the value of what was happening. When I stripped off the proverbial coat and tie with all that went with that former part of my life, the busyness of my life, I came face to face with - me. When I looked in the mirror I wasn’t really sure whom I was seeing.
Truth is I have been working on shedding my professional life and practice of advising, coaching and facilitating for quite some time in various ways - I designed a website, I read book after book, I attended seminars, I listened to Podcasts, and I wrote in my journal whenever time allowed. Yet, every so often I would stop and wonder - Whom do I see when I look at me? Who am I really? What do others see in me? And, wrapped around all these questions was why this urgency to find out? Why does it matter in October since all the other months are gone and I never gave them their due reflection? Something was happening here and it wasn’t exactly clear; I was willing to find out.
In an instant I found myself standing alone with my toes curled over the edge of an abyss - my former self looking at me. And, as I stand here on the edge of seventy - I ask myself - what is it I want to know? Where do I go next on this journey? I came to realize my problem was not figuring out what to do next or how to shake off this feeling - the problem was and continues to be finding the strength and courage to do what I know is right for me. It is easy to go along with other people’s opinions, to ask others what they would do . It is harder to go against matters of value, principles we honor for ourselves. And, as much as I would like to go along with the idea of universal principles or community values , they still need to ring true for me and each of us as unique individuals to be meaningful and support us in body, mind and spirit.
If you cannot control the rising tides of change, would it make sense to build a better boat?
To support my journey - I created a website - Elder Nomad (https://www.eldernomad.com) to keep notes on what has meaning and heart for me. I created a poster - Elder Spirit - for the same reason and I write notes to myself to sort out the conflicts, confusions that inevitably show up from time to time. I remind myself that what I imagine I create, what I feel I attract and what I think I become. There are many conscious eldering tools for getting at important principles when appropriate. I have used many and hold some for later work. Among these are: legacy letters, death lodge meditation, life review, ten intentions, notes to yourself, lifeline discovery, reframing, healing the past, accepting mortality, letting go. It is important to find the ones that work for you at the right time.
When I look back at my former life I see conflicting goals, questionable strategies, and forced tactics to rationalize many of my actions that were often emotionally harmful. I believe what truly differentiates authentic individuals is their adherence to inner values, not those meant for others to hear. How people actually live their lives, what I would call values in action, are key. I have to work on it continuously - finding my way through my messy life - and I continue to struggle with it. I am grateful for the signposts I have on my journey.
The retreat happened at the right time for me. Everyone participating went through a change, some more profound than others. It was so palpable you could feel the shift in energy after the solo journeys. What each of us had in common was the change we felt, but with change comes transition. Our transitions are different. The difference is the speed and dynamics as we each go through our own unique transitions. Change is an event, transitions are a different sort.
Each of us must accept our journey. It is ours alone. And though we can explore where others have been, we are unique in our own right. I have little to impart as “you must do this” or “here’s the path you should take” because it isn’t that easy and that would be presumptuous of me. I had spent many years in a practice where telling others what to do was part of the job. And yet, when I honestly reviewed my life and looked at the lives of other advice givers I have known, I began to question whether I and they were actually living what we have preached. This is not a criticism or indictment of myself; the coaching, advising, facilitation was good for the most part. It is an awareness I have now as an increasingly conscious elder nomad in the October of my life of the importance of coming to truly know my own needs and inner dynamics.
In trusting yourself on this journey, which is yours alone, you live your values as best you can and in so doing become a positive example for others you meet. I remind myself often “it is what it is” and “if it’s to be it’s up to me. As a conscious Elder Nomad, every moment is a lifetime. None of these moments will be repeated and there will come a time when memories fade and what is left is now - this time - this place - this moment. I try hard to simply be myself and hope that is enough to make a positive difference for myself and in those I meet. And, if you think about it, you meet yourself every day. So I ask myself: what difference do I intend to make in my life each moment?
Trust this journey…trust yourself…allow it to happen…with an open mind and an open heart.
Kris Govaars curates the Elder Nomad website www.eldernomad.com and can be reached at svengovaars@gmail.com - He attended a Choosing Conscious Elderhood retreat at Ghost Ranch in Abiquiu, New Mexico from 01 May 2022 to 07 May 2022.
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Honoring My Heritage
By Karen Zeller
Another e-mail has just arrived from my brother-in-law Richard. I eagerly download and read the attachments....more copies of a monthly column, Reflections, that my mother wrote for the Minnesota State Grange Gleaner. The latest columns I received include observations about Rachel Carson, the biologist who warned us about pesticides in the 1960's, and yet another column about dogs. They're an essential part of the latest project in my elderhood—to publish a book with some of the writings of my mother. At first I thought of a book composed of selected letters and a commentary, but on a recent visit to West Concord, Minnesota, where I grew up and my mother lived most of her adult live, I have been encouraged to expand the book to include more or even all of her writings I am able to find.
My mother died almost 50 years ago, at the age of 62. Her writings include letters she wrote to different members of the family, those monthly columns called Reflections, 14 published short stories, several unpublished short stories, various works of non-fiction, both published and non-published, and a book, Zwingli Church 100 Years. All this while she was wife and mother and involved in a multitude of volunteer projects.
Now my project is to gather, edit, comment on, and share her writings with the public. She was, after all, West Concord's author. I want to share my process, what I have learned, and encourage you, the reader, to find your own way to honor the people in your past.
It all began when I received a packet of letters which my mom had written over the years to family members. My aunt Vi had saved many of these letters and then passed them to my cousin Steve, who was the family historian. When he retired from this position, he sent packets of letters to her three children: John, Claire, and me. Eventually I decided I wanted to write a book based on her letters. When I returned to home territory last summer, friends encouraged me to expand the project to include all of her writings.
There are an amazing number of steps in this process, and there's no magic order. First, of course, find the writings. Check copyright. Decide on the content and order of the book. Determine page size, margins, and font. Design a cover. Create a title. Decide how this book will be published. Add illustrations and photographs. Get your team of consultants. Ask for feedback. As I am still in the beginning of the process, I anticipate there will be additional steps.
A lot of steps; a lot to learn. First lesson, this project is both a lot of fun and a challenge. Re-reading what my mother wrote gives me new insights and brings back memories. She had a delightful sense of humor. Second, to get the book on to the computer I need a lot of help. Fortunately, my Spanish teacher, Juanka, is also working on a Masters degree in the use of computers in education, and we have spent many hours, in Spanish, solving my problems with the book. Talk to text, or speech to text, is so easy to use. Still, I need to remember that talk to text is like a seven-year-old, and I must tell it to use correct punctuation and capitalization. After viewing several examples of text to image tools, I like Canva the best. The picture created with the prompt “four Holstein heifers, one ram, one farrowing house on a trailer” was charming, although I do think that my friend Lili will illustrate these images better than AI photos. My team of consultants is eager and ready to give me feedback.
Another thing this project has taught me is humility—humility as I use the computer We all know that younger generations are more skilled in all-things digital, but what would I do without Juanka. When I have a new question, he either already knows the answer or quickly researches and gives me the answer twice: the first time to give me the right answer. The second time to tell me, step by step, what I need to do to find the information myself. And sometimes more times because it just doesn't stay in my brain.
Related to computers and humility is patience....not one of my sterling characteristics. Patience to scan all those emails that my brother-in-law keeps sending. Patience each time I open the computer and return to what I have already created. Patience to look through my notes and know that I need my computer consultant yet again.
Most importantly, I have learned so much about the life and times of my mother, my family, and my history. I have been lucky to have the quantity of writing that my mother produced. Reading and re-reading what she shared with her family and with the readers of her Reflections, I have been able to discern the themes in her life that she was passionate about. I see a much more complete person than I saw when I was in my thirties, when she was alive. I am so grateful for the themes in my life which we shared—themes which go back to the lives of my grandparents and perhaps even further.
There are many paths to honoring one's heritage. A friend recently wrote about saving painting and needlework created by family members. Another friend cherishes his scrapbook of family photographs. Younger people can interview and record their elders, and elders can reflect on and preserve elements in their rich, unique lives.
I close with two quotations that are very meaningful to me as I work on this project:
“Stories have to be told or they die, and when they die, we can't remember who we are or why we're here.” Sue Monk Kidd
We are braver and wiser because they existed, those strong women and strong men...We are who we are because they were who they were. It's wise to know where you come from, who called your name. Maya Angelou
Karen Zeller participated in one of our first conscious eldering retreats, many years ago.
She has lived, and worked as a teacher, in many countries, seemingly always craving new adventure. She would be happy to talk with you about her writing project. Karen can be reached at karenzelleroman@gmail.
Artwork by Doug Van Hooten
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Facing Mortality, Embracing Life
by Bob Calhoun
"Life is short...and we have never too much time for gladdening the hearts of those who are traveling the dark journey with us. Oh, be swift to love, make haste to be kind."( Henri-Frederic Amiel 1821-1881)
Last week I waited patiently at a familiar intersection for the light to turn green. As it did, I took my foot off the brake pedal moving slowly forward, looking left, then right, then left again … a driver came barreling around the bend and through the intersection at 45 MPH seemingly without a clue that the light had turned or that there was a traffic light at all. I took a deep breath... and proceeded with my left turn. Dodged that bullet.
Three years ago, having just turned 70, the doctors said I had one to three years to live. Small cell carcinoma, stage IV. Chemotherapy, radiation, surgeries and ongoing immunotherapy. It has been three years now. I anticipate each upcoming scan. My oncologist says I'm an outlier.
Of what have I been reminded ... about this life in all my hours, days and now years of visiting the cancer center?
Life is short ... for all of us. We know the number of years lived varies for each of us. I am reminded of my middle daughter dying at 10 1/2 months...my nephew's young wife dying at age 32 of brain cancer. We each have our own list of losses. However, for many of us, we are able to measure our lives in decades...life on an elder journey, having been blessed with time, relationship, compassion received, opportunity , food, shelter, and quality medical care.
Of what have I been reminded?
"The breezes at dawn have secrets to tell you
Don't go back to sleep
You must ask for what you really want
Don't go back to sleep!
People are going back and forth
Across the doorsill where the two worlds touch,
The door is round and open
Don't go back to sleep!" (Rumi 1207-1273)
Rumi was not dealing with speeding automobiles, stop lights or the over abundance of digital interactions... yet much the same, with daily routine and distractions, physical vulnerability, plagues, violence and securing the basic necessities of life. But even in his day, he speaks of how easy it is to miss the mystery and miracle of life.
Stay awake....don’t get drawn back into the unawareness...ask for what you really want and follow the prompts that call you to be yourself....now. We can easily forget the deep center of self and this amazing life flow of which we are all apart. We must stay awake, Rumi reminds us, to see the beauty, the mystery, the connections and coincedences that surround us and come upon us daily.
Don't go back to sleep.
Of what have I been reminded as time has been abruptly brought back into focus?
We do not pass this way again. What a gift to have lived into the last third of life, to receive from and offer to others compassion. Be present, love deeply, be real, give of your true self, respond to your gift calling from within and have the courage to follow its path. Many events and circumstances can wake us up, help us refocus. Yet it doesn't have to be a speeding car, or a cancer diagnosis. It can be the discipline of quiet, focus and intentional action. A Conscious Eldering retreat was for me a wonderful example of an exercise of awakening into the 'now' of this life while we still are alive and vital.
"Listen to your life. All moments are key moments. Life itself is grace." (Frederick Buechner 1926-2022).
Of what have I been reminded?
Life is Short ...be swift to love, make hast to be kind...
The breezes at dawn have secrets to tell you, don't go back to sleep...
Listen to your life... all moments are key moments... life itself is grace.
Be Grateful to be on the journey.
Bob Calhoun is a retired counseling psychologist living in Fort Collins, Colorado and a past Center for Conscious Eldering retreat participant. Bob is the author of Twenty Acres Deep, Poems and Reflections from the Rocky Mountains. His book is available at oldfirehousebooks.com or by contacting Bob at bob@bobcalhounpsychologist.com
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Another World
by Barbara Garland
2017
Drums, rattles, flutes
Calling to my soul
Opening my heart and taking me
out of my mind.
Rhythm pounding
Matching my heartbeat
Carrying me to another place,
A between space,
one neither here nor there.
Calling me to another world –
A world where I can soar,
A world where I fly with eagles
and see far,
A world where I swim with the fishes
or run with the wolves.
A world outside of this space and time -
A world where I see the web of life
Where all of us are weaving our tapestry together.
We Were Made for These Times
by Clarissa Pincola Estes
My friends, do not lose heart. We were made for these times. I have heard from so many recently who are deeply and properly bewildered. They are concerned about the state of affairs in our world now. Ours is a time of almost daily astonishment and often righteous rage over the latest degradations of what matters most to civilized, visionary people...
In any dark time, there is a tendency to veer toward fainting over how much is wrong or unmended in the world. Do not focus on that. There is a tendency, too, to fall into being weakened by dwelling on what is outside your reach, by what cannot yet be. Do not focus there...
Ours is not the task of fixing the entire world all at once, but of stretching out to mend the part of the world that is within our reach. Any small, calm thing that one soul can do to help another soul, to assist some portion of this poor suffering world, will help immensely. It is not given to us to know which acts or by whom, will cause the critical mass to tip toward an enduring good.
Beautiful Are The Elders
Robert Terry Weston; from “Life Prayers”
Beautiful are the youth whose rich emotions flash and burn, whose lithe bodies filled with energy and grace sway in their happy dance of life;
And beautiful likewise are the mature who have learned compassion and patience, charity and wisdom, though they be rarer by far than beautiful youth.
But most beautiful and most rare is a gracious elderhood which has drawn from life the skill to take its varied strands:
The harsh advance of age,
The pang of grief,
The passing of dear friends,
The loss of strength,
And with fresh insight weave them Into a rich and gracious pattern all its own.
This is the greatest skill of all, To take the bitter with the sweet And make it beautiful, To take the whole of life in all its moods, Its strengths and weaknesses, And of the whole make one great and celestial harmony.
Elders As Carriers of Treasure
by Hermann Hesse,
In The Seasons of the Soul
"Who would we old people be without the gallery of memories,
the treasures of experience?
But with these treasures we are rich
and we do not drag a used up body towards its end and oblivion,
But we know, we are also the carriers of treasure which remains alive and radiant
as long as we breathe."
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To the Primal Wonders
(without and within)
by Nancy Newhall
To the primal wonders no road can ever lead; they are not so won
To know them you shall leave road and roof behind;
you shall go light and spare,
You shall win them yourself, in sweat, sun, laughter,
in dust and rain, with only a few companions.
You shall know the night -- it's space, its light, its music,
You shall see earth sink and darkness and the universe appear.
No roof shall shut you from the presence of the moon,
You shall see mountains rise in the transparent shade before dawn.
You shall see -- and feel!-- first light, and hear a ripple in the stillness.
You shall enter the living shelter of the forest.
You shall walk were only the wind has walked before.
You shall know immensity, And see continuing the primeval forces of the world.
You shall know not one small segment but the whole of life,
strange, miraculous, living, dying, changing
You shall face immortal challenges; you shall dare,
delighting, to pit your skill, courage, and wisdom against colossal facts
You shall live lifted up in light;
you shall move among clouds.
You shall see storms arise, and, drenched and deafened, shall exult in them.
You shall top a rise and behold creation.
And you shall need the tongues of angels to tell what you have seen.
Tree of Life Blessing
By Shiloh Sophia McCloud
May you choose outrageous actions that challenge who you are
And encourage who you are becoming.
May you take one step, however small
toward that which you have always longed for.
Now is the “right time.”
May you recognize the unique and powerful contribution
that you bring to the people
whose lives you touch.
May you be as wonderful as you really are,
And do things because you want to, not just because you should.
May you celebrate your creativity and believe that you are an artist with a unique vision that no one else has.
May you find peace and purpose and possibility amidst the chaos while remaining aware of the unrest in the world.
May you reach towards the Spirit with a longing that keeps you awake to the miracle available all around you.
May your faith move any mountains that stand in your way and bring you great teachers to awaken your understanding.
May you give up shame, guilt and self-neglect and replace them with qualities like freedom, integrity and self-nurturing. May you offer the gifts and blessings of your soul work to beings off the world when the time is ripe for you to release them.
May you passionately and deeply love and be loved by someone who can see who you really are.
May your body speak to you and teach you how to care for the temple that houses your bright spirit. May you walk gently on the earth and honor your hearth and family with your action and your rest.
May you find and enjoy the fruit of abundance so that your life path can be fortified and furthered.
May you embrace the Tree of Life.
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Upcoming Conscious Eldering Programs
Our 2023 Schedule is finalized. In addition to two of our signature Choosing Conscious Elderhood retreats at Ghost Ranch, we will be offering a new Oregon retreat focused on Conscious Elders in Service to Community, a weeklong retreat amid the emerald green of Ireland, and, in collaboration with Sage-ing International, a unique, monthly online interview series called “Turning Points.” And we are always eager to present customized shorter introductory workshops for organizations that invite us and will handle the logistics.
Please consider joining us if you seek an empowering vision for your elder chapters, tools for helping make that vision reality, and the warmth of a supportive community of kindred spirits. Our programs provide a powerful opportunity to have your idealism acknowledged, your hope rekindled and your dreams for a vital, passionate elderhood supported? They offer you the wisdom of skilled guides and the heart-and-mind-opening energy of the natural world, to open you to the rich possibiities of your later-life chapters--for growth, purpose, spiritual deepening, and giving your elder gifts to support a healthy society and planet.
And please support our scholarship fund. In 2022 our dear friend in conscious eldering, Randy Crutcher, made a generous donation to the Center for Conscious Eldering to help us establish a scholarship fund to help make our retreats accessible to people who can only participate with financial support. Randy's donation was followed by several smaller, but important, contributions from others who have participated in our retreats. Here's what Randy wrote about his donation:
"The great benefits I’ve derived from this remarkable work and the support it has given me for choosing the most meaningful path for me to conscious elderhood is something I’d like to see made available to everyone in these later stages of life. At least those who recognize the value, and are ready and poised to reveal more about their life journey to themselves and others. I want to help remove external barriers to attending the program by inspiring others to contribute anything they can to help those needing a little extra help and support in joining our growing community of conscious elders."
If you would like to contribute any amount, please contact Ron Pevny.
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Choosing Conscious Elderhood
May 14-20
Ghost Ranch, New Mexico
(one space left)
and
October 3-9
at Ghost Ranch, New Mexico
Conscious Elders in Service to Community
March 30 - April 2
at Buckhorn Springs Retreat near Ashland Oregon
in partnership with Cascadia Quest and Rite of Passage Journeys
(still accepting registrations - a few spaces left)
Choosing Conscious Elderhood in Ireland
in County Wicklow, Ireland
at Sli an Chroi retreat center
September 11-17
Turning Points
online, monthly, beginning in late March
The Center for Conscious Eldering, in partnership with Sage-ing International, will present a unique monthly program in which Ron Pevny, and Sage-ing International Co-Chair Katia Petersen will interview leaders in the conscious eldering/ personal transformation field, with the focus being on what they have learned through those times of darkness and challenge, as well as inner breakthroughs and new beginnings, that have shaped their lives and work. Some of our guests include Richard Leider, Joan Borysenko, Connie Zweig, Richard Rohr, and Jamal Rahman. For details and registration information, https://conta.cc/3XU60LP
For Organizations, Faith Communities, etc:
We are available to present our weekend workshops or custom designed programs for groups who would like to sponsor one in their area. Contact us to explore possibilities.
for details on our programs and registration information, please visit
www.centerforconsciouseldering.com/events
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"A beautifully written and important book about aging and elderhood. Pevny reminds us that consciously moving into our greater years is a major rite of passage, and he offers skilled guidance through the many questions and challenges, endings and new beginnings, that arise."
Meredith Little, Co-founder of the School of Lost Borders
Since Ron's book was released in 2014, many elder wisdom circles and discussion groups have found it to be an excellent resource around which to center their discussions and group practices. Ron is currently working on an expanded, new edition of his book which will be released in 2024.
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Itineraries
From 2005 – 2013, the late conscious aging pioneer Bolton Anthony, founder of the organization Second Journey, published Itineraries, a quarterly journal with a great many inspiring articles by leaders in the conscious aging field. He also edited several books, including his remarkable anthology, The Dance of Spirit in Later Life, which contains essays, poetry and book recommendations from 45 leaders whose work supports the growth and empowerment of elder adults, and is available through Amazon.
Bolton’s dream was to make the complete Itineraries collection available at no charge after his passing in 2020. His vision has become a reality with the creation of the Conscious Aging Digital Bookshelf at the Partnerships in Aging program of the University of North Carolina. It is a large collection of books, articles, and movies that explore the idea of aging with an ethic of mindfulness, service, and community. It explores just about every facet of the multi-faceted conscious aging movement, from spiritual growth to aging in community to conscious activism to elders devoting their gifts to service in their communities.
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Online course taught by Center for Conscious Eldering guide emeritus Anne Wennhold
Aging Into the 80s
Coming in April
This is an eight-week Zoom seminar focused on the continuing transitions of growth and development beyond the active 70s. The focus off this seminar is to identify and develop ways of managing the unexpected turns taken by the transitions of later elderhood and to provide windows into topics and fears often hidden by cultural denial: such as Balancing One's Life Style, Continued Growth Practice, Letting Go and Facing Mortality. Now in her late 80’s and no longer co-guiding conscious eldering retreats, Anne will be bringing her own aging experience to this unique class.
For more information or to register, Contact Anne annewennhold@gmail.com.
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DO YOU HAVE KIDS?
LIFE WHEN THE ANSWER IS NO
In-person Retreat at Hope Springs Institute
in Southern Ohio May 12th - 15th
Led by Kate Kaufman
Author of the book from which this retreat is named
Experience a different sort of Mother’s Day this year. Just for you.
Kate says: "Why? Because we know our lives unfold differently than those of parents. And there are woefully few ways we can congregate by ourselves to talk and share our stories. Where we can consider our friendships, the meaning of family, and how we manage our finances. The roles we fill at work and in our communities. How we define our legacies—both living and after our lives are complete.
I firmly believe that spending time with other women of all ages who aren’t mothers is crucial to crafting lives of meaning and understand the many ways we positively impact those around us. Today there are several options to meet virtually (Gateway Women, World Childless Week, Childless Collective Summit, Lighthouse Women and more), but in- person opportunities are rare. This is such an opportunity."
We highly recommend this unique retreat, at beautiful Hope Springs Institute, led by a passionate, talented friend of ours.
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The Human Values in Aging Newsletter
The newsletter you are reading is not intended to provide a comprehensive listing of workshops and other resources available these days to help support people in aging consciously. That job is well done by Rick Moody in his monthly Human Values in Aging newsletter. To receive it on the first day of each month, send an email to hrmoody@yahoo.com
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One of our partner organizations, the Elders Action Network is an educational non-profit organization fostering a budding movement of vital elders dedicated to growing in consciousness while actively addressing the demanding social and environmental challenges facing our country and planet. They work inter-generationally for social and economic justice,environmental stewardship, and sound governance. They offer their multiple talents and resources in service to the goal of preserving and protecting life for all generations to come. Anyone committed to living and serving as a conscious elder in invited to join them in this critically important endeavor. EAN offerings include, among others,
* Bi-weekly Elder Activists for Social Justice Community Conversations
*The growing and influential "Elders Climate Action" initiative
* The Empowered Elder--EAN's foundational program
*The new Sunrise Movement - an intergenerational collaborative effort between EAN and Sage-ing International
*The Elders for Regenerative Living initiative
To learn about EAN and its initiatives and programs, visit www.eldersaction.org
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Another of our partner organizations is Sage-ing International, the pioneering organization in promoting the principles of "Sage-ing/conscious aging, Their greatly expanded offerings of online workshops and seminars, Elder Wisdom Circles, and their training program for Certified Sage-ing Leaders is grounded in the work of the late Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, who introduced conscious aging to the world with his workshops at Omega Institute with Ram Dass and others, and via his seminal book, From Age-ing to Sage-ing.
The Center for Conscious Eldering is partnering with Sage-ing International to present a unique interview series, Turning Points." Learn more at this link: https://conta.cc/3XU60LP
To view their website, visit www.sage-ing.org
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Ron Pevny, Founder and Director
970-223-0857
3707 Coronado Ave, Fort Collins, Colorado 80526
ron@centerforconsciouseldering.com
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Elders are those older adults who have extracted the gold
from their painful experiences.
Michael Meade
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