WILDLY FREE ELDER
The Artistry of Aging
Category: Natures Gifts
The Sacred Rhythm of Life
“Perceiving everything as alive and capable of feelings is a recognition that everything within the Earth – human and more-than-human – is animate, alive, and sacred. Embodying this places us in a framework that is rooted in the values of interconnectedness, kinship, reciprocity, compassion, and a deep reverence for all beings.
An ancestral memory we all carry within us, regardless of our unique individuality. A much needed shared inheritance and intelligence for human beings to remember as a framework for engaging with the Earth at this time.”
There Is Nothing Ordinary
One of the definitions for being in awe speaks to “feeling a powerful mix of amazement, respect, and wonder when you encounter something vast, grand, or extremely powerful.”
In my experience definitions often seem to be linear and disembodied, when in reality a word(s) can hold so many unique and wild experiences all clambering to be held in a single moment in time. Why confine a word to follow rules when being in awe or wonder is experienced differently for each of us. It doesn’t have to be vast, grand or powerful.
We may take the ordinary in any one day or moment for granted until we realize that none of it is “ordinary” when we are fully present.
Being Present
“Every single day is filled with possible ways to make a positive, compassionate and perhaps innovative and creative impact. It comes in the form of connection – to each other, to ourselves, to the animal and natural world and our environment that we are an integral and interconnected part of.”
Attention Artistry
“What a different world it would be if we would choose to live from a more animistic perspective as many Indigenous cultures still hold. A belief system that acknowledges our world as a co-creation among equals – each life form contributing an important piece to the whole tapestry.”
Embracing Life’s Beauty Just As It Is
“For most of us there have been – and will be – challenges in our lives that simply take away our ability to see and embrace beauty in any given moment….and to be unerringly grateful for it. We may lose our way for a time.
These moments of perceived beauty can be a potential light in the darkness we find ourselves in….”
Elder Muse/Day 30: Among The Trees
“With one more post to go in the total of 31 days it felt right to simply share one of my favorite Mary Oliver poems. Such a gift she had for tapping into the beauty and wisdom of nature. To teach us what it is to be still with wide awake senses, at peace and ease with what is unfolding in the moment….”
Elder Muse/Day 26 : Time To Immerse – A Return to Nature
“As I was delivered onto the soft sandy shore feelings of awe and wonder overtook me in recognition that these moments were gifted to me. A reminder never to forget the ground of my being, peace of mind, and open heart are always intimately connected with the wildness and rhythms of the natural world.”
Elder Muse/Day 22: Coming To Our Senses
“Nature constantly reminds us how vulnerable and fragile humans are in the face of changing weather patterns often wiping away our efforts to encroach upon the wild. A highly wise force to bring us back to taking care of and respecting what gives us life.”
Elder Muse/Day 16: (RE)CONNECT to Wild Places
“The healing, soothing, and peace of mind that comes from being out in nature, in the wild, or even just in your garden. It is a primal feeling of coming back to who we are, to reconnect to the soul of our being and what we are made of. Returning to the rhythms of nature, the cycles of the seasons, the circles of life…. “
Elder Muse/Day 15: Silent As A Piece of Paper….
“If all of the words are erased from a piece of paper the content of what was there dissolves and a new story can then be created. The void that is yearning to be filled loses its seductive power to fill it before appreciating what is showing up moment to moment,