Elder Values

Elder Values

Elder Nomad Sven

Seeing a rainbow makes my heart stop - a double rainbow - well - that’s something miraculous that inspires a lot of wishful thinking, dreams, hopes and desires. What’s behind it all? Our journey every so often pauses long enough for us to take in these moments and think about what we value today as our moments unfolds.

Often we are unconsciously aware of our surroundings and we have to work at being consciously aware of what is core in our lives. Values are values - there is nothing particularly unique about elder values other than our attention to them and a deeper understanding over time. They are the inner foundation of our outward lives - a moral compass governing our behaviors and defines who we are.

Values can be viewed through many lenses - work, character and personal are three. It’s rare to get them to overlap or align continuously throughout our journey. As we think about harvesting the gifts of our lives we would benefit by thinking of the values we hold - and decide which ones matter most to us. When we know our own core values we can be more present for the moments that matter. Values are yours - not someone else’s and not what others say they should be.

Rainbows can be a form of currency for our aspirations. Elder Nomads ask themselves if it is the right thing to do, within their potential and part of the role their soul intends to fulfill.

Elder Nomad

Elder Nomad

Nomads can be defined as people who move from place to place. An Elder Nomad - those of a greater age than others around them - hence - elder - may be moving differently - they might be moving between physical, mental, spiritual and emotional realms.

Often nomads are romanticized as having wanderlust - I suspect it may be more wander-lost - searching for meaning and purpose by looking to a future “out there” rather than being here now - exploring what is before them. How elder nomads go about their exploration is worth discussion.

Elder Nomads see the possibilities each day brings - moving their practice towards mastery - with feelings akin to when they were young and experiences were new and exciting. Elder Nomads are thankful for each day - good or bad - happy or sad - a perspective enriched over time. Some have always been nomadic - others are learning at a later stage.

Elder Nomads thrive in transition - accepting change as a natural and inevitable sign of their growth - experiencing a range of emotions and catching moments of insight. Elder Nomads are as varied as the life history they bring forth on their journey.

Each of us should welcome our nomadic journey as it brings greater self-awareness and awakening to the timeless connections we have to each other. You can be an elder at any age. You can be a nomad at any stage. Embrace the wonder. Cherish it.

Elder Mastery

The journey begins whenever you are ready - starts from where you are and moves forward for as long as you consciously practice. There doesn’t have to be an end game - it can be infinite and continuous. My first experience of mastery principles was reading the book Mastery by George Leonard. Five steps seemingly so simple: instruction, practice, surrender, intentionality, edge and yet so difficult to stay the course when younger. In the elder third of my life I move away from being the dabbler, the obsessive or the hacker. I am finding I can try, fail, and try again. My journey is moving into writing a short course in mastery - what I have learned and how it might guide others.

Elder Journey

Ever get that feeling - something is different and you just can’t put your finger on it? Maybe you’re listening to a song and you hear “something’s happening here, what it is ain’t exactly clear.” and you quietly smile. You don’t know when you’ll get that feeling and often it’s bittersweet. You have to work through it because the event is one thing - the process you go through - the transition - is altogether different.

Change is an event - transitions are a journey - a continuously unfolding future from each moment. It has always been this way - timeless and unique for each of us - like rocks on the shoreline - the water ever so slowly wearing away the surface.. The way the water washes over the rocks is as important as what it yields.

Where we are - physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually - is never neutral - shaping our behaviors and actions which over time reflect who and what we are as individuals, within groups and among communities. Ways we connect have changed. Work environments have changed. We have changed. How we transition is as important as the change itself. Yet, at the core - human values and physical laws remain.

When the way we look at the world changes - our world changes. Being positive does not mean everything will work out - it means being ready to accept however things work out. This takes time. Be kind to yourself and others. If you don’t take care of yourself how can you even think of helping others?

Consider exploring elder mastery as part of your journey..

Elder Reflection

Elder Reflection

If the world is our perfect mirror - a reflection of our joys and challenges - how can we harness the power of the insights we gain? And what would we like to reflect back upon the world? Reflection comes in many forms crystalizing our inner journey of personal and spiritual exploration. We can discover deep sources of intuition, creativity and wisdom. One way to harness the power of reflection is adding a life review to your practice and harvesting moments from the cycle of your life. It can bring a profound awareness of wholeness. We tend to forget many of our experiences through childhood, adolescence, middle age to wherever you are now. I am beginning to understand that I had many great experiences in my life - I just wish I had be more present for them. Now I can grasp the larger patterns that connect them. As moments surface we can reflect on them without judgement. You might do these in cycles, seasons or months. For myself, I chose seven-year periods over twelve months which puts me in the October of my life. Each time I go back to add to my life review I find my memory is sharper and more focused as stories and scenes surface - long hidden from my consciousness. The richness of our lives are both joyful and sorrowful, we need to take it all in for overarching patterns to emerge. Often there are incomplete stories that yearn to be completed - made whole. while others may be best left incomplete. This exercise becomes part of an elder mastery practice and does not need to be finished all at once - it can be picked up over time. In fact - you really don’t need to commit anything to paper - reflection can be done anywhere, anytime and for however long you choose. It it’s to be - it’s up to you.