Conscious Eldering Through Relational Wisdom

An Intergenerational Retreat

Hosted by Wild Earth, Good Work Institute, SageArts, and the Conscious Elders Network

An invitation into Conscious Elderhood…

“In a culture that has not lived much beyond its adolescence, we can’t expect to receive a mature recognition of the value of aging, nor an honoring of the essential contribution of a vital elderhood to human society.

Those called to live into a fulfilling and generative elderhood must consciously recognize and claim the power and nobility of this life stage for ourselves.

And we must do so in good relation to our own past and to the younger generations we create life with. This, as in all sustainable endeavors, takes a village.”
Joseph Jastrab

Wild Earth, Good Work Institute, SageArts, and the Conscious Elders Network are joining together to create an opportunity to explore the role of elder in relationship with the wisdom of all generations.

We invite you to join this intergenerational retreat either as an elder, an aspiring elder, or as a person of any age.

This retreat is designed for anyone feeling called to the conversation about Conscious Eldering, including:

• Those of us in our 50’s and onwards who are curious or considering our role as an elder now or in the future. We might be interested in exchanges that share our journey for those who will continue to lead in the future.
• Those of us in our middle years, we may be seeing a bridge between our more youthful years and the path ahead.
• Those of us who yearn for an elder relationship and wish to explore the roles that we can play throughout our lives to enhance wellbeing.
• People of all ages in their 90s, 80s, 70s, 60s, 50s, 40s, 30s, 20s and beyond are all welcome to the retreat. We will gather as a community to explore wisdom consciously and compassionately expressed throughout our generations.

*Note: The concept of elder is unconventional in most of western culture – we recognize that there may be few participants that identify as elders. Our intention is to create a spaciousness for curiosity and learning as we all engage in cultural transitions towards deeper relational wisdom, respect, and equity.

Together, we might bring forth a future that is inclusive of hindsight, insight, and foresight.

Our intention is to create (convene) an intergenerational group of 30 participants to deepen in relationship as we explore the landscape of conscious eldering.

Existing groups or age-diverse pairs are encouraged to attend together to catalyze the elder relationship toward more generative and inclusive communities.

Though it is not required to attend in pairs or groups, we encourage each attendee to consider reaching out to an elder, or someone more junior, to deepen in relational wisdom together during the retreat.

Our work together will be a fluid formation of large and small circle dialogue, group work specific to each generation, opportunities for movement, time on the land, music, poetry, and engaging in universal ritual practices. All this in service of deepening our self-awareness, sense of belonging, and our relationship to our communities and the world. 

During the 3-day retreat we will:

• Explore elderhood from various cultures and traditions
• Deepen our understanding of the role our soul is called to play in our community
• Develop mutual respect and an understanding of fair exchange in our relationships
• Explore the embracement of death as an ally
• Understand the unique opportunities that each life stage brings
• Chart a future in collaboration that further empowers and honors eldering in our communities

Guiding Questions:

Has western society lost a sense of the value and role of the elder? Did we ever have a distinction?

How do we define an elder and what role do they play?

How can we distinguish and elevate the elder in status in society while also honoring the wisdom and intuition of all ages? What is needed now?

What is wisdom and how is it lived, ripened and expressed?

NOTE: To ensure a balanced age group community, we will cap the number of more junior participants at 15 to create space for an elder (and aspiring elder) group of at least 15.

The Conscious Eldering Through Relational Wisdom Retreat is sponsored by the Wolosoff Foundation
Special thanks to our marketing partner, the Rondout Valley Holistic Health Community