Dear Friends committed to living and aging consciously:

 Welcome to the Winter, 2025, edition of Conscious Eldering Inspiration and Resources; The Journal of the Center for Conscious Eldering. Ih this season of darkness in our planet's journey around the sun and in humanity's attempts to create a life-supportive world for all beings, we encourage you to give yourself some much-needed rest. Restore your energy and trust before doing what you can to give your gifts to the world. Burned out people don't have much to give.  It is our hope that the featured articles, written for this journal, and the  poetry and other resources you will find here, will serve to remind you of the gift you are to your community and to the larger human and earth community-- a gift that seeks to ripen and to nourish others through your commitment to living intentionally each day, with resilience, gratitude, trust, growth, service and joy.  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.

Our Aliveness Is Our Gift To a World in Need

by Ron Pevny

“It’s 3:23 in the morning and I’m awake because my great great grandchildren won’t let me sleep. My great great grandchildren ask me in dreams ‘what did you do while the planet was plundered? What did you do while the earth was unraveling?  Surely you did something when the seasons started failing? As mammals, reptiles and birds were all dying?  Did you fill the streets with protest when democracy was stolen?  What did you do once you knew?”  Drew Dellinger in Hieroglyphic Stairway

“Don’t ask what the world needs.  Ask what makes you come alive, and then do it. What the world needs is people who have come alive.”  Howard Thurman, mid-1900s social justice advocate  and theologian

I find these two quotes very powerful, reflecting two facets of key questions that cannot be evaded by we older adults as we consider what our place is in the world in which we are spending the final chapters of our lives.  Both of these address questions that appear to not be meaningful to the majority of older adults in contemporary society yet are the existential questions whose answers and non-answers are determining our individual and collective wellbeing.

However, we who are committed to having our later years be our time, in this one precious life, to focus on our growth, our deepest passions, and our role as the elders future generations so urgently need, are indeed carrying such questions through our days and nights.  Yes, we do want pleasures and reduction of responsibilities after “retirement” age.  But we know in our hearts and souls that we have not been given the gift, unique in known human history, of long lives merely so that we may focus on ourselves, our pleasures, our security.  We are seeking a paradigm for the later chapters of our life’s journey that provides meaning  and purpose—that can help us come ALIVE as we age in an interdependent world. In these times of crisis, the gifts and energies and aliveness of all the generations have important roles to play in supporting the wellbeing of our planet home and the human family, now and when our great great grandchildren are striving to thrive on this earth. At the same time, as a result of our long lives and commitment to growth, we have elder gifts to contribute that most younger people have not yet developed.

Drew Dellinger’s poetry is a powerful admonition to wake up from society’s denial, numbness  and glorification of individualism and seek ways to play the role, encoded in each of our psyches, of true elders concerned with, and acting for, the generations that are following us.  However, the reality is that a great many of us are paralyzed by overwhelm at the magnitude of the seemingly countless problems and crises and the belief that nothing we do can make much of a difference. So, why not live for ourselves and devote our energies to finding what pleasures we can, since we can’t know or impact the future anyway.

Many of us don’t see ourselves as social or environmental activists, demonstrating or being politically active in support of the values we profess. If you do feel so called to this important role, check out the Elders Action Network (www.eldersaction.org) which seeks to merge social action and personal growth. As you do so, keep in mind this basic tenet of conscious eldering: growth seldom happens in our comfort zones. 

This leads me to Thurman’s words, the most powerful quote I know illuminating the essence of conscious eldering.  His words respond to Dellingers question “What did you do when you knew?”  We don’t have to become activists, even though that may be what we are called to.  But our wellbeing and elder contribution depends upon us identifying and doing what brings us ALIVE.  From one direction, ever-increasing scientific research is showing that having meaning and purpose that is bigger than ourselves is critical to our physical and emotional aliveness, wellbeing and longevity.  From another direction, the world’s Wisdom Traditions have long taught that our total wellbeing, including our spiritual aliveness, is strongly connected to our having a purpose larger than ourself.  Purpose is intrinsically connected to our aliveness.

Purpose is what feeds the life force within us. Purpose is what helps us see that our individual contributions, however insignificant they may seem, are interconnected with a larger PURPOSE that flows through all of humanity and supports healing and transformation amid dark times. Our individual lights may seem small, but our collective small lights are powerful in dispelling darkness.

Most of us don’t know the difference between pleasure and exhilaration, and true aliveness, and coming to understand that difference is central to conscious eldering. For me, writing and guiding retreats, although certainly at times physically and emotionally challenging, brings me a sense of satisfaction and aliveness that far surpasses temporary pleasures. That’s why I continue to do this work, while striving for the evolving balance conscious elders must find between serving and savoring, doing and being. Giving my gifts feeds my experience of wellbeing.  

If there is a voice within you that says there is or must be some meaning in your life bigger than yourself, I encourage you to take time—lots of time perhaps—to reflect upon the quotes by Dellinger and Thurman. And to consider the possibility that the soul that came with you into this life carried with it qualities and gifts that define who you truly are and that your true wellbeing requires you to somehow give to the world in your elder years. And if you aren’t aware of ways you can shine your light, consider doing the following exploration, and then look for ways to use those qualities in support of your aliveness and your elder responsibility to shine your light in the darkness.  And I again remind you that growth by definition requires stretching beyond our comfort zones.

·       Commit to somehow growing and giving each day, and reflect on what experiences bring you most alive

·      Engage in a life review in which you look at the arc of your life for qualities that you expressed when you felt the most alive or fulfilled, or felt like you were being your most authentic self.

·      Ask several people who have known you for many years to describe what they see as your most important personal, or “signature” gifts”—the qualities that somehow inspire them and make you the unique person that you are.  If you were to die today, what qualities would they most remember and value?

·      Look at jobs you have had with an eye toward identifying positive personal qualities that you expressed that distinguished you from others with the same job description

·      Write a eulogy for yourself in which you enumerate, not what you have done, but those life-enhancing qualities that have been yours throughout your life.

I close with another quotation, this time from the Indian sage Rabindranath Tagore:

I slept and dreamt that life was joy

I awoke and saw that life was service  

I acted and behold, service was joy.

The world needs the gifts of conscious elders. It needs us to aim for a conscious elderhood in which we shine our light as brightly as we can. In doing so, we can let future generations know that we cared. And when the time comes for this precious life to end,, we can leave carrying the deep satisfaction of knowing that we used the gift of longevity to fulfill our soul's purpose and potential.

Who Am I Now?

By Peter Gibb

“I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious.”                                                                                                                                                              – Albert Einstein

What Appeared to be Happening:

Boxes and packing tape cluttered every room; furniture piled high in the garage; dumpsters popped up in the driveway; real estate agents nodded and departed. Wendy and I were moving to a retirement community. 

I knew I was leaving a physical house behind. More importantly, but less obvious, was that I was leaving a self behind, my self. Career, family, home, friends - my known world - disappeared like the mental mirage it had been. My decades-long achievement-oriented self  surrendered to a new …  a new what?

What was really happening:

I woke up to THE question, “Who am I now?”

No notice was pinned on the door, but I was entering a new phase of life, commonly referred to as “getting old.” But I didn’t want to get old. So I resisted.

At the retirement center, I made friends and got involved in activities. I filled up my time. Wendy had been diagnosed with Advanced Alzheimers, so I was also a full-time caregiver. I crawled into bed at night, exhausted and numb. Was this what I had worked so hard for? I pondered. I’ve raised a family, been reasonably successful professionally, contributed to a good marriage, built enough wealth to retire moderately. Something was missing. Who am I now? A blinding flash of the obvious cracked me open like a nouveau Humpty Dumpty: life was no longer about proving anything. It was time to focus on what feeds my soul. Less about convincing others, more about listening, to them and to myself. Less about doing, more about being. Time to take stock.

A New Path Emerges:

Happy day! It dawned on me: this is my chance to age gracefully. My only chance. I want to live fully, keep growing, express myself, and connect with others. How best to do this?  At the retirement center, I was surrounded by fellow agers, some aging gracefully, some less so. Those in Group B shuffled around as if aging were a downward spiral, one way traffic, headed to the dreaded “D” word. Group B saw themselves as victims. They despaired of hope and spent their time and energy moaning about their unfair loss of physical and mental functioning. Group A, by contrast, many of them with equally serious cognitive or physical challenges, viewed the aging process as an opportunity to live, grow, connect, and serve. They acknowledged the impending loss of function, but they held hope high, saw aging as a path still full of surprises, changing relationships and insights, an opportunity for continued joy and growth.

I sign up for Group A. I certainly don’t have all the answers, but I am here for life.  I mean “life!” – until the end: a full life of joy and love, of exploration and discovery.  I intend to make my years of aging, however many or few they may be, into a pathway of growth, to expand my awareness, to learn from those around me, and to play like a child surrounded by new toys, so that when the time comes to say goodbye, I will be well used up and ready to go. I will live with an attitude of gratitude.

What I Notice:

When I open my heart wide, I am at my best. If I live each day for love, I will be ready when the time comes to say goodbye. I have ups and downs, but my life is grounded in purpose and a sense of connection. I don’t view aging as something to fight. Aging is part of the miraculous gift of life. Every day is an opportunity for growth, love, and exploration. I live with an attitude of gratitude.

Not to deny that there are big challenges too. I worry about finances. Wendy has moved into Memory Care, very expensive. My joints ache. I have a hard time remembering names. I get up often to pee in the night, then can’t get back to sleep. I sometimes hear voices that aren’t there, too often miss voices that are. My energy is not what it once was. I have to learn how to let go.

My new orientation is less about fear and doubt and more about flow; less about getting somewhere and more about being here, now; less about satisfying the ego, more about strengthening the connection to my soul. I am a wheel, and this awareness is the hub. The wheel must turn, cover rocky ground, not get stuck in the mud.

So, how specifically should I take my wheel on the road?

Curiosity, Compassion and Letting Go

I pay attention to my friends in Group A. The ones I admire most have learned to let go, to practice curiosity and compassion.

Curious people thrive on listening well and asking simple, naive questions. Curiosity creates an aura of wisdom, but Group A may not be any wiser than others. They are simply curious. Group B’ers are so busy giving unwanted advice and telling their own stories, they don’t have time to listen. Listening with curiosity means listening with the ears of the heart, listening for thoughts and feelings, both spoken and unspoken. I’m unsure whether listening gives rise to compassion or results from it. Perhaps both. 

Curious people don’t waste time trying to convince others of their superiority. Rather than giving unwanted advice, they open the way to exploration and discovery. They are a window, not a wall. Curious people say things like, “I wonder …” and “What if …”. Or “How did you feel about that?” And “What else have you considered?”

Curiosity is my doorway to wonder. But challenges persist. Loss, fear, and frustration knock at my door. I try to welcome them.  I practice mindful breathing. Breathe in, accept; breathe out, let it go. Breathe in; breathe out. Accept, Let go. Accept, Let go. Mindful breathing requires intention and practice. Graceful aging has a lot to do with letting go.

Curiosity and Love go together like the ocean and the beach. Both spring naturally from an open heart. Curiosity washes across me like waves, creating a soft, sandy beach. That beach, the product of my open heart, guides me to love both myself and others. When I open my heart to be more curious about someone, almost invariably I end up caring more for them. I reveal more of myself. I recognize my own foibles in another. I learn about me, about you, about us. I grow and discover what feeds my soul. Curiosity and love, joined at the hip – perhaps that’s wisdom!? 

Aging Gracefully

And so I emerge as a new self, an aging being, a loving being, one who is growing and expressing myself more fully, and more open-heartedly. Waves wash away my resistance. Fears, when they appear, are less ferocious; faith is solid. There are challenges, but I am strong. I am curious and I am compassionate, opening my heart, learning to let go. I am human. I am whole. 

I am aging, gracefully, lovingly, on purpose.

That’s my plan.

What’s yours?

Peter Gibb is the author of two books, King of Doubt and Mindful Conversation. He is currently working on a new offering, Love: Never too Late. Reach him at pgibb@ashlandhome.net                                                     

Beyond Positive Aging:

Heeding the Inner Call of Conscious Elderhood            

By Nancy Griffin

“You have to have Ron Pevny on your show!” my trusted mentor Harry R. Moody said. I jumped on it, and after four years and 200 episodes of hosting the Glowing Older podcast, I landed an interview with this pioneer in the conscious eldering movement. 

In the interview, what struck me initially about Ron was his passion for improving the lives of older adults, his deep love of nature, and his genuine interest in helping me fulfill my personal mission. As we spoke, I quickly came to understand that Conscious Eldering emphasizes the importance of inner growth, purpose, and the spiritual dimension of life—an exploration that serves as the foundation for building fulfilling lives.

Here are key takeaways from Ron’s Glowing Older podcast, and from digging into the 10^th Edition of his iconic book Conscious Living, Conscious Aging: Claiming the Gifts of Elderhood.

The Word Conscious Is Key

In our podcast episode, Ron was clear about the differences between Conscious Elderhood and some of the popular phrases for aging well—like pro-aging, positive aging, and successful aging. Conscious eldering means aiming towards becoming an elder with rich and empowering possibilities:

·      Being intentional in all our decisions

·      Getting in touch with our deepest yearnings

·      Coming to know, and transforming, beliefs, attitudes, and habits that sap our energy

·      Creating a lifestyle that supports our personal fulfillment.

“Conscious eldering is becoming more aware of our tendencies and habits, often beneath our conscious awareness  --call them ‘baggage,’ –that  we have been carrying ,and getting rid of what no longer serves us,” he said. “Elderhood…is a unique life chapter with much potential for growth and service and fulfillment.”  But to realize that potential real “inner work” is required.  That kind of conscious awareness—a breaking open of the heart and “come-to-Jesus” type of getting real—does not come without work and risk. 

Nature Is Nurture

The Choosing Conscious Elderhood Retreat, the signature weeklong program of Ron’s Center for Conscious Eldering, serves for many participants as a transformative “Rite of Passage” with participants spending a day alone in nature. Such experiences are deeply rooted in traditions across cultures because they offer opportunities for reflection, spiritual growth, and connection with something larger than oneself.

Ron puts it beautifully:

“The natural world has the power to open hearts and minds and help us experience what is authentic in ourselves. The guidance that comes from deep within, those subtle stirrings, images, synchronicities, and that still, small inner voice  that cannot be perceived amid the noise of daily life, is the source of our deepest and truest passion, vision and calling to serve the world.  The deeper our connection with the spiritual dimension in ourselves, the easier it is to access awareness, courage, and trust and skillfully prepare the ground so that the seeds of our potential may eventually produce abundant new life.

Living in the Liminal

 Choosing Conscious Eldering Retreat participants choose to enter  “Liminal Time” via a 24-hour period with optional fasting to be “alone with earth and sky, open to vision, insight, guidance and spiritual connection.” Liminal refers to the state of being between two stages, such as during a rite of passage. Ron teaches us that the time between adulthood and elderhood needs time to “marinate.”  Flat-out denial of this transition or rushing to “do” the next thing deprives us of the benefits of taking time to ripen toward wisdom.

Listening to Ron, I realized how vital it is for people to understand this.  As humans, we naturally resist states of limbo, uncertainty, and the loss of control they represent. Instead, we tend to adopt strategies to 'limit the liminal.’

Leaving a Legacy

We all have a deep need to leave a legacy—a mark that transcends our accomplishments, that indelibly memorializes the lives we have touched and the difference we have made.  

As Ron expresses it in his book: “If you are serious about conscious eldering, it is important to focus on your legacy. I believe reviewing our life and legacy is critical to our well-being. It helps reframe our experiences and create more empowering, growth-supporting stories about our lives.”

No Time Like the Present

Ron told me that the new edition of Conscious Living, Conscious Aging focuses on the urgency of harnessing the big picture perspective and wholeness of conscious eldering. “Older adults have a critical role to play in helping to meet some of the needs of our world in crisis. The time is now to reclaim and honor the role of elder around the world so that elder wisdom  and elder concern for future generations can help guide humanity toward the transformation upon which our future deends

As I attempt to leave a 30-year career in the spa and wellness industry to pursue my passion and leave my legacy on the landscape of aging, I am inspired by Ron’s commitment to following his calling to  grow into a conscious elderhood and support others in doing so. He shared this with me :

"We want to be able to feel that our lives have been well lived, that we have done our best to use our gifts, that we have loved and been loved, and that we can let go of this life with grace and without regret. My calling, my sense of purpose has been to help people move through life transitions.  In my younger years  I became one of the first non-Native people to offer wilderness vision quests as rites of passage to mark major life transitions. Now in my elderhood my retreats and writing  are the reflection of my commitment, growth and authenticity. This commitment is my legacy, a legacy I am proud of. 

I don't know how to put it into words, but when I do some good writing, or see others recognize their potential  in a retreat I lead, I have a feeling inside of me that I can't describe. It is just such a feeling of incredible satisfaction.  Like something in me that is essential to who I am is being expressed ,and I feel totally alive.”

Nancy Griffin is host of the Glowing Older podcast and Founder of the Senior Trade Alliance, a virtual “village center” for aging service professionals to connect and collaborate. To request membership, visit www.seniortrade.com.

Growing Older As Soul Mates:

Conscious Eldering As a Couple

by Lee and Calvin Gittner

Last year, when wife Lee and I were pondering our impending retirements, we were anxious as to how those transitions would impact our relationship as a couple.  We had both watched other retired couples who on the surface appeared happy enough, but who seemed to have little shared passion or purpose.   Would we be able to fulfill our dream of growing older as soul mates? We were excited about having the freedom to travel, spending time with our family and reconnecting with old friends, but would that be enough? Our hope was that we would draw closer and more intimate with each other as we embarked on this new phase of our life.  

Then, I came across an article about The Center for Conscious Eldering and an upcoming Choosing Conscious Elderhood retreat in Ireland.  I clicked on the link and after reading a couple of Ron Pevny’s articles I asked my wife what she thought. A retreat in Ireland together, a little hiking, good food and drink, and time to dream about our future – what was not to like?  We sent in our deposit and started planning our conscious eldering journey as a couple. 

As part of our preparation, we both read Ron’s book Conscious Living – Conscious Aging: Claiming the Gifts of Elderhood. Within the pages we found guidance, practices and rituals for renewing our individual passions and finding purpose in the next chapter of our lives.  And while we knew that much of that work would require individual commitment and intentional focus, we also found layered, within the process, opportunities for us to explore and grow together.  

In the first chapter “Conscious Eldering: The Journey to Wholeness as We Age” Ron suggests that when thinking about the aging process, “It is all about perspective.”  For Lee and me, that meant thinking about the eldering journey both as individual quests and as a shared path.  Our perspective on healthy relationships is that when couples become more aware of who they are together, they also become more aware of who they are individually.  If we are willing to explore our shared passions, aspirations, and deepest callings – acknowledging past hurts and helping each other discard a bit of emotional and relational baggage—it  would be hard work, but we might also have some exciting and fulfilling experiences along the way.   

With that shared vision in mind, our retreat in Ireland became a deeply spiritual quest for both of us.  Our retreat leaders, fellow participants, our times spent in reflection and sharing, alone and together, and the land itself, all worked together to evoke the deeper yearnings of our souls.   The night before our day of silence and fasting, we participated in a burning ceremony in which we were each invited to become aware of those parts of our lives that no longer served us well and that we were ready to leave behind.  We then each took turns placing symbols of what we are letting go into a ceremonial fire.  Earlier we had asked if we could also do the same as a couple, writing down our past struggles, hurts, even jealousies and times of darkness.   With affirmation from the group, we walked together and placed our list into the flames and as the smoke rose, space opened in our hearts for what was yet to come.  

Back home we both continue to work through our lists of individual intentions, the areas of our personal lives that we want to focus on and fine tune.   We have also committed to working back through Ron’s book, paying particular attention to the theme of Rites of Passage.  What might it look like for us and other couples to not only celebrate retirement milestones and anniversaries, but to re-create those as opportunities to “inform and empower our journey into conscious elderhood” as couples, lovers and friends?

______________________________________________

Lee Gittner (leegittner@aol.com) has worked for 35 years as a Special Education Teacher, 18 years of which she was working with the parents of special needs infants and toddlers helping them come to terms with what their new life might look like while attempting to navigate health care and the education systems. 

Calvin Gittner (gittner@aol.com) is a recently retired Presbyterian Pastor and U.S. Air Force Chaplain with Master and Doctorate degrees in theology/spirituality, with a focus on individual congregational renewal. 

Both Lee and Calvin have a Masters in Marriage and Family Counseling; and have a passion forhelping healthy relationships stay healthy and thrive.

Start Close In

by David Whyte

Start Close In

Don’t take the second step

or the third, 

start with the first thing,

close in,

the step you don’t want to take.

Start with the ground you know,

the pale ground beneath your feet, 

your own way

of starting the conversation. 

Start with your own question,

give up on other people’s questions.

don’t let them

smother something simple. 

To find another’s voice

follow your own voice,

wait until that voice

becomes a private ear

listening to another.

Start right now

take a small step

you can call your own.

Don’t follow someone else’s heroics,

be humble and focused,

start close in,

don’t mistake that other for your own.

Start close in

don’t take the second step

or the third.

Start with the first thing

close in, the step

you don’t want to take..

A Vision 

by Wendell Berry

If we will have the wisdom to survive,

to stand like slow-growing trees

on a ruined place, renewing, enriching it,

if we will make our seasons welcome here,

asking not too much of earth and heaven,

then a long time after we are dead

the lives our lives prepare will live

here, their houses strongly placed

upon the valley sides, fields and gardens

rich in the windows.

The river will run

clear, as we will never know it

and over it, birdsong like a canopy.

On the levels of the hills will be

green meadows, stock bells in noon shade. 

On the steeps where greed and ignorance cut down the old forest,

an old forest will stand,

its rich leaf-fall drifting on its roots.

The veins of forgotten springs

will have opened.

Families will be singing in the fields.

In their voices they will hear a music

risen out of the ground. They will take

nothing from the ground they will not return,

whatever the grief at parting. Memory,

native to this valley, will spread over it

like a grove, and memory will grow

into legend, legend into song, song

into sacrament.

The abundance of this place,

the songs of its people and its birds,

will be health and wisdom

and indwelling light.

This is no paradisal dream.

Its hardship is its possibility.

May I Know

A Prayer by Lilly White

May I know love and cherish it.  

May I know sorrow and embrace it.

May I know happiness and be enchanted.  May I know forgiveness and feel it.

May I know poverty and heal it.  

May I know richness and give it away.

May I know wisdom and seek it.  May I know music and dance it.

May I know despair and enter it.  

May I know heaviness and walk through it.

May I shed tears and feel empty.  

May I know joy, so that I can shine.

May I know darkness so that I can pray.

May I know pain so that I may heal.

May I know shadow so that I become light. 

May I know life so that I may die into your arms, everlasting Spirit.

Over the Threshold

by Tom Chulak

There is a space

where we don't know

what the future will tell

It is a mystery

vague and foggy

waiting for the warmth

of sunlight

The mind is tugged

to return to the past

the heart says stay open

Over a lifetime

faith has emerged

assuring clarity will arrive

Oh, how we want to go back

to what is familiar

Oh, how we want the blanket

But wait, wait, wait

slow down, slow down

trust

Until the door swings wide

and we struggle over the threshold

illuminated in a new room

discovered

.

A Path Forward

by Anne Leslie

At the threshold

I stand

my head turns 

door behind me closes

My breath slows

eyes widen

A step for Life

that’s all

one step.

I hear a song.

The women who have born

me into being call

Step once more

they implore

for us

step for Life

the wisdom of our lineage

waits

just once more

your daughters ask this of you

all of the women 

who cannot make the step

ask this of you

Your step is their step

do it for them

do it for yourself.

Do it most for yourself

Step for your life.

I smile

I feel the love

coming through

the heart of my heart,

that place where

stepping into the mystery

flows through me, 

the droplets of life’s calling.

I step.

Many Winters

by Nancy Wood

whose poetry was inspired

by the elders of Taos Pueblo

Many winters I have lived

Ever since the beginning of time

When the first snow fell

Covering the tired earth

Which played with endless summer.

Many winters I held the water captive

On the tops of many mountains

Still warm from the earth’s beginning

When the moon and sun gave birth 

To one full circle of beauty.

Many winters I blew the stars around

So that the place where each star fell

Was where a river grew

Taking as its course to the sea

The path of the winter sun.

Many winters the trees slept with me

And the animals walked on my breast

Just as the birds drew near

Seeking warmth from my fire

Which took the sting from the night.

Many winters I have been

Companion to the lonely moon

Chasing after the raging sun

Which listened to our song of thanks

Before releasing earth from winter.

Many winters I have lived

Ever since the beginning of time 

When out of the melting snow

Came the first frail flower which said

I am the spirit of spring.

Directions for Letting Go

by Anne Wennhold

 When the time comes

To open the trap of whatever it is

That entangles one

And let go the Scoundrels within,

They that hound and inhibit,

They that seemingly squander 

The magic of oneself to no avail, 

Speak kindly to these beings

         The Spiked Judgment of self

         The Ego that belittles others

         The Deafening Voice of habit

And all those others that fill the days

And hours of your being with bitterness…

Know that they have loyally served

As a barrier to keep you safe

Against your own fear of wholeness

Until you had strength enough

To claim your true identity.

Bless each one for serving you well

Thank it and send it on its way.

Then with a pack on your back

A compass in hand

Face the rising dawn with joy

And set out once again to meet

With that shining self residing within.



I Will Not Die an Unlived Life

 by Dawna Markova

I will not die an unlived life.

I will not live in fear

of falling or catching fire.

I choose to inhabit my days,

to allow my living to open me,

to make me less afraid,

more accessible,

to loosen my heart

until it becomes a wing,

a torch, a promise.

I choose to risk my significance,

to live so that which came to me as seed

goes to the next as blossom,

and that which came to me as blossom,

goes on as fruit.

Upcoming Conscious Eldering Programs

Retreats

As has long been the case, we have Spring and Fall dates booked at Ghost Ranch.  Our May 18-24 retreat will be “Next Step”, which is only for those who have participated in  a Choosing Conscious Elderhood retreat. If you are interested, please contact Ron Pevny as soon as possible. September 14-20 will be our signature retreat, Choosing Conscious Elderhood.

We are also returning April 9 -15 to beautiful Hope Springs Institute Retreat Center, in the Appalachian foothills of Ohio, for our Springtime Choosing Conscious Elderhood. We often hear from people who would like this retreat to be offered east of the Mississippi. This is your opportunity to experience this work in an excellent venue in the East.

We will likely be offering one or two weekend introductions to conscious eldering, to be announced later.  We welcome invitations from organizations to present our highly impactful weekend workshops.

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.

If you need financial assistance to participate in a Choosing Conscious Elderhood retreat, please contact us. We have a small scholarship fund. And if you are in a position to contribute to this fund, we would love to hear from you.

Ron's Recent Interviews

The publication of the new edition of Ron’s book has resulted in many invitations to be interviewed on Aging, Wellness and related podcasts, radio shows, and summits. Here are links to several of these interviews:

Mission Evolution Radio and TV: Ron's most recent interview

TV episode: https://rumble.com/v674iy7-mission-evolution-with-gwilda-wiyaka-interviews-ron-pevny-dont-become-a-thr.html

Radio episode: https://www.spreaker.com/episode/mission-evolution-with-gwilda-wiyaka-ron-pevny-don-t-become-a-throwaway--63614961

Glowing Older Podcast with Nancy Griffin

https://www.glowingolder.com/listen/episode/ebd7a653/episode-206-ron-pevny-on-life-transitions-and-conscious-eldering

Beth Mauroni:  Conscious Living Summit presentation

https://drive.google.com/file/d/13hYaoR9jpGl1q2WmpJmnWdzBcxjKj96c/view?usp=sharing

Jeff Armstrong:  Aging Well Podcast 

https://youtu.be/Ecsx8pTCi8U

https://www.buzzsprout.com/1907855/15445065

With Richard Cohn President of Beyond Words Publishing on Healthy Life Net

 https://healthylife.net/RadioShow/archiveBW.htm

Rejuvenaging Podcast with Dr. Ron Kaiser

https://shows.acast.com/rejuvenaging-with-dr-ron-kaiser/episodes/embracing-elderhood-with-purpose-and-passion-a-conversation-

Emily Francis:  All About Healing Podcast

https://hrnradio.com/media/HL071024.mp3

Victor Fuhrman: Vox Novus Radio and Podcast

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8aRdYkn2AU

https://www.iheart.com/podcast/966-vox-novus-with-victor-fuhr-78128273/episode/ron-pevny-conscious-living-conscious-212903317/