The Vibrant EmeritusConsciously embracing life's second journey with abundance, generativity, and blessing!For more information, see the sourceContextYour heart has been beating since you were in your mother’s womb. It will beat until the day you die. Place your hand on your heart. Can you feel your heartbeat? Can you feel deep into your heart? Can you remember how your heart beat when you were young? When you dreamed deep dreams for yourself? For your life? For how you would live? Can you feel now a longing deep in your heart? A yearning to fulfill the visions and dreams of your youthful heart? Knowing that now you have the wisdom, experience and skill to fulfill those visions? Are you listening? Are you listening to your heart? Do you feel a deep calling to discover your role as a vibrant Elder, one who has transformed knowledge and experience into wisdom? A man who is called to counsel? One who is called to heal the community?
Or do you find fear, the fear of limited capacity? The fear of loss of control? The fear of death? There is a difference between what one man has called “The Way of the Old Geezer,” and “The Way of the Vibrant Emeritus.” This is a difficult journey in the post-industrial twenty-first century where there is no defined role or specified path toward becoming an Elder. In the thousands of years that we have memory, tradition and written history, we know that as men and women aged in society, that in former ages and cultures they were honored. Yet Elders were not honored for simply growing old and were not considered to be an Elder of a community simply because they survived. They were honored because they transformed knowledge and experience into wisdom and they walked the earth as role models and teachers to those who came after them. They were seen and utilized as the keepers of wisdom, knowledge and tradition; as healers; as teachers and initiators of the young; as counselors; as mentors to the next generation. The Industrial Age changed how we perceive ourselves, how we live and how we survive in a world where we moved to the cities, worked in factories, and focused on earning money and collecting objects. Recently, we have left our neighborhoods, lost connection to community and become more and more isolated. With these societal changes, the role of the Elder has been diminished and even forgotten. At the same time, lifetimes have increased so that by age 50 we are looking at 20, 30 or even 40 more years of vibrancy. For some this might mean a life of leisure, with travel, golf or some other recreation, dining out and learning about special interests. Others might consult regarding their former profession, work part time or even pursue a second career. Some might look to Elder years as a time of bitter loneliness, ill health and dismal diminishment. Still others might feel called to a passionate and vibrant Elder life, a time marked by purpose, meaning, and the fullness that comes from giving and mentoring. These men and women become valued and honored Elders: a Vibrant Emeritus. Found in the myths, legends and stories from across the world there is a direction toward becoming a generative, abundant, wise and blessing Elder. A Vibrant Emeritus examines one's life so far and what knowledge, skill and tools one can use in the last half of one's life. With courage, one confronts one's shadows and fears that hold one back from entering fully into vibrant living. By integrating the wisdom one has gained through learning, experience and work with the joy-filled dreams of youth one is finally able to accomplish those youthful visions and dreams, integrating them with practicality. A Vibrant Emeritus chooses to fulfill the deep calling within and to become the honored Elder that resides deep in one's heart, guts, bones and sinews. It means taking on the role that Elders have taken in ancient communities and long forgotten cultures: embodying values, tradition and wisdom; telling the stories of the culture; teaching and mentoring the young; initiating young men and women into adulthood; healing, counseling; blessing and honoring those who come after; those who will, in time, become Vibrant Elders themselves. The Seven Tasks of the Vibrant Emeritus
The Vibrant Emeritus InitiationThis weekend experience initiates men into their Second Journey, a journey of vibrancy, honor, purpose and meaning. Designed for men aged 50 and older, the initiation is framed by the Seven Tasks of the Vibrant Emeritus. The initiation process includes drumming and storytelling, shadow work, visualizations, ritual, creative challenges, and spiritual exploration. Each participant will:
Essential Reading
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