the winter solstice approaches rapidly. while the days are still increasingly long, the earth will soon turn to the sun. it is a time to gather in the lessons of the deep, fertile dark and bring them into the the world. these are the lessons elders have the opportunity to share…lessons learned from decades of experience and from mindful, conscious attention to the learning from that experience.
the labyrinth offers us the opportunity to do just that. following the pattern of any of the several types of labyrinth we can take a journey. this walk can take us through a process of releasing that which no longer serves our heartmindspirt as we move toward the centre rose of the labyrinth. or we might walk to the centre with a particular question or concern.
we can then pause in the centre, a bit freer. in this pause we have the opportunity to reflect and listen to the voice that speaks from connection…connection to Self, to Spirit, to Goddess, to True Nature…to whatever name you place on your deepest self. here, in the very centre, we stop our busy-ness and breathe until we are ready to step on the path again.
as we walk the same pattern in reverse we might contemplate our return to the world with new insight, new wisdom, a new way of being, a new project. we emerge then, refreshed and renewed.
the winter solstice, marking the turn of the year, is the perfect time for this journey. please join me and two 0ther labyrinth walk facilitators (aleine ridge and richard nickols) in walking the labyrinth on 20 december at 1700 GMT. (that’s noon Eastern US time and 9:00 Pacific US time.) we three will be holding the space for this walk.
this year we will be joining offline at the same time around much of the planet to be together in spirit, as we each follow the path on a finger labyrinth. below please find two links which lead you to either the UK or US appropriate pages to print so that you can walk with us. these pages show the chartres style labyrinth. we will each be in our own space, joined in spirit across the globe. you can also purchase a finger labyrinth of your choice by searching online.
if you are new to the labyrinth, i suggest you visit www.veriditas.org and
https://labyrinthsinbritain.uk for an abundance of information and inspiration.
and please invite your friends and family to join in the journey.
looking forward to sharing with you on the path.
for those of you who live in the united kingdom, here is a link to a labyrinth pattern that is formatted to UK paper size.
for those of you who live in the united states, here is a link to a labyrinth pattern that is formatted to US paper size.
if for some reason, the links are not live, please copy and paste into your browser to gain access to the labyrinth patterns for printing.
the teacher, a deep yogini of many years of practice, said something that resonated deeply as we ‘entered’ the online space. “arriving is a continual process..a process of acceptance”.what i took from those simple words echoed what i am learning from my ageing process. i am constantly arriving into each moment, each breath, each aspect of who i am, each step of unfolding.
and each ‘each’ is a lesson in acceptance as i become more deeply aware of what ageing means to, and for, me.my physical self changes almost daily…skin, hair, waistline, muscles, joints, digestion. my mental self also experiences continual shifting…my capacity to respond to shifts in information, my memory, my ability to concentrate and focus, my organisational skill. finding acceptance of these changes is often challenging, difficult and even painful. other times the acceptance flow with grace and ease.
my emotional self also experiences change with the passing of days and hours and minutes. deep love, grief, with its accompanying tears, irritation (and sometimes incandescent anger), unimaginable joy, bubbles of laughter at the silliest events. each of these shifts in my emotional landscape asks me to inquire and accept them as they flow like a river in my heart.
alongside all of these changes, something remains…steady, true, unerring. the connection to Spirit, and the deepening of that connection, grows with each passing day. sometimes this growth is imperceptible, known to me only in retrospect. other times, there is a growth spurt, much like my physical self experienced many decades ago. suddenly there is an insight or a perception that is new and enlightening.i never know what these changes might be, or when and how they might arrive. it is my commitment to awaken to their arrival. i only know that they are part of the mystery of elderhood.arrival into, and acceptance, of each one is vital, essential.
while not specifically about eldering/conscious ageing, margaret's insights into the spiritual life have a great deal to offer us on the path of our unfolding as elders...gentle, inspiring, undemanding though challenging enough to be interesting, and often very funny.enjoy!
some of the 20th century’s meaningful thinkers have shared this insight with jung. it lead several of them to amazing understandings and spiritual growth.we can, each of us, take the plunge to unimagined depths of wisdom in our seventy or eighty years.
we can, each of us, find the meaning for ourselves and for the species in those many decades.we can, each of us, refuse to be an appendage, worthy of pity.we can, each of us, step into our power as elders. this power is different for each of us. we must, each of us, find our own way to it, to embracing our true nature and then expressing the authentic self that we are, each of us.for some this power may express itself in political action, possibly stepping into an arena unfamiliar due to current events. for others, this aspect of life might be of long acquaintance. for yet others of us, the power may lie in mentoring those younger than we. these may be grandchildren, great-nieces or -nephews or it may be those we mentor in literacy or numeracy or their careers.
for other elders, this power may be found on the meditation cushion or yoga mat. here we might find strength and inner resilience. these contemplative practices might provide a haven from the challenges of elderhood as well as a space in which to connect with something greater than ourselves, something we can lean into.
whatever the path to this wisdom, each of us can choose to explore, discover or deepen. new creative expressions of our wisdom and power may arise in our seventies and eighties. we my renew former passions that lead us to our power, energies we set aside in our younger years. regardless of how the path unfolds, each of us has the capacity for finding meaning in our elderhood.we must, each of us, find it in ourselves before others will see and appreciate it.we can, each of us, embrace our wisdom. it is one of the many gifts of longevity.