WILDLY FREE ELDER
The Artistry of Aging
Day 20: Elder Muse – Carpe Diem
‘None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm’.
Henry David Thoreau
Of Note: This post first published June 2020 on Wildly Free Elder under the title “A Few Words on Aging”. This was the month that this website and community were created, so a bit nostalgic for me. Felt like the perfect post for today two and half years later. I still absolutely love the Green Renaissance video below and adore Maureen and her zest for life. Every time I watch it I smile!
The natural evolution of an embodied human is to change with each year we are here. Not just physically, but within the heart of our emotions and in the deepest energetic recesses of our mind, thinking and creative potential.
For some this is a very conscious process. An unfolding of acceptance, transparency, trust and surrender revealing our life path. Every year brings new opportunities and awareness.
Some accept the societal story and common narrative of aging, or impulsively seek the next “anti-aging” supplement or practice which denies what is a natural process for all living beings.
The continuum of birth to death reveals a pathway uniquely our own. No one else has our challenges, experiences, opportunities and possibilities.
For some this is a short spectrum and filled with challenges that can’t simply be overcome with facing them head on. Acceptance of disabilities, dis-ease and even death are at the forefront during these final embodied years.
Impermanence beckons us from everywhere. We see it in nature, our friends and loved ones, the animals special to us and at every turn of life. Everything ages and dies within the cycles and rhythms of life here on Earth.
What our unique path will be is simply a matter of perception and is revealed in our unfolding life moments. That we will transition in death at some point is inevitable.
Many of us have been blessed with more embodied life moments to dig deep and have found our passions buried beneath complacency, fixed identities that do not honor the wild soul inside, and ungrounded fears. Free of the pressures and stresses of youth and mid-life we are invited into the stage of elderhood.
Elder saturated in the experiences, wisdom and innate sense of belonging, woven with an unrelenting sense of humor that surfaces in a multitude of moments during our days no matter what chronological age we are.
Being an Elder is not defined by age, but rather Elders are recognized because they have earned the respect of their community through wisdom and actions or their teachings; through the vibrancy that radiates out from their presence and the unique artistry that only they can bring into the world.
Let us return to acknowledging elders in the fullest sense of the powerful presence they can be and are becoming. Respecting the life artistry that has been necessary to bring them to where they are today.
As we ripen into our aging beauty may we be heard, seen and respected for what we have to offer. May we trust and respect our own becoming with grace, curiosity and surrender.…and a strong dose of humor!
The time is now to free yourself into the wildness of elderhood. To ground who you are and what you have to bring into the very center of your being in spite of the challenges, or better yet because of the challenges!
You have stories to tell, wisdom to share and artistry to impart.
Don’t die now….before you die!
To be part of our film making journey – https://www.patreon.com/greenrenaissance Filmed in Napier, South Africa.
Who is Green Renaissance? We are a tiny collective of 3 passionate filmmakers (Michael, Justine and Jackie). We live off-grid and dedicate our time to making films that we hope will inspire and share ideas.
Copyright by Gaye Abbott, 6/2020, Natural Passages Consulting
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Gaye Abbott, Wildly Free Elder, 12/20/22
Day 19: Elder Muse – A Penquin Kind of Day
Exploring the natural world has been a lifelong passion for me and has fueled endless curiosity. As I layer clothing this morning to keep warm outside my attention goes to Winter, the Solstice only two days away
So today I am sharing some footage of a penguin colony focusing on one very small baby, the last to hatch. The social structure not so different from ours, and coming of age having it’s ups and downs too.
In the wild, penguin lifespans range from 6 to 25 years depending on their species and the particular aquatic ecosystem they inhabit. On average, however, penguins usually live to between 15 and 20 years to qualify for elderhood.
Did you know that mother penguins have pouches? Immerse yourself in their world…
Video above is a short clip from the 2016 film Snow Chick: A Penguin’s Tale:
This enchanting film follows the adventures of one charismatic emperor penguin from the time he emerges from the egg to the moment he leaves for the sea. Emperor penguins grow up during the winter in one of the coldest places on Earth – the Antarctic. The conditions are harsh and chicks must endure temperatures of minus 60 degrees Celsius and terrifying blizzards. This film follows the trials and tribulations of one adorable fluffy chick – from his first tentative steps on the ice, to getting lost, to hanging out with the other chicks. It also shows the lengths his parents will go to provide food, overcoming huge obstacles, avoiding predators like leopard seals, and enduring freezing conditions. Full of tense and moving moments as well as comedy and character, Snow Chick follows the emperor penguin’s life story in a level of detail never attempted before.
Welcome to BBC EARTH! The world is an amazing place full of stories, beauty and natural wonder. Here you’ll find 50 years worth of entertaining and thought-provoking natural history content. Dramatic, rare, and exclusive, nature doesn’t get more exciting than this.
Want to share your views with the team? Join our BBC Studios Voice: https://www.bbcstudiosvoice.com/register
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You can find ALL of the 31-Days Elder Muse posts in the archives here: https://wildlyfreeelder.com/2022/12/
Gaye Abbott, Wildly Free Elder, 12/19/22
Day 18: Elder Muse – A Creative Life
‘Art is not simply works of art; it is the spirit that knows beauty, that has music in its soul and the color of sunsets in its handkerchief, that can dance on a flaming world and make the world dance too.”
W.e.B. Du Bois
When we reach elderhood many of us start thinking about and opening into creative pursuits, whether we have been an artist all our lives, dabbled in the arts, or simply felt called to explore. As we reach elderhood many of us start feeling an inner urging to explore and discover through some form of creative expression.
My lifelong creative pursuits were mostly writing and some form of movement or dance, and of course the integrative health and well being arts. But somehow I now feel I have missed an entire realm filled with potential creative explorations. I have felt this way on and off throughout my life but have put it aside for the “business” of the day.
Now yearning to explore color, texture, form and shape, I am curious as to not only what will emerge, but how I will feel during the process. I am aware that creative practice is a way to access a meditative state of mind and a flow of feelings. In turn it can also reveal the depths of who we are, what we have experienced in our lives…. .and who we are becoming.
Below is a Green Renaissance video revealing 4 elders who have found unique ways to explore and live within creativity and access their inner resources. For some it is healing and for others it frees their souls and opens their hearts…..
Jul 15, 2020 “As humans, we have a challenge that other organisms don’t have. We are confronted with way more reality than any of us can stomach. The question is, how do we release the tensions that build up in our anxious human lives?
“Art is a guarantee to sanity,” said Louise Bourgeois. Creative practice is a way to access a meditative state of mind, breaking free from the constant debilitating chatter of the mind. It also taps into the deep unconscious and allows us to tune in to how we’re feeling inside, which can bring about profound healing.
The final result is not what matters. What is important is how the process of creating makes you feel. Why not use creativity as a way of spending some quiet time by yourself. “
To be part of our film making journey : https://www.patreon.com/greenrenaissance. Who is Green Renaissance? We are Michael and Justine – passionate filmmakers, living off-grid and dedicating our time to making films that we hope will inspire and share hope and positivity out into the world.
This film features : Dawn Garisch, Gina Niederhumer, Ole Jakob Nielsen and Kyoko Kimura Morgan Filmed in South Africa and the Faroe Islands
Editing – by Jackie Viviers Sound mix – by Tamryn Breakey
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Please note that all blog posts can be seen on the HOME page if you scroll down to the bottom for Archives
You can find ALL of the 31-Days Elder Muse posts in the archives here: https://wildlyfreeelder.com/2022/12/
Gaye Abbott, Wildly Free Elder, 12/17/22
Day 17: Elder Muse – Breath of Joy
What if the breath was a pathway to joy?
There is a very old Chinese saying that says, “One who half breathes, half lives.” When you are feeling fatigue, lethargy, slight depression, or inability to focus have you ever taken a Breath Break?
You may find that your breathing has some restrictions. The good news is that you can choose to change that in any given moment. Shallow, upper chest, or restricted breathing represents so many things. It is a pattern not in alignment with well being, but instead restriction, limitation, and shutting down on life – YOUR LIFE!
Have you ever held your nose and tried to taste something? Or maybe you did that when you were young and your parents wanted you to eat something that you didn’t want to eat…so you held your nose and ate it because you couldn’t taste it, right?!
Shutting down on the breath shuts down more than just the breath. It obviously impacts your health and aliveness, but it also shuts down your joy and pleasure of living, being in the moment, your creativity, and your ability to “taste life”.
As a yoga therapist I always felt that restoring a full embodied breath was the most basic foundation for health. The stresses of life can potentially lock down this very breath that we were innately born with.
Below is a practice that I regularly taught students and clients. Breath of Joy has the power to refresh and renew bringing not only fresh oxygen into your body, but a much needed energy boost and even an attitude adjustment.
Let me know if you try it!
Soft Cover Spiral Bound Versions
And HERE for E-book!
http://gayeabbott.net/books/
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Gaye Abbott, Wildly Free Elder, 12/17/22
Day 16: Elder Muse – A Change of Pace
Photo: Grammy award winner Jon Cleary, born in England and bred in New Orleans
A little change of pace today! Every day I open myself to see what comes through to send on out to y’all. This morning I was struck by music – the kind that I can’t stay still around.
Knowing that everyone’s choice in music is vastly different I invite you to try on a different genre today. The music of Jon Cleary and The Absolute Monster Gentlemen – New Orleans funk and blues band…. always with SOUL. Born in England he traveled to New Orleans, LA as an 18 year old and never really came back except to visit.
When my dear Canadian friend Brian, who is a classically trained musician turned improv funky piano player, recommended I check out this man and his band I was a goner after listening to the song below and in checking out more (below/below).
Appreciating all kinds of music I have to say I have always been a funk, R&B, and soul music lover. My body simply couldn’t stay still with these beats. Enjoy!
….and if you liked that here is over an hour from a recent Blues Festival in 2022 withThe Absolute Monster Gentlemen, superb musicians on their own. Dance the beat baby…..
Short Bio: “Though originally from Kent, England, Jon Cleary’s name is synonymous with the storied New Orleans piano tradition. After leading his own band in the U.K. he relocated to NOLA. A regular at the legendary Maple Leaf Bar’s piano during off-hours, he was drafted to play a set that James Booker hadn’t shown up for. His performance earned him a steady gig with Walter Wolfman Washington. His reputation spread quickly due in large part to fiery solo shows. As a session player Cleary has also worked with rock, blues, and R&B artists including Bonnie Raitt, D’Angelo, Taj Mahal, and Eric Clapton. Whether playing solo or with his group, the Absolute Monster Gentlemen, Cleary is a must-see concert stages, and his recordings have been widely celebrated.”
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You can find ALL of the 31-Days Elder Muse posts in the archives here: https://wildlyfreeelder.com/2022/12/
Gaye Abbott, Natural Passages Consulting, 12/15/22. Please feel free to share this post and link to WildlyFreeElder
Day 15: Elder Muse – Eldering Magic Within Nature
Have you ever been so immersed in nature that you truly felt you had become one with it?
A conceptual collaborative photography project between Finnish and Norwegian artists Riitta Ikonen and Karoline Hjorth started off as a riff on traditional Nordic folklore….and then transformed to individual elders all over the world communing with nature in a way they had most probably never imagined. Becoming the center point – celebrated, valued and seen. A woven tapestry of communion with the natural world.
“Throughout history, elders have been traditionally revered for their experience and wisdom. Now, however, seniors often admit they feel as if they’ve been erased from the larger cultural conversation. But, by incorporating older models as almost sculptural elements into their compositions, Ikonen and Hjorth have created a body of work that takes ostensibly invisible individuals and makes them the center of attention.”
I invite you to click on the link for the article below to view the magic that happens when elders deeply connect with nature….and themselves.
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Please note that all blog posts can be seen on the HOME page if you scroll down to the bottom for Archives
You can find ALL of the 31-Days Elder Muse posts in the archives here: https://wildlyfreeelder.com/2022/12/
Gaye Abbott, Natural Passages Consulting, 12/15/22. Please feel free to share this post and link to WildlyFreeElder
Day 14: Elder Muse -The Wild Divinity of “Home”
French Broad River at Stackhouse Bend, N. Carolina
Originally Posted on Breathing Spaces, April 25, 2021 by Gaye Abbott, Edited 12/2022
“I would love to live like a river flows, carried by the surprise of its own unfolding.”
~ John O’Donohue
Have you ever found yourself wondering what “home” means to you personally? The mystics say it resides inside and I agree with this. Yet, there is much more to this journey to reflect upon, let go into…. and be present to.
Perhaps this is a quest we are on our entire lives.
I love the term “wild divinity” in the excerpt below – “resting in the house of our own heart”. As we age this somehow becomes easier to do as the striving and outward focused actions fall away and the inner “home guidance system” takes precedence.
“Each one of us is alone in the world. It takes great courage to meet the full force of your aloneness. Most of the activity in society is subconsciously designed to quell the voice crying in the wilderness within you.
The mystic Thomas Kempis said that when you go out into the world, you return having lost some of yourself. Until you learn to inhabit your aloneness, the lonely distraction and noise of society will seduce you into false belonging, with which you will only become empty and weary.
When you face your aloneness, something begins to happen. Gradually, the sense of bleakness changes into a sense of true belonging. This is a slow and open-ended transition but it is utterly vital in order to come into rhythm with your own individuality.
In a sense this is the endless task of finding your true home within your life. It is not narcissistic, for as soon as you rest in the house of your own heart, doors and windows begin to open outwards to the world. No longer on the run from your aloneness, your connections with others become real and creative. You no longer need to covertly scrape affirmation from others or from projects outside yourself.
This is slow work; it takes years to bring your mind home.“
John O’Donohue, Irish poet and philosopher
Excerpt from ETERNAL ECHOES
http://johnodonohue.com
“Your vision is your home and your home should have many mansions to shelter your wild divinity.”
~John O’Donohue
Crossing the threshold into this wild divinity of our own heart brings a “belonging” that never goes away. This is foundation – the bricks, mortar and rooted earth – that brings with it the freedom to surrender into the next relationship, artistry, move, endeavor, location….life moment.
Having completed a 7th relocation almost two years ago now to the temperate rain forest area of Western N. Carolina I have been in the process of re-calibrating. Going deeper into unknown territory, using challenges as stepping stones for this next chapter of life.
On the outside it may look like I have been searching for a home and never quite getting there. This last time leaping from wildfires, air pollution, rolling blackouts and high daily living expense in California to a more elemental earth and water home sanctuary in Western N. Carolina surrounded by the ancient Blue Ridge Mountains, aligns with the “home” inside of me. Yet the loss of being close in distance to sons, grandchildren and friends is part of the letting go journey as well.
I find the wild beauty and grounding of the natural world and the ancient Blue Ridge Mountains serving as guidance whispered into my heart and soul as a reminder of building inner resilience, acceptance and trust.
When “home” resides in the wild divinity of the heart each place you find yourself – whether staying in a community where you were born and have established connections or exploring other cultures and landscapes – will serve as an awakening in and to life……
FREE E-Book: Finding Home: Conscious Embodied Relocation
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Please note that all blog posts can be seen on the HOME page if you scroll down to the bottom for Archives
You can find ALL of the 31-Days Elder Muse posts in the archives here: https://wildlyfreeelder.com/2022/12/
Gaye Abbott, Natural Passages Consulting, 12/14/22. Please feel free to share this post and link to WildlyFreeElder
Day 13: Elder Muse – The Wisdom of Elders
“Knowledge comes from learning. Wisdom comes from living.”
There are moments when I reflect on the fact that I have lived 35 year longer than my mother did. She never had the opportunity to even come close to elderhood. I wonder how she would have walked that path? I will never know….
Living into and embracing our own aging is an art. I can’t say that I have perfected it but I can say I am aware that every day is an opportunity to explore, discover, be curious, accept the challenges and learn from them.
Isn’t it in the stumbling and struggling, in our vulnerability and fragility, that we find our way – and only then the wisdom reveals itself. We pave the way in our mutual co-creation shining the light for others who look to us for guidance.
I invite you to watch this 18-minute TED Talk by Dennis Stamper if you have at all questioned what being an elder is all about. He speaks to his journey and that of so many of us. Articulate, soulful and wise presentation!
ABOUT ELDER MUSE – 31-DAYS IN DECEMBER, 2022
Taking responsibility for our own journey is at times incredibly challenging. For those of you who read this blog regularly you may have noticed there was only one blog post published from September-November.
I was on a journey of exploration and discovery on how it felt to work a temporary part time mainstream job 20-hours/week, as well as continue on with my own private house/pet sitting business at the same time. It seemed my writing and creativity went into a hibernation of sorts.
I became acutely aware of what is most important to me at this precious elder time of life..and what is not. What opens me to wholeness, creativity, compassion, beauty, peace of mind and love….and what shuts me down into scarcity and contraction in the midst, of “busyness”. .
From this short 3-month experience the “elder muse” made an appearance and patiently waited to reveal a plan to re-engage with creative artistry when the timing was right. Over the next 31 days you will receive a daily Elder Muse blog post accessed from the unfolding of the day – not planned or scheduled.
I have no idea what will arise…..but then do we really know ahead of time what our moment to moment daily experience will be? We are only asked to pay attention.
Case in point – Just now I almost missed this sunrise extravaganza while focused on the words instead of the ever transitioning beauty emerging right out the window…….
I appreciate that you will be along with me for this journey. Please feel free to make comments or add your own insights and humor…..
In Gratitude & Appreciation!
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DECEMBER 2022: ELDER MUSE BLOG POSTS: https://wildlyfreeelder.wordpress.com/2022/12/
Day 12: Elder Muse – Dancing With Trees
1600 year old ancient Oak, South Carolina
Today’s post is a reprint from Breathing Spaces published October 3, 2021. For some reason this morning I was drawn to look back at some posts I had written in the past and was particularly drawn to this one. Not only because it brought back memories of 4-year old Liam planting his acorns so there would be more trees to be with, but also for the deeply relevant video with Sue Swain, filmed by Green Renaissance, in moments when I needed to be reminded to….dance with life….Gaye Abbott
A very young voice filtered out from the trees at the local Nature Park where I walk every morning, only 2 blocks from my home. 4-year-old Liam and his father were out in nature for some father and son time this cloudy Sunday morning.
When I engaged with Liam, back pack on and a map in his hand, he told me that they were looking for acorns to plant in the park so more trees could grow. The map with a highlighted strip across it apparently guided Liam and his father along the path, and his backpack held a small container of gathered acorns, which he was very proud of.
We talked about squirrels and how they gather acorns for the Winter, and Liam was most insistent that they couldn’t bury them in the ground because the dirt would go right through their claws. With a little more conversation Liam understood how squirrels could store the nuts away, and then he was off on the path looking for a place to plant the acorns. A little later on I came across them again and Liam was planting his acorns in a place where the potential oak trees could grow and thrive.
Dancing with trees? Most certainly within a young boys context and with his father’s guidance. This young child is learning within nature that we as humans are a part, not separate, and that our conscious actions can make a difference. He is learning to dance with life!
My hope is that LIam goes on in his life connecting as deeply as he did today – with his father, with the trees, with the squirrels, with the dirt – and understands how everything is woven together in a community of life. May he be able to say to himself,
I AM HERE
I BELONG HERE
I HAVE A ROLE IN THE WHOLE
“Be wild every now and then. By regularly doing that, you will be reminded of how much nature means to us, how much solace it can bring, how much joy and peace and hope. You will be reminded of how deeply we are connected to all living things.”
Dance with life!
Gratitude to Green Renaissance for this beautiful video! Filmed in Hermanus, South Africa. Featuring Sue Swain.
BOOK RECOMMENDATION: Church of the Wild, How Nature Invites Us Into the Sacred, by Victoria Loorz
Gaye Abbott, Natural Passages Consulting, 10/2/21. Please feel free to share this post and link to Breathing Spaces
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DECEMBER 2022: ELDER MUSE BLOG POSTS: https://wildlyfreeelder.wordpress.com/2022/12/
Day 11: Elder Muse – The Peace of Wild Things
Wood Drake Photograph by Allan Van Gasbeck/Fine Art America
Awakening early this morning I pulled back the curtain and spied a brilliant shining star not far above the Blue Ridge Mountains in the East. Curiosity took me to find out what it was called – Sirius, the Dog Star, which slowly faded from view as the light of day stole through the sunrise color streaked sky.
There is much to despair of in this world and if attended too frequently can cause us to lose our way. In this poem Wendell Berry brings us the antidote …..
When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.
~Wendell Berry
(Poem read by Wendell Berry below)
ABOUT ELDER MUSE – 31-DAYS IN DECEMBER, 2022
Taking responsibility for our own journey is at times incredibly challenging. For those of you who read this blog regularly you may have noticed there was only one blog post published from September-November.
I was on a journey of exploration and discovery on how it felt to work a temporary part time mainstream job 20-hours/week, as well as continue on with my own private house/pet sitting business at the same time. It seemed my writing and creativity went into a hibernation of sorts.
I became acutely aware of what is most important to me at this precious elder time of life..and what is not. What opens me to wholeness, creativity, compassion, beauty, peace of mind and love….and what shuts me down into scarcity and contraction in the midst, of “busyness”. .
From this short 3-month experience the “elder muse” made an appearance and patiently waited to reveal a plan to re-engage with creative artistry when the timing was right. Over the next 31 days you will receive a daily Elder Muse blog post accessed from the unfolding of the day – not planned or scheduled.
I have no idea what will arise…..but then do we really know ahead of time what our moment to moment daily experience will be? We are only asked to pay attention.
Case in point – Just now I almost missed this sunrise extravaganza while focused on the words instead of the ever transitioning beauty emerging right out the window…….
I appreciate that you will be along with me for this journey. Please feel free to make comments or add your own insights and humor…..
In Gratitude & Appreciation!
SIGN UP FOR THE WILDLY FREE ELDER BLOG POSTS HERE: https://atomic-temporary-171801894.wpcomstaging.com/blog/
DECEMBER 2022: ELDER MUSE BLOG POSTS: https://wildlyfreeelder.wordpress.com/2022/12/
WILDLY FREE ELDER 