Category: blog

By Martina Breen CSL

“A threshold is not a simple boundary; it is a frontier that divides two different territories, rhythms, and atmospheres. To enter a threshold is to cross into a new world.”

—from To Bless the Space Between Us

There comes a time in life, and particularly with age, when grief is no longer an occasional visitor — it becomes a regular companion, shaping how we see, how we feel, and how we love. In the second half of life, grief is not only about death; it is about the countless endings that we have experienced, the losses that deepen us and refine us.

In the western culture, grief is often treated as something to fix or to move through quickly. But what I have learned is, that those of us walking the path of conscious ageing know that grief is not a problem to solve — it is a sacred visitor to be welcomed.

Nature teaches us this again and again. At this turning of the year, there is a particular stillness in the land — the leaves have fallen, the air sharpens, and the earth has begun her slow long exhale into rest. In Celtic imagination, every ending is a threshold — a caol áit, a thin place where worlds touch. These thresholds are not limited to one season; they echo through every chapter of a life — especially in times of loss, endings, and the quiet unravelling’s of ‘what once was’.

When something ends — a relationship, a vocation, a phase of life — we stand between stories; one has ended and we have not yet grown into the new one. In elderhood, when so much is being surrendered — identities, roles, relationships, physical capacities — it is tempting to rush toward the next beginning, to fill the space. Yet the work of elderhood calls us to linger in the in-between, to honour what has been and to wait with patience and trust for what is emerging.

As Elders, we are called to meet these winter thresholds consciously. Each time we say yes to something new, we must say no to something else — and that no is a little death: Elderhood invites us to honor these little deaths, not rush past them.

Loss has been a lifelong companion for me— arriving first when I was too young to understand its language, and returning again and again through the seasons of my life. My first experience of death occurred when I was 13, when my grandfather passed. Then, at 21, my first child, Jonathan, lived only a short time after birth — a tiny life that reshaped mine forever. One week later, my father died; and later, my mother left this Earth when I was 42, just nine months before the birth of my youngest son.

Some year later, my childhood friend and the father of three of my sons passed— only four weeks after his 50th birthday. Whilst we were separated a number of years; the soul connection you have with your first love never dies. In these past few years: I have said goodbye to two of my precious sisters and then my brother and sister-in-law, who passed within 6 days of each other. Such losses run deep and leave their mark.

And yet, as Francis Weller, in The Wild Edge of Sorrow, writes; “grief and gratitude are two sides of the same coin.” They may feel like opposites, but they arise from the same source: “LOVE”. When we allow ourselves to grieve fully, we allow ourselves to affirm how deeply we have loved.

To age consciously is to live with a heightened awareness of impermanence. The roles that once defined us — parent, partner, professional, caregiver — they all evolve or fall away. Our bodies, once obedient to our will, begin to speak a new language and change. Loved ones die. Dreams we once held dear fade away into memory. These are the visible losses. But beneath these losses are more subtle ones: letting go of old definitions of ourselves, loosening our hold on how things ‘should’ be, and gradually outgrowing the version of ourselves we once thought we’d be forever!

I have come to trust that grief is not something you ‘get over’, nor does it ‘leave us’; it reshapes us. It is not a darkness we enter and exit; it becomes part of landscape of our Soul — shaping us into vessels of compassion. The task is not to overcome grief, but to let it open your heart wider. For as the elders and mystics have long taught, when we learn to die before we die, we discover that every ending — whether a relationship, a role, or a breath — is practice for surrendering into life itself. This is not poetic language; it is lived truth. Because the more intimately we walk with death, the more vividly we experience life. We learn to appreciate the ordinary moments, we forgive with greater ease, we release what no longer serves more easily, we learn to let go — not as a punishment, but as a way to free ourselves from suffering.

I often say in my workshops that we practice dying many times before the body’s final death. Each ending, if met with awareness, becomes rehearsal for the great letting-go that awaits us all. To live close to this truth is not morbid; it is clarifying. It calls us to presence. It teaches us gratitude. It invites in us the humility to trust life’s larger unfolding.

Irish author, Michael Kearney, is a medical doctor who has worked for over 40 years in hospice and palliative care in Ireland and US and Canada. In his book, Mortally Wounded, he argues that people can “learn to die well,” even when cure is no longer possible. By tending to “soul pain” (fear, shame, isolation, unresolved loss), not just physical suffering, dying can become a process of healing, depth, and inner transformation. Then, grief becomes not something to endure, but something that shapes us into wise elders — spacious, compassionate, and awake to the preciousness of every breath.

Ways to allow grief become your inner teacher

• Make space for grief – don’t rush it. “Grief is a slow conversation that unfolds over time” (F. Weller)

• Tend to the Soul Pain – not only emotional pain. “Grief becomes our teacher when we allow it to reveal our deeper fears and unfinished business” (M. Kearney)

• Grief needs witnessing – bring it into the community. Grief becomes medicine when held within ritual or community or Anam Cara companionship. (J. O’Donohue)

• Let grief teach you how to die. Grief prepares the Soul for morality.6 (S. Levine)

If these reflections speak to something stirring within you, I will be guiding a year-long journey, A Sacred Invitation – A Year to Live, starting in January 2026.

You are welcome to explore more on my website.

Martina Breen — Gestalt Psychotherapist, Spiritual Companion, and Facilitator of “A Sacred Invitation: A Year to Live.”

“Grief is the one companion who walks with us, not only to show us the way home, but also to make us pay attention to the way we have travelled.”

—from David Whyte; Consolations

References:

• Weller, Francis. The Wild Edge of Sorrow: Rituals of Renewal and the Sacred Work of Grief. North Atlantic Books, 2015.
• Kearney, Michael. Mortally Wounded: Stories of Soul Pain, Death, and Healing. Scribner, 1996.
• O’Donohue, John. Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom. HarperCollins Publishers, 1997
•  Levine, Stephen. A Year to Live: How to Live This Year as If It Were Your Last
• Whyte, David. Consolations: The Solace, Nourishment and Meaning of Everyday Words. Many Rivers Press, 20

By Barbara Roth

As women age, we may feel less relevant. Yet, despite what our culture portrays, we are more relevant than ever. We do not need to spend money on products or procedures to try and still look young. It doesn’t work! Our beauty and wisdom have developed from the inside and now shine through. This is the time to share our wisdom; mentoring and informally teaching the lessons others need; becoming the Sages of our time.

Conscious Eldering as defined in Ron Pevny’s book, Conscious Living Conscious Aging is a vision of aging that allows the elder to be conscious and delve more deeply into our souls. It was at a Choosing Conscious Elderhood retreat the week after I retired that my concept of ageing and retirement shifted drastically.

I was educated in human development focused on the life stages of child, youth and adult. I now know that there is a final stage in which the wise woman/crone emerges. Contemplation of personal life accomplishments happens at this stage. Knowledge morphs into wisdom. Synthesizing our experiences deepens our understandings. If we no longer work full time or are not raising children, we have time and emotional energy. Time for reflection, for feeling and thinking, and brain power for reading and studying as never before. We build on our awareness of what our families, communities and the world need from us and how we can help. We guide others (formally or informally) on their life paths.

We live in a patriarchy; women and men have differing experiences in their elder years. The “hero’s journey” is rarely about a female hero. Studies about older women’s spiritual journeys, the joys in their lives, the important roles they play in their families and communities or about the various advocacy efforts performed by older women are hard to find. If you search “women aging” it will be about physical health issues. I have health problems and necessarily know a lot about them. I am more curious about how I can grow spiritually and emotionally, how I can be a positive force for good in my community.

In folklore, a Crone is an old woman who may be characterized as disagreeable, malicious, or sinister, often with magical or supernatural associations that can make her either helpful or obstructive. I am disagreeable sometimes (just ask my husband). My goal is to be wise, to be helpful to the world and to be conscious. The Crone is an archetypal figure, a Wise Woman. When ancient matriarchal cultures became patriarchies, Crone became a negative term. Women could no longer hold power.

As patriarchy began to arise after c.7000 BCE, women became increasingly under the dominion of men. When patriarchy became dominant, gray-haired high priestesses, once respected tribal matriarchs of pre-Christian Europe, were transformed into minions of the devil – witches. Through the Middle Ages this trend gathered momentum, finally developing a frenzy that legally murdered thousands of elder women from the twelfth to nineteenth centuries.

Western culture may love elderly women individually, in families and friends’ circles, but our wisdom is so often not appreciated. I feel honored and loved by my family, but in the broader world I am frequently invisible, primarily appreciated only by other elder women (there are exceptions – especially in the Conscious Eldering community).

In ancient cultures, the elder woman was viewed as a fount of wisdom, law, healing skills, and moral leadership; her presence and leadership were treasured. What would our current culture be like if wisdom, law, healing, and morality were sought from elder women? Maybe everything from race relations to environmental issues and war would be dealt with more humanely.

How do we learn to be wise elders in today’s world? The wisdom traditions teach us. My journey into old age may be typical of others. Before I became an elder, I believed the only path to meaning was through paid work. I feared aging, had no plan for how to deal with it, and had no idea that I would encounter the physical struggles I’ve had. At 65 when I attended that Conscious Eldering retreat, my life and attitude about the third act of my life radically changed. Just as it was designed to do, Choosing Conscious Elderhood was a rite of passage, helping me to start the process of shedding what I needed to shed, catch glimpses of the richness that life could now be, and develop practices that have continued to be crucial in this process. I have grown to love the slower pace and expanded sense of time this stage of life brings.

My life is enriched with deeper spiritual awareness, finding the mystical in the world. The more open I am, the less effortful seeking I do, the more serendipity and synchronicity come into my life. Just as I wonder how I might better support women in my community, a neighbor asks if I am interested in serving on a county women’s commission! When we stop focusing on the weaknesses of our body or mind, our spirit takes over. For many this leads to self-awareness, supporting our families and the human family, and working for justice. There are many examples of how to grow into an older woman with wisdom in our culture.

Painter Georgia O’Keeffe began losing her eyesight to macular degeneration when she was 80 and it was almost completely gone by the time she was 84. She continued to paint, sometimes with assistance. She continued to express herself through her art. My mother learned how to paint at age 70 and shortly after that began losing her sight to macular degeneration. She also persevered with her painting. My daughters and I all have her lovely art hanging in our homes today, reminding us of her strength and determination.

Many elder female authors have taught us a lot about aging. Margaret Atwood’s fiction shows us what has been, might be, and how to find our strength.

We are examples for those following behind us in this aging process. What will they learn from us? And how about those for whom we will become the ancestors? What will they glean from our last years on this earth? I hope to be remembered as a wise old crone who spread love, joy, magic, and wisdom.

Writing about our lives prepares us for the end and leaves a legacy. Writing my memoir has helped me to better know myself. I wish I knew more about my grandmothers’ and mother’s lives. No one may be interested in my memoir during my lifetime; I am sure that a generation or two down the road some will be glad to have it. I encourage every woman to leave this type of gift for your future generations. The stories of our lives have much to teach!

Old age is not an affliction, and we must be careful not to buy into the myth that it is. Slowing down allows us to become more grounded to stop simply speeding over the surface of our lives. 2 Even our physical changes have a lot to teach us, like patience with our bodies. It is the elders who are the makers of myth and culture for the next generations. Let’s own that honor.

Barbara Roth retired in 2018 from a career focused on child and youth development in local, state and national arenas. Since then, she has been on a conscious eldering journey which started with a weeklong Choosing Conscious Elderhood retreat at Ghost Ranch, New Mexico one week after retirement and has continued with participation in the Next Step program, writing articles for Conscious Eldering Inspiration and Resources newsletter, and doing the inner work that she teaches. Barb co-leads retreats at Ghost Ranch in New Mexico for the Center for Conscious Eldering. Barbara can be reached at barbaraanneroth@gmail.com

 by Anne Wennhold

I began entering what I consider the elder years of my life at about 83 or 84 years of age. It was around that time I felt a new awareness permeate my being. It seemed there was a subtle shift in energy as delicate yet as momentous as a turn of the tide when there is no outward evidence of change. Instinctively, I knew this was not a medical issue.

Malcom Gladwell wrote a book called The Tipping Point in which he details how situations can add up so incrementally as to be almost unnoticeable until they get past the point of no return. As far as my elderhood goes, the Tipping Point was when I realized the focus of my life had turned from the outer to the inner life. Not an easy part of the journey. It’s generally agreed that Elderhood begins at retirement, about 70 years of age. Not in my book!

The 70’s and early 80s were the best and most active years of my life! Newly released from work that was never my career choice, I dove into the delight of doing things I loved, especially of facilitating workshops and therapy groups.

During that time, I worked with Ron Pevny in the Choosing Conscious Elderhood Retreats learning about specific inner practices that are life enhancing to all age groups and of particular help in the later aging processes. The tools include examining our years in life review, appreciating the best ones, identifying our regrets, learning to let go, to forgive, and defining and acknowledging our legacy for now and in the future.

Combining these with meditation, ceremony, and celebration of nature’s flow of seasons. I savored the way this combination of elements provided an underlying purpose for the continued inner growth that was a lifelong goal of mine.

So, in gradual compliance with the inner signal for change, and rather like a large passenger liner slowing to align itself with the dock ahead, the momentum of my fulfilling outer lifestyle began to alter its course.

Physical changes came first, incrementally narrowing the scope of outer life. Arthritis was hardly a ripple on the early tidal switch. It crept into my knees rendering them unreliable at odd moments. Then neuropathy and hip operation changes added their vibrational energies until there came a day I could not manage well without a cane which I wanted desperately to ignore. Its presence signaled a demeaning assault on my independence!

Then macular degeneration, a family legacy, made its appearance, and forbade driving at night. And did I tell you about the hearing aids? They help but only in smaller group situations.

However, as the Tipping Point of doors to the active outer world shut down behind me, it came time to move to an apartment with an elevator and inside parking. A change of environment was in order.

The new apartment is not the place of my dreams. It is in a good location and is perfect for my physical needs. In reality it is a nice place but I have not yet made friends with it. I miss my old home with its windows framing the sunshine, the moonrise, and trees changing colors each season.

Then there are the social changes of aging which continue to narrow my outer world. Recently the years’ long group of 7 friends fell apart as one by one they died or moved away to be near their children.

The gradual loss of the customary meetings and reassurance of my value to this circle of friends, now gone, leaves me bereft. I am lonely and at times long for a hug from one of those who knew me well. It’s hard to make new friends when distance and energy are limiting factors for others as well as yourself.

By now the Tipping Point has docked, its ropes carefully but firmly looped about the stanchions on shore. The focus of my aging life has completed it turn from focus on the outer life to concentration on the inner.

Body maintenance requires much time but is clearly necessary to survival. I resent the time it takes to get up and get dressed in the morning. Taking a shower has become a major event fraught with safety concerns. Careful attention accompanies any turns around the kitchen to avoid a sudden fall. And I am always planning ahead for a convenient bathroom.

I resent the onslaught of technology and its long tentacles sucking me into its maw. Once I sat in my car where nobody could hear me scream my rage at the relentless havoc with which automation was swallowing the world I knew.

Later I realized I was also furious about aging and feeling ‘left behind’ in so many ways: the travel, theater and museum outings which I so relished in earlier years, now require more energy to get there, let alone navigate being there, than is worth the effort.

A good day includes an interesting book and creative play with watercolors. A great day involves facilitating my growth-oriented discussion group or my writing group on Zoom. An excellent day is lunch with friends who have traveled some distance to get here.

Then there is the grey day when sitting by the window, the grief for loss of my younger self and her love of an active life flows with the rain.

By these admissions you will see that I have not yet achieved the honored summit of elderhood: a pinnacle titled Acceptance: which means that one has come to terms with the reality of what ‘is’ rather than what one would like it to be.

At 90 years of age, I’m working on that. During morning meditation. I light a candle and read from the poets or spiritual masters to seek their perspective on being a traveler in this complex world. Or I simply review my own up-coming challenges of the day and ask for spiritual assistance in living it.

But here’s one of the of the best parts of this journey into aging. I have found a new friend after all! Myself!

Suddenly I see that she is a stronger, more complex person than I gave her credit for being. I admit that it is somewhat of a time-consuming process to get to know her better for up to now I’ve mainly acknowledged the parts of her life I found acceptable while ignoring the habits and attitudes that irritate me.

However now that I take the time to sit with her and really listen as she reviews her life, I find I can help her uncover the sources of the regrets and the resources she has had to bring success to her past and future lives.

As we dialog together, we have become very close, deepening our relationship by consciously employing the tools and practices taught in our conscious eldering retreats.

Such ongoing work is like fitting puzzle pieces together to make a holographic image that is greater than the sum of its parts. It is sometimes a painful job. Ultimately though it is a most satisfactory experience.

And so it is that I feel I have successfully navigated what I call the Tipping Point of aging. As my outer life has narrowed, my inner life has expanded. And, as I work toward Acceptance, I find I have the welcome companionship of myself with myself on this journey.

For age is opportunity no less than youth itself, though in another dress. And as the evening twilight fades away, the sky is filled with stars invisible by day. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Anne Wennhold, Choosing Conscious Elderhood Guide Emeritus, co-led retreats for 20 years for the Center for Conscious Eldering. Anne is currently exploring and sharing with her Zoom groups the spiritual and navigational terrain of later elderhood. Her background with Shamanic Journey training and certification in Counseling support her work in the aging community. She is available for individual counseling. Anne can be reached at annewennhold@gmail.com

By Dennis Stamper

Evolutionary scientists tell us that the control and utilization of fire played a pivotal role in human evolution. Fire provided warmth, the cooking of food and protection from predators. It led to increased brain size and the deepening of social connections. Eventually, fire began to possess deep sacred and ceremonial significance.

The fire had to be carefully tended and fed and when the group was forced to move from one place to another due to increased threats or depletion of resources, the live embers of the living fire needed to be carried with them. Ancient people developed methods for carrying fire using containers like animal horns or fire pots to transport burning coals from one place to another.

The “Fire Carrier” was a person or group entrusted with the sacred task of carrying the fire, and with it the continuity of sustenance, safety, and community. The fire itself, and the act of carrying it, held deep spiritual and cultural significance. Fire Carrier was an honored and trusted role.

I have been thinking about the ancient Fire Carriers a great deal lately. I am fortunate to share friendship and meaningful conversation with many fellow elders from across the country and other parts of the world. The overwhelming majority of us seem to feel like an overwhelmed minority. Although we suspect that this may not be as true as it seems, it is a disempowering conclusion that we must work hard to resist.

Some call it “the dark night of the soul” or even “the dark night of the species soul”. The gentle fire that sustained and fed us, that offered us safety and belonging, that brought us and held us together feels under attack and in danger of being replaced by a raging fire of destruction. Fire can draw us closer in community but it can also send us fleeing the conflagration and hardening our modes of perceived self-protection.

Historians, scientists, and even theologians remind us that this is, more or less, just the way life goes. Things come together and then they fall apart. And given a chance and the right environment, they then come back together in some new, often creative configuration.

So what is our role and task as elders in times like these? How do we keep from retreating to our porches and patios and leaving the work to others? After all, a convenient argument could be made that it just may take more years than I still have left in my quiver, and I do tire more easily these days.

But then I remember the Fire Carriers of old and the sacred and important role they filled. If we ever are to find our way through this darkness and once again sit together around the gentle flame that nourishes and protects us all, someone will need to carry the embers of the fire. Someone will need to faithfully guard and feed the most life sustaining qualities of what is being threatened. And if we are to once again gather together in sacred community, someone will need to remember the best of who we truly are and the stories we once told. I can think of no more honored and vital role for elders than to be the Fire Carriers of today and I can think of no others more fit for the task.

So how do we do this? How do we become Fire Carriers? First of all, we must do the inner work necessary to provide a safe place for the ember to reside, for this time we will not carry the flame in horns or bowls but in our own heart, soul and life. Just as the Fire Carriers of the past protected and fed the community’s fire, we must protect and feed our own inner fire and that of our community. This may require more time in solitude and reflection and less time on news sites and social media. Our inner fire is often best nurtured by time in nature, meditation, and meaningful ritual and prayer.

But fire carrying cannot be a completely solitary endeavor. We will need the shared strength and support of others, both elders and youngers alike, if we are to keep the fire alive. We will need to gather in circle, perhaps around a fire or candle, to love and laugh and lament. Fortunately, there are organizations like The Center for Conscious Eldering, Sage-ing International, and Elder Action Network, just to name a few, who’s work and gift it is to bring elders together and hold sacred space. We must find, share, and grow in community. And yes, we can develop deep and meaningful relationships in virtual circles as well.

Hopefully we can also find friends and fellow Fire Carriers within hand-clasping and bearhugging distance as well. Seek them out and invite them out. I find my heart deeply comforted by a walk in the woods with a trusted friend and my soul, as well as my stomach, can be richly filled over an unhurried lunch together. If no one immediately comes to mind, you may have to reach out to someone you don’t know as well and that can require you to stretch outside your comfort zone. But let me assure you, you are not alone. There are others—many others.

And finally, seek out the company of younger folks. Many of them are frightened and discouraged as well, and they likely have so much more to lose than we do. After all, my kids are raised now, no one can fire me, and I care very little what others think of me these days. Encourage younger people. Accompany them. When needed, protect them. And the simple truth is, this hoped for coming back together in heart-centered community may well take longer than the time we have remaining. The faithful Fire Carrier must sometimes pass the fire on to someone else, teach them to care for it and with our blessing, trust them to carry it the rest of the way.

May your inner being find nurture and strength. May the company of other wise elders guide, support and inspire you. May we find hope and vision enough to stay the course and fulfill our destiny. May we be today’s Fire Carriers.

Dennis Stamper co-leads Choosing Conscious Elderhood retreats. He is also a certified Sageing Leader. He has worked as a Clinical Social Worker and hospital chaplain for many years. Dennis can be reached at d.stamper@sage-ing.org.

Consciously Journeying from Wonder to Wisdom

by Elsie Wood

The Way of The CreativeSage evolved from my personal creative and spiritual journey and the desire to share the benefits of walking that path. The Way of the CreativeSage meshes the disciplines of gerontology, creativity and spiritual wisdom. It is a path of growth for a positive, compassionate, conscious, meaningful and purposeful life. It is an integration of the fundamental principles of creativity, ageing, and sageing to guide and inform us. It is founded on tenets and core values from diverse spiritual traditions. Awe, beauty, truth, and love are compass points on a CreativeSage’s journey. It is grounded in individual personal strengths and skills and celebrates the magnificence within.

Regardless of where you are on life’s journey, you are a CreativeSage! Yes, you are creative. Yes, you are ageing. And yes, you become wiser with each day’s experiences and practices.

Ageing is a given like death and taxes. It is a process not only for those in the later years, but it is the process begun with the first drawn breath.

In A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens posits the theme of duality: the best of times/the worst of times; hope/despair; wisdom/foolishness; light/dark. Those contrasting concepts are aptly applied to reflections on ageing. Continuing that litany are chaos/clarity; fast/slow; fear/courage; uncertainty/peace; loss/abundance; sorrow/joy; longevity/quality of life. These oppositions and many others provide the substructure of our choices on how we live our life as we age.

Regardless of age, there is a basic desire, hope and dream to have needs met, to live well, and be content. Yet often we are our own worst enemy. We stand in our own way. Feelings of discomfort arise when self-reflection and introspection take us down rabbit holes we would rather not visit. Unpleasant memories may surface and self-doubt inches in under our skin. How comforting to read Brené Brown’s words, ” … to feel this vulnerable means I’m alive.” That aliveness is invigorated through our resiliency and our personal attitude.

Where do we find the courage when the woes and challenges of ageing diminish the resolve to live fully? That’s where the CreativeSage steps in.

Creativity is the process providing the wind beneath our wings. It gives the wherewithal to take flights of fancy, sparks the imagination and gives voice to life’s endeavors. The Way of the CreativeSage is based on the solid belief that we are all creative. It is an innate gift from Spirit (or whatever name you give to the divine). It is like the gift of language. It’s there. To dispel disbelief and counter claims of not being creative because you are not an artist, can’t draw, etc.

It is not solely in an artist’s wheelhouse but also in cooks’, scientists’, gardeners’, carpenters’, everyone’s skillset. Through the lens of the creative imagination, a window into the inner psyche reveals secrets, fears, barriers and long held limiting beliefs paving a way for release and transformation. A path from wonder to wisdom forges a connection with the Creative Spirit to become a CreativeSage.

A deep and profound connection to spirit is fundamental. Wisdom comes from diverse spiritual traditions. And wisdom rests within each of us. It is our task to discover and explore ways of being so that every day we become a better version of ourselves

The gems from a life well lived provide the brilliance in the ripples circling out at the close of one’s life, a legacy left to be honored and celebrated, a wisdom to be cherished. It becomes a precious gift to family, friends, and the community at large.

It is very sobering to read about the passing of one’s contemporaries. Whether in the 20’s, 50’s or 90’s, it becomes a wake-up call. A time to stop, reflect and ask once again the now often quoted queries by Mary Oliver,

“Tell me, what else should I have done? Doesn’t everything die at last, and too soon? Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?”

You are in the driver’s seat. It’s never too late for new starts, new beginnings. I find value in working with six Portals of Passion and Purpose which serve as way stations of intention and practice to facilitate the journey of self-discovery, illumination and joy. These six practices, Pause, Pray, Ponder, Prepare, Play and Praise, capitalize on one’s inner spirit, and strength to live fully, creatively, and gracefully, finding balance between being and doing.

PAUSE PORTAL – Into the Quiet – Presence with Breath Let go. Here Now.

A most precious gift to give oneself. Time to decompress and get centered and grounded, capitalizing on the beneficial practice of deep breathing. It is a clearing of thoughts, allows calm and the refreshing feeling of nothingness.

PRAY PORTAL – Blessings & Spiritual Practices

Prayer is an acknowledgement and appeal for guidance and assistance. It effectively puts us in tune with our divine essence. Stopping throughout the day with short, quick, impromptu, spontaneous, improvised utterances that come from the heart, like “Thank you for this day,’ or “Please show me the way.” to faith-based formal, structured words to facilitate mind-shifts. Other forms include: conscious, mindful meditation; creative visualization; lectio divina; music/sound meditation.

PONDER PORTAL: The Empty Dark, Living in the Question

Answers don’t arrive if you’re afraid
of sitting in the empty dark room of not knowing, by yourself, long enough for them to arrive on their own schedule. —Michael Thelen

This practice uses the power of an open question. Asking “What if?”, “Why not?”. and “I wonder if I …” is a delightful kickstart to the appreciative inquiry process. It’s about laying out options for what is to come: illuminations from a place of wonder and awe, wool-gathering and ruminating on what could happen, what you bring to the table and trusting the process. Your story is front and center.

PREPARE PORTAL: Finding Strengths, Skills, and Resources

We bring to CreativeSaging: Years of life experience; Skill Set; Education; and Multiple Intelligences: intellectual, emotional, personal, social, conversational, creative, visual, and spiritual. You are ready. Gathering resources for your creative expression is fun-filled and magical.

PLAY PORTAL: Give Yourself Permission, Action with Awe-titude

Engaging in creative endeavors is the firing up of energy. It stimulates and activates the imagination. It gives form to creative impulses and increases one’s confidence and courage. Quirky, serious, humorous, and/or experimental play produces life-affirming smiles. The CreativeSage sees play as a basic need: nurturing the mind, body, and spirit. It is your story in a novel, uplifting form of your essence in a unique and awesome way.

PRAISE PORTAL: A Celebration of YOU!

You are a CreativeSage! You have the courage to face life head-on, being and doing whatever it takes to fully embrace living. Celebrate yourself. Now it is your turn for self-praise. It is not done often enough. It does not come from an egotistical or arrogant attitude but rather from a deep sense of accomplishment from engaging in the magic and mystery of being and doing and living fully.

The CreativeSage is one who strives to balance the demands of life with the imaginative spirit of the creative, a positive conscious attitude to age well, and the wisdom to embrace the essential.

Live your essence magnificently.
 To be extraordinarily ordinary  To be perfectly imperfect
 To be gracefully ungraceful  To be authentically true
 To be gratefully humble
 To be peacefully joyous
 To BE YOU!

Elsie Wood is a .Mentor, Muse, Maven, Maverick, Mystic, and Seeker, Life-long Learner, Creative, and Visionay. She is passionate about sharing strategies, techniques, and practices to gain mastery in the Art of Living consciously and creatively, boldly embracing a well-lived life. She has a Master of Education in Creative Arts in Learning from Lesley University and Creative Ageing Facilitator and Creative Depth Coach training. For more information about CreativeSage Circles or CreativeSage Coaching, Elsie can be reached at elsiewood@msn.com

by Melissa Richardson

As we get older, many of us look for ways to contribute. For elders, mentoring is one of the most rewarding and purposeful roles we can play. It’s how we turn our lived experience into something that matters beyond us —how we steward wisdom, not just accumulate it

But some elders are reluctant to lean in to mentoring. They associate being a mentor with doling out advice. This is not wrong—it’s just a very narrow view of what it means to be a mentor. So, they miss out on one of the most important and purposeful roles we can play.

Today, there are many definitions of mentoring. EMCC Global (the European Mentoring and Coaching Council, a global organization despite the name) defines mentoring this way:

“Mentoring is a learning relationship, involving the sharing of skills, knowledge, and expertise between a mentor and mentee through developmental conversations, experience sharing, and role modelling. The relationship may cover a wide variety of contexts and is an inclusive two-way partnership for mutual learning that values differences.”

We can think of mentoring as a relationship in a formal sense, where there is a mentor and a mentee (the recipient of mentoring) with clearly defined roles and expectations. I’ve participated in many mentoring programs and still enjoy ongoing contact with many of the people I have been matched with. But like me, you have probably accumulated several mentees through your life, some of whom may not even realise that they were being mentored. Perhaps intuitively, you adopted a mentoring style that meant you were walking alongside them, helping them find their own answers instead of telling them what to do. 

I’ve spent three decades researching mentoring, educating and teaching mentors and mentees the art of mentoring. I’ve come to understand that how you are being has far greater impact than what you do or say as a mentor. You can learn the skills of listening, asking good questions, guiding and respectful challenging, all of which masterful mentors do. I can teach you when to hold back on advice and when to share a story instead. Techniques and tools have their place, but they can never take the place of genuine human connection. It’s the mentor’s presence—their way of being, their mindset, the quality of attention they bring—that creates the fertile ground for growth to the person being helped.

In my research, people who were described as great mentors shared these qualities— they were:

• Curious
• Warm, empathetic and approachable
• Humble
• Authentic
• Self-aware
• Trustworthy 
• Inspiring
• Present
• Patient

Elders who mentor do more than transfer knowledge; they model a way of being—calm, compassionate, and unhurried. In a fast, fragmented, unpredictable world, that presence itself is healing.

Mentoring was a vital function of elders in ancient cultures. Grandmothers were often the primary storytellers, passing down myths, legends, and family history. This role helped preserve cultural identity and values across generations. They taught young people essential life skills and were educators, leaders, and bridges to cultural and spiritual heritage. Their wisdom and guidance shaped not just families, but entire communities.

Grandfathers played a crucial role in mentoring young men, teaching them how to navigate adult responsibilities, leadership, and societal expectations. In some cultures, grandfathers led or participated in rites of passage, such as coming-of-age ceremonies, to prepare boys for manhood. 

Today, we’ve lost many of these traditions, leaving younger generations to navigate critical life transitions alone. Young people are adrift, with soaring rates of anxiety and depression. Many of them lack the grounding presence of elders to anchor them. I fear for our young.

Answer the call to mentor

In her 2023 book Who Do We Choose To Be?, Margaret Wheatley said “This is the Age of Threat, when everything we encounter intensifies fear and anger. In survival mode, we flee from one another, abandon values that held us together, withdraw from ideas and practices that encouraged inclusion and created trust in leaders. And, most harmfully, we stop believing in one another.”

As mentors we can guide, role model, inspire, and lead young people to keep believing in themselves and one another. I believe it’s time to reclaim the elder mentoring role. Younger generations need us. We can help them prepare for what many now believe will be a turbulent and challenging future. 

Start with grandchildren

You can volunteer as a mentor in a mentoring program for youth, but a great place to start is with your own grandchildren, and, if you don’t have grandkids, then perhaps by mentoring other young people in your extended family. Adopting a mentoring style with grandkids means:

1. Finding ways to be the solid, reliable person that the grandchild wants to talk to.
2. Creating learning opportunities through demonstration of skills, sometimes in the moment. 
3. Guiding through sharing of experiences and stories.
4. Giving a grandchild a sense of where they fit in the family by explaining who extended family members are and how the child fits, belongs and is special.
5. Walking the talk—showing grandchildren what they believe in, not just talking about it.
6. Helping to give grandchildren a sense of perspective—to see the bigger picture that an elder can see through the wisdom of age.
7. Helping grandchildren grow in self-confidence, to trust their own decision-making and to tread their own path, no matter what friends or social media may encourage.
8. Being a sounding board for ideas the grandchild wants to develop.
9. Encouraging grandchildren to try new things and strive for what’s important to them.
10. Being curious and asking questions that encourage reflection and develop critical thinking.

You may have noticed that the definition of mentoring I offered includes the concept of two-way learning. There is significant reward in mentoring grandchildren—not just watching them develop and grow but learning from them as well. 

The unique benefit of mentoring in the family

I mentioned earlier that a great many young people today lack the grounding presence of elders. In modern life, we are disconnected from the very things that used to anchor us—community life, family and cultural traditions, the natural world. I advocate for elders to take a mentoring approach with their grandchildren or young family members because they are in uniquely positioned to pass on family traditions, values and stories. You may be surprised to learn that knowing one’s family history is a protective factor for wellbeing, contributing to resilience, higher self-esteem and lower anxiety. This is because family stories expand our sense of self to a multi-generational one—we understand that we come from the kind of family that would do X, Y or Z. Family stories help people see where they fit in the timeline and gives a sense of belonging.

So, embrace your inner mentor. Don’t wait to be asked. It’s never too early or too late to start. Nudge your approach with young people towards a mentoring style, one step at a time.  You’ll be so glad you did.

Melissa Richardson is an Australian writer, researcher and internationally-recognised specialist in mentor training and mentoring program design. With her eldest son, she co-founded Art of Mentoring, which today is one of the world’s leading mentoring software platforms. With post-graduate qualifications in counselling, organizational coaching and coaching supervision, she is currently writing a book for grandparents, provisionally called,   

12 Things Your Grandchildren Will Need to Thrive: The Roots And Wings Guide To Mentoring the Next Generation. She can be reached by email at melissa@melissa-richardson.com or through her website https://www.melissa-richardson.com/ 

By Jan Flynn

I got my first journal as a present from “Santa” when I was nine years old. It was a small pink leatherette book with the words “Dear Diary” in gold script emblazoned just above a small gold lock with a tiny key. As I started writing that first night, I knew I had discovered something amazing. I wrote about my day, about how much I disliked having a baby sister, and about how I wished to be an only child again. I didn’t know about introspection or therapy. I just knew that writing it down made me feel better and that locking those thoughts away gave me a special feeling of control. I’ve been journaling ever since.

Somewhere along the way I came across a definition for a “journal” that I like. A journal is simply a personal record of occurrences, experiences, thoughts, and reflections kept on a regular basis for the purpose of creating a meaningful connection with yourself. I like the idea that the verb form…to journal…is the act of me making a mindful connection to myself.

Why Journal As We Age?

Consistent and introspective writing can be an important addition to the “toolkit” of those things that add significantly to our experience of becoming a Conscious Elder.

First, science tells us that journaling is good for our mental and physical health. American psychologist James Pennebaker has studied the impact and benefits of journaling. Identifying emotions, capturing our feelings about both positive and negative events, and simply chronicling our day-to-day experiences helps to promote better mental health. Journaling also promotes mindfulness. The process of introspection helps us stay more grounded in the present. Awareness of, labeling of, and writing about our innermost feelings provides a way to cleanse, let go, and move on, particularly in terms of releasing negative emotions.

Journaling can increase your positive outlook which can help to reduce stress and aid in staving off depression, both of which lead to better physical health. Researcher Robert Eammons found that simply writing about the good things you experience, gratitude journaling, helps you have a more balanced and holistic view of your life. Expressing gratitude also has a positive impact on better sleep and on helping your immune system.

The consistent practice of journaling also provides a way to remember, all the more important as we age. When we journal, we capture the moments, the impressions, the people, and the thoughts important to us at the time. It’s there, captured so that I don’t lose experience to the uncertainty of memory. These “archives” can play an important role in life review. Looking back on journal entries from years ago, I always amaze myself at what I learn and am so thankful that I have a record of times and memories I’ve forgotten.

Journaling can help with the all important process of forgiveness. The privacy of a journal provides a safe space to chronicle the who, what, how, and why of those we need to forgive and those from whom we need to seek forgiveness. Writing openly, deeply, frankly, and honestly about the person, the events, the outcomes, and the emotions of forgiveness can help with the clarity needed to engage in the process of forgiving, and of being forgiven.

It is said that the wise Sage travels light. Private and introspective writing can bring an important dimension to the process of letting go. Ask yourself questions like :

• What am I holding on to that gets in my way?
• What parts of my younger self do I need to let go of?
• What am I getting out of holding on?
• What do I need to do to let go?

Answer them honestly and let your mind go where it will. Again, writing about it in an open and honest way helps to gain clarity.

What I’ve Learned From Years of Journaling

I realize in writing this that I’ve been keeping some kind of journal for almost seventy years. Here’s a random assortment of lessons I’ve learned along the way:

• Journaling takes commitment, yet when I let it become a chore, I don’t do it. Consistency is key. Commit to writing fifteen minutes at least four days a week. Pick a time that works for you. My morning ritual is my coffee, my cat on my lap, and my journal.
• Don’t worry about your writing. There are no rules and no right way to do this. Journaling is the place for fragmented thoughts, incomplete sentences, run on sentences, bad grammar, choice curse words, and even doodles. Remember that you’re writing is there for your personal reflection and for yourself alone.
• Consider journaling each day as a kind of meditation. It’s time to slow down, sit still, breathe, and focus. In Tanzania, I learned the Swahili words “pole’ pole’ (po-lay, po- lay)”…slowly, slowly. It’s the way of life there. Let journaling be your pole’ pole’ time.
• Simply begin by writing about what’s happened in your life and how you’re feeling about it. Know that we often remember events, places, and people without remembering our reactions to them. Capturing your feelings is an important aspect of remembering.
• Be honest with yourself. Pay close attention to anything that crosses your mind. Record the joy and the wonder, and don’t be afraid to let the negativity flow if that’s what comes up. Learn to not censor your thoughts.
• Treat yourself to a good journal and find what works for you. I love beautiful smaller- sized journals with lined pages for my day-to-day work. Two brands that I like are journals from Peter Pauper Press and from Paperblanks. If you like a larger, notebook- sized journal, try the ones from Dingbats or from Moleskin. All are available on Amazon.
• Find a pen that works for you. There’s nothing worse for me than trying to let my thoughts flow when my pen won’t. My current favorite pen is the Pilot Precise Varsity. Again, Amazon. It’s an old school fountain pen, but disposable. I love it!
• Capture your dreams! Dreams can tell us a lot about our subconscious minds, not to mention how much rereading a dream from the past can make us laugh. When we talk about our dreams, we usually recount them is visual images, much like scenes from a movie. Try capturing your dreams this way. Put each scene in a “thought bubble” and connect the bubbles with arrows. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Journaling can provide a rich and rewarding experience when done with consistency, mindful attention, and persistence. It provides us with the opportunity to look back with a degree of accuracy that memory does not always assure. It helps with our growth process in becoming Conscious Elders. Through journaling, we can revisit who we were, focus on who we are now, and more clearly think with intention about who want to become. It’s a powerful tool to add to the kit of those things that can help us age well. Happy writing!

Among other things, Jan Flynn, Ph.D., is a mother, a grandmother, an avid traveler, a cattle drive cook, and a certified Bar B Que judge. For the past 15 years, her academic and consulting work has focused on transition from one generation to the next in family businesses. Seeing her older clients struggle with letting go and moving on to the next phase of their lives, she began to explore the work of ageing, particularly as it relates to embracing growing older with grace and purpose. This led her to become a Certified Sageing Leader with Sageing International and to work to become a retreat guide with the Center for Conscious Eldering. She can be reached through email at jan.flynn@bellsouth.net.

By Marilyn Loy Every, DMin, CSL

It was November last year that I was in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. I awoke to the harsh reality, as I saw through my eyes, of these times we are living in. My rose-colored glasses had shattered overnight; illusion died that morning. I simply did not know how to navigate through the uncertainty we faced around the world. I did not know how to move through change, loss, disruption, and raw disappointment.

I set out for a long walk in the brisk air that morning. I walked along the cliffs flanking the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and out on the jetty with sea air in my face. Eventually, I arrived at the Monroe Bookstore in downtown Victoria. In my solemn longing, a book jumped off the shelf into my hands—We Were Made for These Times by Kaira Jewel Lingo, a Buddhist nun who trained with Thich Nhat Hanh. Though a short read, the book changed me that day. The concept that you and I are made for these times continues to amaze me every day and bring me hope through shadows of what Matthew Fox, an American priest, theologian and author, names as ecocide, racism, patriarchy, illusion, and despair.

This brings me to ponder our human journey here on Earth. We are not just participants at this moment in time. We indeed are the culmination of a 13.8-billion-year journey, from the birth of the universe to this moment. We are part of something unimaginably vast—and intimately connected. In all the chaos and uncertainty in our world today, it is easy to feel overwhelmed, wondering whether we are equipped for the times we are living in, and what we can possibly add to the welfare of the world.

We truly are living proof of the “union of miracles” that resulted in our existence in the first place. So, considering that your and my life are miracles, it is essential for us to also consider how to best navigate these unprecedented times. In my own search, I looked for novel spiritual practices that would give me hope, inspiration, encouragement, and strength. I discovered helpful suggestions in Lingo’s writing that provided life-affirming support in carrying forward.

Coming Home to Ourselves

In times of upheaval, our first refuge is within. Coming home to ourselves means pausing the noise of the world and turning inward to reconnect with our breath, our body, and the stillness beneath the storm. This is the place where truth lives— not as an idea, but as an embodied experience. In our “home within,” we find our ground and comfort.

Trusting the Unknown

Change often dismantles the familiar and leaves us standing “stark in the dark.” To trust the unknown is not to pretend we are unafraid, but to walk forward anyway—open-hearted, alert, and attuned to our intuition. Trust means recognizing that while we may not know what lies ahead, life has always held us. The same intelligence that births galaxies and turns seeds into trees is moving in our lives, too.

Accepting What Is

Acceptance of our situation at any moment is not resignation. It is the willingness to see life as it is without resistance. When we accept what is, we stop struggling against reality and begin to move with it. It allows us to set aside our “cherished beliefs” that things should be different. It is from this place of grace and honesty that real transformation can begin.

Loving Ourselves Through Uncertainty

Uncertainty is precisely the time when we most need our own kindness. To love ourselves through uncertainty is to be gentle with our inner experience, to soothe the parts that fear and ache. It is a radical act of self-compassion grounded in love, allowing resilience to grow.

Caring for Strong Emotions

Anger, grief, and anxiety are not problems to fix, but messengers to tend. When we care for our emotions instead of denying or suppressing them, they begin to soften and settle. We can breathe into the storm, name what we feel, and let it move through us. With care, even the strongest emotion becomes a doorway to healing and deeper wisdom.

Realizing Realities of Impermanence

Understanding that everything changes is the most difficult and yet most liberating truth of our existence. When we realize impermanence, we begin to hold life a little lighter. We cherish peace, success, and relationships while they are here, and grieve losses knowing they were never meant to last. We do not cling, but we lean into change—understanding whatever our circumstance is, it too will pass.

Mirroring Compassion

One of the most powerful spiritual practices we can engage in is mirroring compassion. This means learning to reflect to ourselves the same gentleness, understanding, and care that we would offer someone we deeply love. Remember this simple truth: every one of us is walking through life with invisible burdens—grief that is unspoken, fears that are masked, struggles that are invisible. What we most need is not self- reproach or advice but loving presence and kindness.

Practicing Equanimity

Equanimity is the spiritual practice that was meaningful for me last November. It involves the practice of remaining calm and centered during chaos. It is not detachment, but it creates balance. To practice equanimity is to cultivate a heart that is steady—holding joy and sorrow, gain and loss, hope and fear. It is the deep stillness that teaches us how and when to act with clarity.

Nurturing Good

Even when the world feels heavy, there is still goodness everywhere. We can choose to notice and nurture good. This may be a small kindness, a simple prayer, or a brave conversation. To amplify the good is to see it, name it, and even create it. In doing so, we become gardeners of the human spirit—planting seeds of light in dark soil.

Believing You Are Made for These Times

Most importantly, it is to believe that you and I are made for these times. It is a truth that our soul already knows. We were shaped by everything that came before us. We carry wisdom in our bones, and we have boundless strength, love and courage yet waiting to be roused. Believing is a choice—to show up, to stay awake, and to participate in the healing of the world, right where we are.

Which of these spiritual practices speak to you most potently at this time when the old world is shaking and the new one is not yet born? It is good to discover new life-affirming ways to support and strengthen yourself. Then, choose once again and yet again how to live your life holistically, and passionately, with clear intentions and focused purpose.

Yes, our world is hurting and calls us for healing. We have never been better prepared to act than we are now. However, it is wise for us to continue tending our own healing along the way, so we continuously are the best version of ourselves as we contribute to the healing of the world. Let us be there for one another in fostering positive outcomes day by day right where we are. Reference: Lingo, Kaira Jewel: We Were Made for These Times. Berkeley, California, Parallax Press, 2021

by John Sorenson

“Houston, we have a problem!” This was the message from three astronauts 52 years ago, as their spacecraft had a life-threatening design failure on its way to the Moon. I was a member of the Apollo engineering team that responded to that call for help. Today, within Elders Action Network (EAN), other concerned elders and I are urgently confronting national issues that include (a) life-threatening climate chaos; (b) growing economic disparity between the richest few and the lower 99%; and (c) democracy-threatening voter suppression and intimidation. These are truly Texas-size problems with cries for help from our younger generations. The following is a brief description of my improbable journey and transition from rocket scientist to one of elder activism, again answering calls for help. 

I was fortunate to have had a fulfilling career as an aerospace engineer, project manager, and business entrepreneur spanning 40+ years. In 2005 it was my time to move on. I was not ready to “retire”, but to do something different, not knowing what that would be. I began my search, realizing vaguely that I wanted to give back for the bountiful life that I had been given. 

To gain clarity and direction as well as to heal old psychic wounds, I went on a series of personal growth retreats. It was the right preliminary action for me to take, for in so doing I developed levels of forgiveness and compassion I previously didn’t have, and I regained my youthful spirit.

One retreat was a long weekend led by Ron Pevny who introduced our group to “conscious elderhood.” During the event, Ron mentioned Theodore Roszak’s book The Making of an Elder Culture. Its message was that young, rebellious men and women of the sixties and seventies had the right ideals about American society being more just and equitable. However, they did not succeed in pursuing those ideals because they had no elders to guide them. Those young have become us old seekers, we have not lost our idealism, and we benefit by having gained some elder wisdom in the intervening years. We could now claim some semblance of elderhood and harness that idealism to transition to a new American reality. But only if we have the heart and will to take it on.  

That message struck a chord. I had done a lot of complaining over the years about the dysfunction of our government and society, why so little meaningful legislation got enacted, and what did get done was often counter to achieving “a more perfect union.” I needed to quit complaining and to do something about it. This would require re-inventing myself, transitioning from being a left-brained engineer, to using more right-brain imagination and heartfelt response to what would come.    

Another retreat was an Animus Valley Institute vision quest in summer 2011. During my solo time, I received the message, “teach leadership.” I interpreted it to mean that I was to demonstrate leadership by guiding a group to take on America’s societal issues.  I had understood that whatever we decided to do would not be small and it would be working with elders. But I was stymied by the enormity of what I was imagining – how could I, with little background in organizational development or this kind of leadership, proceed? I decided to go on another vision quest the following summer.

By pure synchronicity, in December 2012, Charles Lawrence, the very wise co-leader of that second quest was on a project near where I lived. Charles called me asking if I would like to have lunch with him. I jumped at the chance for I needed to relate my still present indecision dilemma and ask for his advice. Charles listened, said I needed to ask a small group of like-minded elders to join and help me see the way forward, that with them, we would form a circle with me in the middle, and Charles would facilitate the process.

I was, throughout this, operating on intuition. I called Ron Pevny, asking if he had colleagues who could help, which he did. By asking others, the following March 2013 six men and six women met to form that circle at a monastery on the Hudson River. Those included my wife Sue, Ron, Charles facilitating, and me asking for help.  It was for all of us an emotional gathering, and from it I got the clear direction I was looking for: Yes, we should begin a movement of elders to boldly take on our society’s serious problems, it would have a spiritual base, I should take the lead in forming it, and those in the circle would back me in the process.  

The following year I sought other elders who would resonate with this vision and would consider being included in forming the response.  Most were not interested, but I was not dissuaded. The result was that in April, 2014, 47 of us, including nine from the Hudson River circle, met at Mercy Center, a convent in Burlingame, CA. We were there, as fellow co-founders, to begin a movement of elders to transition our society to one that is more just, caring, equitable, and in service to life prospering for all future generations. We had a common vision, it would have a spiritual base, but we had few details to what and how it would unfold.

During our gathering, a participant Paul Severance came to me suggesting that we should take on climate change, as that was now seen as a growing threat to humans and all life. He suggested that we go to Washington DC, meet with Members of Congress, express our concerns about the changing climate, and urge them to act. I agreed, and Paul, who was a veteran community organizer, quickly formed what has grown to be known as our “Elders Climate Action” (ECA) group. In September 2015, 85 of us went on our first of several subsequent trips to DC and met with Congress.

Over the seven years since then, we have strived to be “sacred activists” committed to growing in our inner consciousness while taking on one or more forms of outer activism. In our evolution, we adopted the name “Elders Action Network” and the mission “To build a movement of elders to confront the social, environmental and governance issues of our time.” To the ECA action group we have added three others – social justice, regenerative living, and sound democracy. EAN has flourished as a virtual organization reaching well over 20,000 elders nationwide. Each year our activism projects expand, while understanding we still have a long way to go.

I currently serve as co-leader of EAN’s Elders for Sound Democracy action group, which includes forming the Texas elders’ voting rights team. It’s our response to misguided politicians that are intent on replacing our still evolving democracy with a white-supremacist-led autocracy.  

Yes, Houston, we again have another big problem, but we counter with an intrepid group of elders willing to face this and many other societal issues. We strive for the good of our grandchildren and all future generations, and in so doing realize our destiny as being activated elders and good ancestors.  For more information, please check our website www.eldersaction.org

John Sorensen is EAN’s founder. As a youth he heard the aerospace call and followed it for 45 years of engineering design and entrepreneurial experiences. In 2005 John heard another, deeper calling – time to re-invent and dedicate himself to humanitarian service. He uses earlier experiences to fulfill that calling as an elder strategist for social / environmental justice and sound governance. He can be reached at jasoren10@gmail.com