SENIOR LIVING: Reaping the Harvest of a Lifetime: The Path of the S=
age,
Part 1
By FRANK KENNEY Director,
Western culture presents us with so few models of vigo= rous, actualized older adults that most people cannot honestly say, ‘yes, I want to be= an elder when I grow up.’
We don’t normally associate old age with self-development and spiritual growth.&nbs= p; According to the conventional models of life-span development, aging= is a process of gradually increasing personal diminishment and disengagement f= rom life.
But, our lifespan continues to expand and calls out for increased consciousness. If a= dded years are not matched by an expansion of awareness, life becomes depressive= and without meaning. As all older adults make the transition into what sociologists call the “Third Age,” they need a psycho-spiritual model of development that enables = them to complete their life journey, harvest the wisdom of their years, and tran= smit a legacy to future generations.
Elders have traditionally been the wardens of culture.= They have the evolutionary task of safeguarding healthy and effective parenting. They contribute wi= sdom, balanced judgment, and enduring values to a society whose moral and spiritu= al foundations have eroded over the past several centuries. Elders serve the larger world, not= from a mystic sentimentalism, but from a felt experience, matured through contemplation.
Rabbi Zalman, an advocate of elder saging observes that: “where the hero seeks victory in the outer world, the elder seeks emancipation from it, based on freedom from social convention. Finally, while the hero moves from obscurity into prominence, from present to future, the elder moves in the opposite direction, back home and towards the deeper and more fundamental strata of human experience. No matter how passionately we pursue the hero’s journey it only takes us= to the portals of old age, where we eventually must surrender our role in soci= ety and continue into the uncharted territory of spiritual eldering.”
Without the continuity of an elder tradition, young pe= ople fall prey to the excessive preoccupation with ‘n= owness,’ an attitude that invites a complete rupture with the past. Tradition is the ballast of civilization, without it we are tossed about by the arbitrary winds of fashion. But the heirs of a tradition—whether in art, science or religion—must make the leg= acy bear new fruit, otherwise it grows desiccated and eventually dies.
So, there is quite a bit to digest here. How does one even begin to sort th= rough the various traditions and practices to approach this daunting quest of spiritual eldering?
The path that I suggest is a very engaging model of eldering-- one quite adaptable to individual values and spirituality. It is called “Sage-ing.” Sage-= ing is the process of approaching the ‘Third Age’ of life as a journey filled with new possibilities, enriched with wisdom and learning gleaned fr= om life experience. Approaching = life in this positive way affirms not only the importance of contemplative pract= ice through meditation, journaling, prayer or guided imagery, but also provides= an opportunity to reflect upon personal intentions, values, interpersonal relationships and legacy.
Sage-ing principles provide a foundation for transform= ing life experience into a legacy for future generations. Ultimately, individuals are encour= aged to nurture and develop the highest qualities of spiritual maturity-- compassion, kindness, equanimity, patience and understanding, and to find applications in healing relationships, meaningful community service, and bringing personal passion and purpose to life.
The Sage-ing model was developed by Rabbi Zalman
Schachter-Shalomi, founder of The Spiritual Eldering Institute, and author =
of
the 1995 book “From Age-ing To Sage-ing.” For the past 10 years he has been
dedicated to refining and teaching these principles that address spiritual
development and the psychosocial aspects of aging. These principles have been offered=
in
small learning and discussion circles, workshops, seminars and week-long
retreats across the
Sage-ing principles do more than restore the elder to a position of honor and dignity. They envision the elder as an agent of evolution, attracted as much by the futur= e of humanity’s expanded consciousness potential as by the wisdom of the past. An elder is a person fi= lled with potential, still growing and learning and whose life continues to have promise and connection.
The Sage-ing model provides practical tools and exerci= ses to grow older with wisdom, maturity and understanding. The Sage-ing principles are not sp= ecific to any faith or denomination and will serve to enhance spiritual maturity in any faith practice. Curricula= and resource materials address psychosocial spiritual aspects of aging and are drawn from the perennial truths of wisdom, tradition and faiths.
Further study with the Sage-ing model should begin wit= h Reb Zalman’s book “From Age-ing To Sage-ing.” You could then decide to take an intensive 2-3 day introductory workshop that would provide the prerequisite training necessary to become a certified Sage-ing Leader which involves successfully completing a substantial training program over the course of a= year.
Or you could simply decide to join a Circle of Elders who meet regularly to address issues of spiritual and personal growth from a perspec= tive of contemplative maturity and wisdom and to share in meaningful and transformative conversations focusing on our expectations and experiences of aging. These Circles are mode= led on Native American elder circles—a gathering place for adults of the tri= be to listen, reflect and bring life experience to issues at hand.
This writer is a strong advocate of spiritual eldering= and the Sage-ing model, and recently completed the Sage-ing Intensive Workshop. Later this fall our= RSVP Volunteer Program plans on convening a group of elders to begin exploring a= few of the many ways elders can become more productive as healers of family, community and stewards of the earth’s resources. For more information= on the Sage-ing model or the development of our Circle of Elders contact Frank Kenney at 505-388-2523 or rsvpgrant= @zianet.com.