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Dear Friends committed to living and aging consciously:
Welcome to the Summer 2023 edition of Conscious Eldering Inspiration and Resources; The Journal of the Center for Conscious Eldering. It is our hope that the three featured articles, written for this journal, and the poetry and other resources you will find here, will serve to remind you of the elder within you that seeks to brightly shine forth its (your! ) gifts into a world urgently in need of conscious elders committed to each day growing and serving. There are so many ways to grow and serve. These articles and poems passionately illustrate some of these ways, but more importantly remind us of the joy and fulfillment that we experience when we brightly shine our elder light in whatever ways are the most authentic expression of who we are. And as this issue’s review of Becca Levy’s book Breaking the Age Code informs us, the sense of purpose that growth and service stem from is a powerful source of physical, mental and emotional health and well being.
May this journal support your growth into the conscious elderhood that is your birth rite, but requires your willingness to accept it as both gift and responsibility.
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Please note Ron Pevny's change of personal email address
After 30 years of having the same personal email address: [email protected], my email provider is going out of business. So, I have a new personal email address: [email protected]
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Time is running short to register for Choosing Conscious Elderhood in Ireland September 11-17, to be led by Ron Pevny. To learn more about this unique opportunity to experience a powerful, inspiring immersion in conscious eldering amid the great beauty and spiritual energy of the Emerald Isle, visit centerforconsciouseldering.com/events. If you have questions and/or would like to register, email ron at [email protected].
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The Journey of Conscious Aging:
Reflections and Insights from an Irish Psychotherapist
by Martina Breen
One of the most significant cultural transitions around the world is the demographic shift in many counries toward an older population, with a declining birthrate and people living longer than ever before. This evolving ageing population presents both challenges and opportunities. The challenges can appear daunting, and receive much more attention than do the opportunities. In this article I write about the possibilities for personal and cultural enrichment that lie before us if we are willing to stretch our thinking and embrace an evolving new understanding of the gifts of the ageing process.
Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, author of From Age-ing to Sage-ing poses the question of why should we live beyond the time of begetting and raising our children? He goes on to state: “ If we do live longer, then nature must have a task. There must be a purpose. The purpose is to hothouse consciousness, generation by generation; so that the older generation can transmit something to the younger.”
Rather than allowing ourselves to just grow old, we can make a decision in late midlife to intentionally envision and work toward a new life stage—a conscious elderhood. So, while ageing is a natural process that does indeed involve physical changes and a gradual decline in physical abilities, Conscious Eldering or Sage-ing, on the other hand, is an intentional approach to aging that involves actively seeking out opportunities for growth and transformation in life’s later chapters. It’s about getting older with intentionality, resilience, and grace. It involves not only addressing the physical and mental aspects of aging, but also the spiritual aspects such as finding meaning and purpose in the lives we have lived, as well as exploring and visioning the rich possibilities for the time we have left. Rather than viewing ageing as a period of decline and loss, it can be a time to look at it as a unique and precious opportunity for growth, wisdom, and personal transformation.
This approach to healthy aging aligns with the wisdom shared in Reb Zalman’s book and Ron Pevny’s Conscious living, Conscious Aging, along with books like Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom. They each offer us profound lessons about the value of inner growth, personal transformation, and the importance of having a sense of community as we grow into our elder years.
A key message in these and many other empowering writings about ageing is that as we need to let go of being an adolescent to become an adult, likewise to become an elder we need to have completed our adulting. Elderhood is a distinct phase of life, given to us by the grace of longevity. There is a newfound freedom in embracing our age—choosing to live consciously and intentionally. By modelling conscious aging and embodying its principles in our own lives, we can inspire the people in our lives to do the same and create a more compassionate and fulfilling world for ourselves and others.
Ron’s book is a guidebook in exploring the aging process with awareness, curiosity, and purpose. He writes extensively around the personal and spiritual growth that occurs as we age and he models his own teaching in his own personal life. He says that this growth that’s available to us as we age is not necessarily a given; it requires a deliberate effort to engage with our own aging process and to cultivate qualities like self-awareness, resilience, and wisdom.
He teaches that conscious eldering involves several key practices. One is self-reflection, which involves taking time to reflect on our life experiences, our values, and our goals for the future. Another is community-building, which involves connecting with others who share our interests and values, and who can support us on our journey of growth. Another practice is commitment to service, which involves using our skills and experience to make a positive impact in our communities and the world at large.
I experienced these teachings first hand by attending Ron’s Choosing Conscious Elderhood Retreat at Ghost Ranch, New Mexico, in May of this year. Ron and co-facilitator Barbara Roth skilfully created a safe holding space for 13 elder questors. We met on a Sunday afternoon at this magnificent high desert retreat center in New Mexico and with a deepening process of exploring, reflecting and sharing, we created a community that was the lived experience of conscious eldering. In our week together, we learned experientially that when we connect with others and share our interests and our values, when we have community time and solo time, when we have ample time in nature to learn from Mother Earth, and when we connect through ritual and ceremony, we create a rich fertile ground where we meet the deeper parts of ourselves. And when we are connected to ourselves, we naturally look to see how we can serve others.
The need for wise elderhood in our current world of crisis cannot be overstated. In modern society, the value of elders has been diminished, along with their voices. The cultural narrative too often focuses on youth, and the value of experience and wisdom is overlooked. Many older adults have strong, internalized negative beliefs about aging, such as feeling that they are less valued, less capable, irrelevant as they get older.
The voices of our elders need to be reclaimed and supported. Most of us are well aware that ageing can come with significant life transitions such as retirement, changes in health, loss of sense of meaning and purpose in life, and loss of loved ones, and that these are often accompanied by emotional challenges such as grief, anxiety, or depression. We need to be reminded that the conscious elders of any community have developed a unique set of skills, knowledge, and wisdom about how to negotiate transitions, to develop resilience, and to deal with emotional and spiritual challenges, that can guide all of us towards a better future.
The elders are the ones who have lived through the ups and downs of life, accumulated a wealth of knowledge, and gained invaluable insights that can guide society through these challenging times. They possess a level of wisdom that can only be acquired through years of life experience, and it is this wisdom that is sorely needed by contemporary society, and perhaps most of all by young people, our future, whose world views are shaped by what they see modeled by the adults and elders around them.
I do believe that the United States has progressed in this area. In western Europe, where I live, it is time for us to finally acknowledge, not only the value of our elders, but to endeavour to grow into elderhood ourselves. As a psychotherapist, I’m acutely aware that it's important that I become a conscious elder myself, in order to better support conscious aging in my clients. We helpers, are in a unique position to model conscious aging for our clients by embodying the principles of conscious aging in our own lives. It is necessary for us to continue to grow and develop, not just as professionals, but as ageing human beings. Only when much greater numbers of us value ourselves as elders, will humanity truly harness the power of wisdom to create a more just, equitable, and sustainable world for all.
Bio Martina Breen, M.A. is a Gestalt Psychotherapist, Supervisor, Spiritual Director and a Certified Sage-ing Leader (CSLÒ) She works in private practice in Ireland and internationally facilitates programmes on conscious living, ageing and dying . She will be co-facilitating a Choosing Conscious Elderhood with Ron Pevny in Kiltegan, County Wicklow, Ireland September 11 – 17. There are three spaces still available. For retreat details, visit the homepage of www.centerforconsciouseldering.com and click oh the box for the Ireland retreat. Martina can be reached at [email protected]
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Elder Wisdom Circle: Elders Making a Difference
By Jackie Loos
Elder Wisdom Circle™ (EWC), a non-profit organization founded 20 years ago, was created so that seniors— known as Elders—could share their knowledge and wisdom with younger people around the world in search of advice.
Initially, Elders responded to letters from advice seekers by mail. As technology evolved, EWC built a digital platform to provide free, caring, and common-sense advice via the web. As many younger people do not have a wise, caring adult to turn to for questions about self-improvement, love and relationships, family and parenting, friendships, school, and careers, EWC bridges this need.
Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, EWC’s team of Elders reside across North America—with expansion to additional continents a primary goal for the organization. The EWC program and Elders have been featured on ABC, BBC, CBS, FOX, and NPR, as well as in numerous publications including the Wall Street Journal, Time magazine, the Los Angeles Times, Ladies Home Journal, Real Simple, Glamour, and USA Today.
EWC’s Elder community currently consists of almost 100 active Elders who collectively answer an average of 1,000 to 1,300 requests for advice each month. To date, the Elders have answered nearly 500,000 letters. Advice is given with great care and empathy, with non-judgmental suggestions based on Elders’ life experiences.
“The people we talk to connect with Elder Wisdom Circle because they can't afford to go elsewhere, or there are no counselor services in their area," said executive director, Sara Jane Lowry. “Our Elders don’t shy away from letters that deal with heavy stuff—abusive relationships, mental illness, or depression. Some of the inquiries are beyond our capabilities," Lowry added. "We don’t give medical, legal, or financial advice." Letters hinting at suicide or mental illness are flagged for mediation and the sender is provided with information about crisis centers or other resources in their area or on the internet.
Aside from impacting the lives of so many advice seekers, Elders shared that they too are impacted by the interaction.
Elder Grandpa-Matt
We connect with international seekers of advice on a human level without judgment, bias, or partiality. We use our objectivity, experience, and intuition to advise younger generations about issues troubling them. We invite them to consider the consequences of their actions that could result from their youthful decisions.
This work is a form of service that impels me to offer my best work aligning with my purpose for being on this planet. As I was maturing, no one, including teachers, parents, relatives, or clergy taught me what was required specifically to get along in this world. I had to figure it all out and made errors aplenty. After a while, I discovered my principal guideline for a good life is to use everything to learn and grow, uplifting my physical, moral, and spiritual existence.
The payoff is in the satisfaction, contentment, and joy I get from contributing to the awareness of those who write to us. It is rewarding to receive feedback about the value of what I shared and how my response helped an advice seeker.
Many of the young writers describe mental blocks that prevent them from acting. They want to do the “right thing,” while avoiding mistakes and criticism. When they report taking risks and successfully leaving their personal comfort zone, the feeling of their success encourages Elders to realize the value of our contributions.
“Thanks so much for your valuable advice. I was feeling low, but after reading your advice, suddenly I am feeling strong. These were the words I needed and the support and help I needed,” said one advice seeker. “This is certainly going to change my life, and I will be able to do what I want. I will work on my anger; it will take time, but I will try my best. Thanks so much for everything.”
Elder KMF
Upon retirement, the skills I worked 40+ years to hone were suddenly not in demand anymore. I missed the team- building and problem-solving challenges. When I discovered Elder Wisdom Circle at Volunteer Match.com, I found my niche; someone wanted my point of view. Young people from around the world appreciate having someone to share their problems with, someone who doesn’t judge and who has no preconceived notions about them. Generations connecting and respecting each other’s point of view became my new meaningful work!
I’ve been giving advice at Elder Wisdom Circle for 7 years and it’s been life changing. I feel a sense of accomplishment every time I answer a letter from an advice seeker. More than half of our letters come from countries besides the U.S. England, Canada, India, Pakistan, Philippines, and Nigeria, are countries I’ve had the privilege of sending responses to. Someone whose culture is different than ours presents a unique challenge.
What I’ve learned from communicating with global advice seekers is that they are really very similar to each other, and they struggle with the same things I did when I was their age. They may live within different rules and technologies and cultures, but they feel and experience the same kind of fear, indecision, frustration, passion, and heartbreak that comes with being young and inexperienced. It is deeply meaningful to be able to “speak with them” and assure them their concerns are real and they are not alone.
Thank you notes further propel me to continue this mission. “Your letter meant so much to me“ “You inspire me.” “You made my life bearable and beautiful knowing that such a person as you exists.” These young people mean so much to me!
Elder M_Markie
I felt the need to “pay it forward” and volunteer. Elder Wisdom Circle is one way I can do this by sharing courage and wisdom to help others.
There are many troubled people in the world who seek advice. Many are young. Some are fragile. I spend a long time reading and re-reading a request before composing an appropriate response. I draw upon events that have happened to me, and empathize with others because often “I’ve been there and done that.”
By sharing my own thoughts and feelings I strive to give others an opportunity to concentrate on better aspects of their life. Hopefully, I can change a person’s viewpoint from anger and frustration to optimism and a desire to make positive changes in their life.
Having been through several careers, I have a unique vision of work experience and the ability to master change and use it wisely. Change in life is inevitable and when we embrace change with courage, commitment, and dedication, we can accomplish almost anything.
Most feedback I receive is positive and often advice-seekers are moved to think differently. I believe I’ve encouraged some individuals not to harm themselves or others. In one case, I responded to a young man who was going to do away with himself and take “everyone with him.” I had the feeling that things would change after he digested my response. He let me know that he did change and drastically so. I feel blessed to be a part of this fine organization.
Frequently, advice seekers already know the answer or resolution solution but need encouragement and validation. To verify the quality of an elder’s response to an advice seeker, each letter is screened by a second elder on the quality control team.
To become an Elder, applicants must pass a screening process to ensure they write with clarity, show compassion, and provide options for the advice seeker’s problem. The organization’s by-laws prevent elders from offering advice on issues better addressed by a trained therapist. Elder Wisdom is not a crisis hotline.
To learn more about Elder Wisdom Circle, ask for advice, read examples of recent advice given, and, if interested, learn how to join the Circle in reaching out to those in need, please go to www.elderwisdom.org.
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A New Perspective of the Desert: From Oasis to Oasis
by Charlie Ortloff
I have always had a fascination with the desert. When I was a child, I knew it as being out in nature. Every weekend, my dad took my older brother and me to fish or hunt. It didn’t really matter if we caught any success. He just loved being out there on the water or in the woods.
My dad never talked about what nature meant to him. Knowing what I know now, I realize that dad had a Celtic spirituality, a creation spirituality. I was honored to be brought into his spirituality. He was happy out there, always smiling. And so was I, out there in nature with my dad and brother.
When I got my driver’s license, I would often go out into the woods by myself. I felt at home there. I didn’t have to think about what others thought of me, or try to manage their strong emotions. I could just be me. My heart opened up and my spirit sang as I walked through those familiar trees. I can remember smiling, just smiling as I walked and once in a while, came across a white tailed deer. We played our little game of “hide and seek.” I didn’t shoot at them. That would have ended our sweet game.
When I became a pastor, my understanding of time in the woods was influenced by the image of the desert in the Bible. God often called people out into the desert, a time of quiet away from the noise of other people. There in the desert, one could pay more attention to the inner life, listen to that still small voice. I now walked softly, alone and unarmed, waiting for conversations with the wind and the trees, hoping for one more game of hide and seek with my honorable white tailed adversaries.
I learned to take longer periods of time alone in the woods, my version of 40 days in the desert. And in that time and place, the conversations became richer and more intimate. While spending a week in Canada, fishing with family, I had a continuous waking dream of a man who went into the woods and didn’t come back for a long time. That’s the shortened version. Returning to my life in southern Minnesota, I realized that the dream was an invitation to spend more time in my own desert. And I wanted to do that.
In the years following that time in Canada, I arranged several trips into the woods and into the desert. These were guided. I needed help to process the desert. Each time I went, I received new tools for the inner journey, and direction for what lay ahead
One time with Ron Pevny at Ghost Ranch, I first met my spirit guide. Without Ron and Anne’s guidance, I’m sure I would have paid no attention to this experience. As it turned out, my spirit guide has been an important part of my journey.
On a second trip out into the desert with Ron, at a retreat center in Arizona,, just days before my retirement, I once again came away with a sense of where my journey would take me. Six months before this, at another retreat, I was surprised to “hear” that my journey would be about death. I had hoped that this was just my long-time vocation of doing ministry. I had been reading a lot about the stages of dying and spiritual growth. I felt a calling to serve others in this area. The retreat with Ron and Anne underscored the place of death in my retirement. One thing was added. I was given the image of a clear small votive candle. I sensed that my life was being decluttered, that only the light of God would be left. I really didn’t know what that would mean. I couldn’t imagine that these last two times in the desert were preparing me to face my own death. I was feeling very healthy.
Then, six months after my retirement, I was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. Now I understood the last two times in the desert. It was my death that I was being invited into. And it was also my next ministry. Facing my own mortality would be my platform for ministry.
As my wife and I sat in the oncologist's consultation office, hearing for the first time the news of cancer, I found myself in the desert again. There was a quiet from my external world, and there was a sense of peace and calm from my inner life. From practice, how easy it was to find that place of calm. I think I surprised my doctors. I recalled that I even surprised myself. I became the watcher of the events in that office, even watching myself. I took the news rather well.
In the three years that have followed this diagnosis, my understanding of the desert has changed. For my whole adult life, the desert was a momentary time, a day, a week. Listen to God, then return to my life. Now for three years after my diagnosis, I have been in the desert, listening, but the desert never comes to end. I’m still there now.
While on my morning walk recently, it came to me that I have a long journey to make in the desert. There will be occasional stops at an oasis, here or there, but then, back to the journey. I have longed for my old life of noise, people, commotion, things to fill up each day. Instead, those things are increasingly infrequent. My new normal is time alone, in silence, listening for God. At first, this was a bit overwhelming. But now, I have learned to make my home in the desert.
For two years after my diagnosis of cancer, I couldn’t find God, at least, I couldn’t seem to hang on to her for any length of time. Now I realize that she is out in the desert, where she has always been, waiting for me to come and join her.
Something has happened inside of me, now that I have surrendered to the life I have, life in the desert. My three passions in retirement have changed dramatically. My life with my wife and family and friends have settled into being more fully present to this moment, finding joy in all things. My writing, which for all of my retirement has been a struggle, suddenly has moved into a season of flow and richness. And playing my cello, which I just began 4 years ago, brings me such beauty and joy.
I envision my life, for as long as I live, to be time in the desert, quiet, undistracted by the life I once lived, busy, noisy, lots of things to accomplish. I now live in the desert with just occasional stops along the way at an oasis. Then, I’m off again into the desert where the winds blow away any traces of my footsteps, and without any markers for where the journey is going, I have only the present. And that is enough.
Charles Ortloff retired from serving as a pastor for 42 years, and spiritual director for 25 years of that time. In retirement, he enjoys time with family, writing, and playing the cello. Charles has attended two week long retreats with Ron on conscious aging. These times away with other fellow travelers have been pivotal for developing Charles’ inner life.
In the fall, Charles’ first book will be published, “A Soft Landing after a Bumpy Ride.” The book is part autobiography and part spiritual direction. In the book, Charles speaks about his journey with stage 4 cancer, coming completely as a surprise to him, and requiring significant time in the desert. He shares spiritual practices that have helped in this desert time of cancer. More about this at a later date when the book becomes available.
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May Our Eyes Remain Open
from the Terma Collective
May our eyes remain open even in the face of tragedy,
May we not become disheartened.
May we find in the dissolution
of our apathy and denial
the cup of the broken heart.
May we discover the gift of the fire burning
in the inner chamber of our being-------
burning great and bright enough
to transform poison.
May we offer the power of our sorrow to the service of something greater than ourselves.
May our guilt not rise up to form
yet another defensive wall.
May the suffering purify and not paralyze us.
May we endure; may sorrow bond us and not separate us.
May we realize the greatness of our sorrow
and not run from its touch or its flame.
May clarity be our ally and wisdom our support.
May our wrath be cleansing, cutting through
the confusion of denial and greed.
May we not be afraid to see or speak our truth.
May the bleakness of the wasteland be dispelled
May the soul's journey be revealed
and the true hunger fed.
May we be forgiven for what we have forgotten
and blessed with remembrance
of who we truly are.
Tell Your Story
by L.R. Knost
Tell your story.
Shout it. Write it.
Whisper it if you have to.
But tell it.
Some won't understand it.
Some will outright reject it.
But many will
thank you for it.
And then the most
magical thing will happen.
One by one, voices will start
whispering, 'Me, too.'
And your tribe will gather.
And you will never
feel alone again.
A New Beginning
By Cindi Cahill
A new beginning.
Although not seen,
Perhaps on the crest of the next ocean wave.
Do I dare trust that fierce wave to wash over me,
Trusting me into sand
that scrapes the skin from my old life?
O, for my eyes to be young again!
And for my body to awaken with the promise of
unfolding possibilities and new dreams.
The ocean provides no path, only direction.
May I claim the courage to greet that next wave,
letting go of the seduction of safety.
May I allow its wild energy to carry me home
To a new way of belonging in, and to
the world.
Inspired by the poetry of David Whyte
and John O”Donohue, and the wild Pacific
in Costa Rica
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Learning from the Storm
Translated by Amayra Hamilton
The chaos increases.
That is important.
Very important, indeed.
Then you feel your next assignment.
You are in the center of the chaos.
You are the point from where the line originates.
You are the eye of the storm.
You have been told this numerous times:
In the eye of the storm there is stillness.
You draw a beautiful straight line or a wobbly line.
It is up to you.
You are the creator of your own life.
You manifest. You think.
You are energy. You are everything.
It is up to us to learn how to deal with this.
Hence, we find ourselves in that storm.
That is where we learn how to stay on our feet,
How to not be blown over.
You rather go inside to your stillness.
You are always connected with your energy.
Your lines run to and from the Universe.
In your stillness is the clarity.
In your stillness you receive insights and oversights.
Then, even in a thick fog,
You can find your way flawlessly.
Seeing your inner eyes.
Hearing your inner ears.
Feeling how and where to go.
You are uncovering it now.
You are going further and further on this path.
You feel how to go.
You feel whether it is right or not.
YOU determine what belongs to you and what doesn’t.
YOU are the center of the Universe,
The point from where the line originates.
This does not just have to do with stillness.
It also has to do with trust.
If you don’t trust yourself,
If you don’t love yourself,
Then it is hard to surrender.
It’s not that you will lose your control.
Your control is changed,
Has become softer.
Definitely not less powerful.
It is like the feminine energy,
Which is soft, yet so powerful.
It is soft and persistent.
It is the same with your control.
Soft and flexible, yet connected
With clear knowingness and clear feeling.
In your stillness you feel so pure.
Don’t doubt that.
You have already done quite some learning.
You have ended up in a stormy period for a reason.
That is where the i’s are dotted and the t’s are crossed.
Your skills are being tuned up.
You have already graduated with honors.
Now you are a post-graduate.
Make this into a beautiful time and enjoy it.
Ever more beautiful, ever more brilliant.
You are a diamond,
And you are shining all around you.
Enjoy this special time.
The time of your life is NOW.
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Upcoming Conscious Eldering Programs
We will present two programs in the remainder of 2023. Our annual Fall Choosing Conscious Elderhood retreat at Ghost Ranch will be October 3-9. And Choosing Conscious Elderhood at Sli an Chroi retreat center in Ireland, which has three spaces still available, will take place September 11-17. And, in collaboration with Sage-ing International, we are proud to be presenting a unique, monthly online interview series with leaders in conscious aging which is receiving rave reviews, called “Turning Points.” Also, as always 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
Ghost Ranch, New Mexico
October 3-9
Choosing Conscious Elderhood in Ireland
in County Wicklow, Ireland
at Sli an Chroi retreat center
September 11-17
Turning Points
online, monthly
The Center for Conscious Eldering, in partnership with Sage-ing International, is presenting a unique monthly program in which Ron Pevny, and Sage-ing International Co-Chair Katia Petersen 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 10th anniversary edition of his book which will be released in 2024.
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No one has done more than Becca Levy to scientifically demonstrate the power of our beliefs about aging in determining how we actually age. Her groundbreaking research over many years at Yale School of Public Health has convincingly proven that many declines formerly considered to be entirely due to the aging process, such as memory loss, hearing decline, cardiovascular events and loss of creativity are strongly influenced by the negative beliefs about aging that are so pervasive in today’s world. This book is full of stories that illustrate the results of her research; it is compellingly informative but not boring. And perhaps most importantly, she provides methods to counter the disempowering beliefs about aging that so many of us internalize (usually unconsciously) and to bolster positive beliefs about our potential for good health, creativity, service and growth in that precious stage of our lives called elderhood. Levy’s book provides valuable scientific confirmation of what the world’s spiritual traditions have long taught—that our beliefs shape our reality.
Ron Pevny
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Online course taught by Center for Conscious Eldering guide emeritus Anne Wennhold
Aging Into the 80s
Coming in September
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.
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Harvesting the Gifts of Aging
August 15-17, 2023
You are invited to join Dennis Stamper and Eva Szabo for this 2.5 day retreat at historic William Black Lodge in the mountains of western North Carolina. There you will discover the special gifts that can be found at this unique time of your life. Through guided discussions, exercises ands individual and group reflections, you will begin to explore and open your gifts so that they can be more fully lived, appreciated and enjoyed.
Dennis is a North Carolina-based retreat guide for the Center for Conscious Eldering and a Certified-Sage-ing Leader with Sage-ing International. Eva, who lives in London, graduated with Dennis as a Certified Sage-ing Leader, and is also an IONS Certified Conscious Aging Facilitator.
For more information and to reserve your place, please visit “Harvesting the Gifts of Aging” on Eventbrite or email Dennis at [email protected]
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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 [email protected]
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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
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Do not ask what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and then do it. For what the world needs is people who have come alive.
Howard Thurman
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