This September 2017 workshop focused on concrete skills to address our anti-ageing and fear of aging attitude that devalues eldership.

It is not only a problem of society to fear ageing and misunderstand its meaning and purpose. We, ourselves, contribute to this put-down of mature and old age through our own inner attitudes, our internal ageism.

In a fun and creative atmosphere, participants created with clay, engaging in play as a way to reach feelings often hard to explain in words. The workshop used art, yoga, poetry and literature, to reach undiscovered regions of the mind, body and soul – and explored how to continue to be an active participant and guide in our societies.

The idea and skill of “eldership” provides a guidepost for all yearning for consciousness in these turbulent times. In this six-day residential workshop (Part One of a Four Part Series) participants explored eldership as an attitude we can learn and practice at any age – though often we are pushed, sometimes against our will, to learning eldership through the many ups and downs we experience through life and with the benefit of time and perspective.

The participants of this workshop were:

1 Youth, middle-aged adults, and mature ‘elders’ all coming together to share and delight in their experiences and shared wisdom, and hone their skills in eldership;

2 Providers and professionals in the field of eldercare, wanting to learn new ways to work with and be with elders;

3 People of any age who desire a life of meaning with a different, eldership-informed awareness and understanding of life – a view of life backwards, through the lens of timeless virtues and values; and

4 Those searching for mysteries and wonderment that lie beyond everyday life.