WISDOM OF ELDERS

The WisdOm of Elders

31/3/2019

‘Wisdom’ per se is not by any means a function of age. Wisdom may come from anyone – even a small child may astound those around them with a wise comment or observation on life. Wisdom can be felt in youngsters and we all know the saying “She’s wiser than her years.”

Yet years lived do not necessarily guarantee that one will be wise in their old age. We all know many people who have become more and more withdrawn from life with the passing years. Elder wisdom can be accessed at any age although sometimes people never manage to connect to it.

Elder wisdom comes when one has divested themselves of the pressures of life and moved out of emotional reactions to situations and instead approaches everything before them with the wisdom of understanding and allowing.

Once living this way, there is a deep connection to the inner wisdom that never imposes upon another. It only allows each individual to find their own way. When needed, the wisdom is conveyed when asked for, and then only as much as the person needs, never any more or less.

Elder wisdom is a lived truth that radiates out like a nurturing wash of love. It comes with full acceptance of oneself, which provides a deep understanding and thus an acceptance of others.

AGEING IN SOCIETY - WHAT DOES OUR FUTURE HOLD?

30/3/2019

Is there another way to age rather than the commonly accepted picture our western society currently holds about ageing and how the aged are treated?

Perhaps it is time we changed the way we view ageing and altered the labels we have created that identify the concept of getting older.

LOVE IS FOREVER

27/2/2019

Am I living or dying? I’m alive, therefore, I am living.
Whatever our age, whatever our physical state of being, while we are alive we are living and we can live life to the full. Having a life-limiting illness or disease or a physical disability does not prevent us from deepening our understanding of who we are and the reflection we can offer to those around us.

RESPONSIBILITY – MY ONGOING THOUGHTS

30/1/2019

Did anyone see the video of the driverless car that was recently being trialed in the US? It had a driver sitting in it, but the car was on automatic mode and hit and killed a woman who was walking her bike across the road. The video showed the ‘driver’ sitting behind the wheel looking down, probably texting on his phone, and suddenly looking up with horror on his face as he realised what has happened.

GROWING UP IN A CATHOLIC FAMILY – WHERE FEAR AND CONTROL WERE THE ORDER OF THE DAY

30/12/2018

I was brought up in a Chronically Catholic Family where the church ruled our existence in every aspect.
We had the added bonus (not) of actually living right next door to the Presbytery (they call them Parish Houses these days), which just so happened to be next door to the Parish Church itself. This enabled both my parents to attend mass pretty much every single day.

EASY ON THE EYE – SELF-WORTH AND DAMNING MESSAGES

30/11/2018

I woke this morning feeling my femininity and quietly said to myself, “I think I’ll wear a skirt today.” Then out of nowhere I remembered the cursing cry of a young man calling out as I walked past him and his group of friends at the football. In a booming voice came the cry, “Those would have to be the skinniest pair of legs I’ve ever seen!” I was 18 or 19 and the shouted message was directed at me and in that moment my self-worth plummeted.

JUDGING THE ELDERLY – IS IT WISE?

29/11/2018

We look at old people residing in nursing homes and what do we see? Most times we see someone who is bent, deaf, slow to move and sometimes slow to understand and we judge them as being useless, but is that wise?
All of these people have lived a long life – they may have done things we never had an opportunity to do because ‘back in the day’ things were different.

VITALITY OF A DAFFODIL

30/10/2018

Even though a daffodil fades at the end of spring, there is a well of life held within the bulb, which is ready to sprout again in response to the call of the seasons . . .

Could it be that this life within me is like the vitality within the daffodil bulb that causes that bulb to flourish?

VITALITY – ALWAYS THERE WHENEVER WE CHOOSE TO LIVE IT

16/10/2018

How is our vitality affected when we are faced with new challenges?

Recently my husband underwent open-heart surgery. This has been a very big deal for him, as he was forced to go from being an active, strong worker to being an invalid, who was totally dependent for a while and very weak. It meant big changes for both of us.

A CONVERSATION ABOUT ‘AGEING WITH VITALITY’

30/9/2018

I am extremely fortunate to live in a community where the majority of the people are what I call ‘switched on.’ The are committed to their own health and the health of their families, friends and larger community and by this I mean physical and mental health and emotional well-being. They are very conscious of the quality of food they eat, when they eat and why they eat.

LIVING A VITAL LIFE WITHOUT STIMULANTS

29/9/2018

I used to be a very active sort of person who would make lists and tick them off – the sort of person you could rely on to get things done. Then one day I got sick and had to stop doing everything. After about a week I went back to having my morning coffee again and I could not believe how buzzy I felt. I did not like it at all. Being so sensitive after my illness I could easily feel how it took me ‘up’ and then dropped me ‘down’.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE AN OLDER PERSON?

30/7/2018

I find it quite hard to relate to what ‘being older’ and ‘ageing’ means for me and as I reflected on this I realised that it’s because age and growing old come with a load of beliefs, expectations and images of what it means, and to be honest, I don’t relate to this and I really don’t want to ‘buy it’! The picture of ageing carries the expectation of becoming invisible, being useless, no longer employable, losing our independence, losing our minds, needing help, doddery, forgetful, etc.

ELDER WISDOM - DOES IT COME WITH A RESPONSIBILITY?

29/6/2018

What do we mean by ‘Elder Wisdom’? What does it entail and who is privy to it? Have I got it? My age (three score years and ten plus a little more) could suggest that I might qualify and that I have wisdom to share. But is it more than just the accumulation of years and life experiences? Could there also be an element of responsibility that brings with it a deeper understanding of life?

RESPONSIBILITY

30/5/2018

When I started to write about responsibility I really did not realise what a huge area this is to cover. I think I was simply thinking about personal responsibility and what that meant to each individual in their own life. But then of course there is the wider responsibility from self to others and to community and to the world and to humanity in general. So, then I thought to start with irresponsibility and see where that led. So here goes.

NOSTALGIA, REFLECTION AND OUR CHOICES AS WE AGE

30/3/2018

There is a natural process of reflection that occurs at the conclusion of any cycle. Birthdays, the turn of the year, times of transition like the changing of homes, jobs and relationships. With every ending, there is a new beginning and the ending of our cycle on earth is one that is celebrated in this same manner by some elders as they reflect on the life they have lived. ,

MY TEACHER, THE PLATYPUS

30/11/2017

In a very special moment, on my daughter Kate’s birthday several months ago, we stood in stillness together by the river bank on our small farm silently asking, and not one, but two platypuses blessed us with their presence. The platypus is an amazing creature. Its biological name shows it confused even the early biologists who tried to classify it.

CLAIRSENTIENCE AT ANY AGE

1/8/2017

Recently I was sitting with my 2 year old grandson on my lap watching a pre-school magic performance by a visiting ‘magician’. I felt the energy of the magician; it felt imposing and demanded a response from the audience. He was constantly revving up the children to respond with shouting answers and to participate in the show. While watching the performance, my grandson started to shrink further into my lap, the energy was making him recoil.

CLAIRSENTIENCE LET'S CLAIM IT!

30/7/2017

Clairsentience is the feeling sense we are all born with but which is not often acknowledged as we go about our every day. It is that sense that something is not right, the disconnect between what is presented and what is really going on, like when someone presents a pleasant smile and friendly words but you feel that it is a false front.

CLAIRSENTIENCE - COULD IT BE THE SAME AS OUR SIXTH SENSE?

28/6/2017

Is the title of this article really plausible – is there a relationship between what we imagine clairsentience is and what we would consider our sixth sense to be? Would this relationship stand up in the scientific world of ‘true facts’?
We are all familiar with the five senses – touch, taste, smell, sight and hearing. If we are healthy and well these faculties are fully functioning and, we, of course, use them every day.

My clairsentience and how it has always been there

28/6/2017

I was 6 months old, gorgeous, cute as ever and travelling to Japan with my mother. When I got to my grandparent’s house, the first thing I can remember hearing my mother say is, “She is the most beautiful baby.” (Said in Japanese, but I understood every word.) Then I heard my grandmother say, “Yeah sure, that’s what every mother says, come on let’s have a look at her!”

RECLAIMING MY FEMALENESS IN MY SEVENTIES

12/5/2017

We so often hear that the years after 50 are the downhill ones, particularly for the woman’s body!
Menopause seems to be the signalling point of the start of the decline – where our body is supposed to start wrinkling up, drying up and even, horror of horrors, shrivelling up. And for many years I thought the same, but recently I have learnt differently. . .

WHAT YOU SEE IS NOT ALWAYS WHAT YOU SEE!

31/3/2017

What do we really see? This is a question I have asked myself often, especially after I’ve finished a painting and I sit and feel into what I have put on canvas or paper. What I have found is that whether it’s a work of art or simply just looking at nature, people or places, there is always a deeper way of looking at anything. Do we, as the old saying goes, ‘look through rose coloured glasses’ or ‘see only what we want to see?’’

WE LIVE IN CYCLES

28/2/2017

Learning to live my life in cycles has brought much harmony to my body. Spending my childhood on a farm in a dry climate, I was impressed from a young age with our dependence on water, for growing crops as well as for our household use. The seasonal rotation of crops aligned to the four seasons.

NEVER TOO LATE

29/11/2016

Amazingly I have found that it is never too late to turn life around. I say this not sentimentally nor idealistically, but from the absolute reality of the true vitality and beauty that is now reflected and seen in my body as I approach seventy. I do not look thirty years old, nor do I want to.

I am utterly enjoying being an elder woman who feels divine and can look elegant . . . and at the same time can enjoy ‘funky.’

All written content copyright © 2016 Anne McRitchie, Rowena Parkes and all Authors as mentioned.
Photos copyright © by the photographers: Alan Johnston, Clayton Lloyd, Dean Whitling, Desiree Delaloye, Iris Pohl, Steffi Henn, Steve Leca ,
Shannon Everest, Matt Paul, Gayle Cue