There is something missing in our culture—a gap that leaves us without vital guidance, and without connection to the wisdom of our lineage. We have a name for what is missing: Elders, but we don’t always have the example to inspire and guide us, or to know how to step up and serve in the role when the time comes. So people are left asking, “Where are our Elders?” “Why are we not honoring them?”
Let’s start by answering the question, “Who is an Elder?” by clearing up these two myths:
- A person chooses to become an Elder.
We are all born with our Elder already within us, along with the other four stages in our lives. Becoming an Elder, then, is a natural Blossoming from one stage to the next. The five stages are:
- Child
- Crafter/Builder
- Mentor
- Elder
- Ancestor
- There is a particular age for becoming an Elder.
Sometimes a younger than average person is called to serve as an Elder out of need. Others who reach typical Elder age are not ready or able to serve as such, so they are not called to do so. Yet they are respected as Elders, even though they may not play the role.
A Description
Serving as an Elder is not a training or a workshop, but rather an awakening to what already exists. We sharpen our skills and abilities to listen and empathize, and to serve our people and our Earth Mother in a new capacity.
We cover three themes during our year together:
- How Elders function in their communities and/or families, groups, organizations they aree part of
- Is there a decided lack of Elders?
- How are they regarded in their community?
- Do they play a significant role or are they just figureheads?
- Elders in Traditional cultures
- Roles and how they are regarded.
- Examples from various cultures.
- How Elders play formal roles in traditional spiritual practices, martial arts and wisdom schools.
- The Power of Story
- Hear stories from Native cultures on Elder roles.
- Discover and explore the Elder stories from our lineages.
- Use stories to educate our people about Elders.
Bridging the Gap
We start off the year with a five-day in-person immersive experience to ground ourselves in relationship with other budding Elders, to prepare the ground and plant the seeds that we will be tending to throughout the following year. Through monthly Zoom gatherings and an ongoing e-group, we work to bridge the gap between where we are and where our people long us to be through exercises, practices, deliberations, and a lot of listening. Here are just a few of the tools and practices we will be using:
- Various ways of nurturing relationship with the Unseen.
- Guest Elders joining us.
- Movement exercises to encourage the body-mind-spirit connection.
- Time communing with in Nature.
- Crafts/skills.
- Meditations and Envisioning.
- Conscious Breathing.
- Truthspeaking/listening.
- Exploring Ritual
- Ancestor Dish
- Sun Greeting
- Other rituals and traditional awakening practices