What is Eldering?
Plenty of Olders but no Elders.
In traditional societies an elder has a deep knowledge of the sacred ways of their community. They are part of a lineage going back hundreds of generations. Having survived into old age they are respected for the wisdom and insight they hold. Their vision is greater than the more immediate concerns of the younger generations.
In contemporary society we have no elders in the traditional sense. Our link to the ancestors and their wisdom has been broken. Our tribe has lost the source of what held us together. We are cut adrift from the sacred wisdom. However, there has never been a greater need for empowered elders who can support the leaders in our communities against the ravages of consumerism and greed.
There is a growing number of us older people who will never become elders in the traditional sense but we can do some of the inner work necessary to start a cultural revolution. We may not have a direct lineage but through technology we have access to inspirational activists who are using their knowledge and wisdom to challenge the status quo.
There is no initiation ceremony to becoming an elder. There is no examination or certificate. But we can do the inner work to enable us to go from just ageing into eldering. Many of us have been through the dependent and independent stages of development and can now fully understand that all life is inter-dependent. That nothing is separate.
At 7 Ages we are committed to ‘eldering’ as a verb – a doing word that requires inner development work so that we can create more than just a material legacy.
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7 AGES CIC is a consciousness raising community providing leadership workshops, meetings and talks.