Aging with vitality, grace, self love and compassion, along with a huge dose of humor, is our greatest accomplishment. After all, getting older is something many will never experience.
The Japanese say – Shi Bui – which translates as the beauty of aging.
Rather than being a fall away from beauty in all of it’s meanings, aging can be the revelation of beauty, the time when the inner radiance becomes visible.
Shining from the inside we honor our natural presence by finding dignity, reverence, belonging, resilience, humor, our own unique artistry and wholeness – from within our ageless “self”.
Not domesticated nor held captive by defined cultural conditioning, belief systems and expectations of aging, but instead embraced by, and in alignment with, our wild essential nature.
“Freedom is not simply the absence of necessity; it is the poise of the soul at one with a life which honors and engages its creative possibility.” John O’Donohue
Aging is not something that happens to us, but that we create with, and ride the inevitable challenges along the way. The recognition that there is always an ember of creative fire waiting within the perception of any given moment, ready to burst into flame.
Most recognize the many stages they have traveled through in their lives. At each stage we were given a pallet of colors and choices.
The elder years are simply a different pallet, but no less the vibrancy of choices – even though our minds may want to take us into scarcity, fears and diminishing returns, especially as we seem to become more vulnerable.
Making choices as the possibilities emerge is a form of an ecstatic, free flow, creative soul motion life dance. It is indeed an art form where the energy arising becomes the guidance of the moment.
To be aligned with this creative energy of the universe means to connect, cultivate, create and embody.
We have many stories within us from past ancestral roots. Yet what is it that we are creating now in this moment that calls us out of our protectiveness and into new territory of vulnerability?
Are we listening? Where are we placing our attention?
What do we value in the present moment….and where will that lead?
What identities have we locked ourselves into that keep us from our untamed expression and are ready to be discarded?
Vitality is a measure of our presence to the quality of life moments no matter what challenge is unfolding.
This is not about “anti-aging”, but instead about a deep acceptance of the stage of life we have entered and the immense creative potential always lying in wait.
Finding the beauty in aging is more conscious than trying to stop it. It is part of the life cycle and the deeper rhythms pulsing within, exquisitely aligned with the natural world.
How we age is really up to us and the stories we tell ourselves and each other. You will find these stories here and resources to captivate, cultivate and inspire.
In the spirit of acceptance and appreciation for who you have been….and are becoming,
A community of conscious and creative elders who embody life as a gift to be played out…..until the very end!
“The flower is always the bud’s undoing. Let go then. Step into the river, lean into the wind, let the strength of the earth rise through you. Watch your fingertips burst into bloom. “ Pauithra Mehta GAYE ABBOTT : I burst into elderhood without…
Copyright Artwork by Jennifer Rugge
Be inspired by and become curious about the elders who are a part of this community. You too can be spotlighted by going to the Elder Spotlight page!
Artistry Of Aging Conversations: Opportunity to dialog with other elders globally via Zoom. If you would like to be a part of this on going community, joining in whenever you are available, let us know! For More of Gael McKenzie’s offerings click HERE
“Scientists tell us that the eye of a storm is the calmest place, that includes tornadoes and hurricanes. Given the utter destruction and chaos caused by severe weather it’s hard to imagine that there is motionlessness, as well. Could that be the same for human beings? Despite what the outer environment might look like, within each of us …”
“I sit here contemplating a human lifetime. One single embodied lifetime we are gifted with through our parents, the lineage that came before them, and the overall mystery of life. What I have come to in this moment is that all is a matter of perspective – what lens we choose to see through. Whether we march to the tune of the cultural narrative around us, are controlled by our race, religion, family of origin or gender – or free ourselves to ride the wave of becoming, trusting that very unfolding in every single moment possible no matter the barriers in our way.”
These days we are acutely aware of our vulnerability with a global pandemic, social/civil unrest, political upheavals, environmental devastation and so much more – pressured onto our attention by the media and the mainstream narrative. Resilience is being talked about endlessly with an abundance…