"Although an infant becomes a child simply by ageing, a person cannot become an Elder by simply becoming older, Elders fall into the category of things that are made, not born. Becoming an Elder is not a 'natural occurrence,' the qualities needed don't simply develop from physical changes brought on by ageing. Rather, there is something meta-physical; something philosophical and spiritual that is required. Old age alone does not make the Elder." Michael Meade.
Why Transitions to Eldership?
As we grow through our lives, experiencing our various life stages, our soul guides our individual development. It is by fulfilling our Soul’s Purpose that we grow and mature. Erikson’s eight life stages explain that we go through our lives, from Birth to Death, embracing different tasks and gifts. With each life-stage change, we go through a transitional process. With awareness we can honour and embrace the changes surrounding the natural cycles of these transitions.
Transitions to Eldership uses the wisdom of the medicine wheel, my own life experience my own Transition into Eldership, and my role as a psychosocial therapist, to explore developmental stages and the tasks and lessons linked. As we move towards our Eldership, we start to relook at our lives, examining our purpose and what gives us meaning. Transitions to Eldership explores the developmental stages of the Inner Child together with the role that the Inner Critic, the Free-Spirited Younger-Self, the Creative Adult-Self and the Graceful Elder-Self plays in our lives. We gently look at these stages in our lives, and explore where we have lost parts of ourselves and why we have made the choices and decisions that we have made.
We use the Medicine Wheel as a container to create a safe and honouring space to explore, and learn from the wisdom of each direction and element that is part of this circle-of-life. We also use the transformational tools of narrative and play therapy, mindful awareness practices, journal writing and sacred music to take us on a quest toward our transition. This is a journey of healing, transformation and integration. These tools help us find our silenced voice and the aspects of ourselves that we may have forgotten and not acknowledged. Through these processes we are able to remember and rediscover the hidden gems that we can bring into presence, placing them in our Eldership Crown. This gives us the opportunity to transition into our Eldership as a whole and authentic being with grace, dignity and respect for who we truly are.
As we grow through our lives, experiencing our various life stages, our soul guides our individual development. It is by fulfilling our Soul’s Purpose that we grow and mature. Erikson’s eight life stages explain that we go through our lives, from Birth to Death, embracing different tasks and gifts. With each life-stage change, we go through a transitional process. With awareness we can honour and embrace the changes surrounding the natural cycles of these transitions.
Transitions to Eldership uses the wisdom of the medicine wheel, my own life experience my own Transition into Eldership, and my role as a psychosocial therapist, to explore developmental stages and the tasks and lessons linked. As we move towards our Eldership, we start to relook at our lives, examining our purpose and what gives us meaning. Transitions to Eldership explores the developmental stages of the Inner Child together with the role that the Inner Critic, the Free-Spirited Younger-Self, the Creative Adult-Self and the Graceful Elder-Self plays in our lives. We gently look at these stages in our lives, and explore where we have lost parts of ourselves and why we have made the choices and decisions that we have made.
We use the Medicine Wheel as a container to create a safe and honouring space to explore, and learn from the wisdom of each direction and element that is part of this circle-of-life. We also use the transformational tools of narrative and play therapy, mindful awareness practices, journal writing and sacred music to take us on a quest toward our transition. This is a journey of healing, transformation and integration. These tools help us find our silenced voice and the aspects of ourselves that we may have forgotten and not acknowledged. Through these processes we are able to remember and rediscover the hidden gems that we can bring into presence, placing them in our Eldership Crown. This gives us the opportunity to transition into our Eldership as a whole and authentic being with grace, dignity and respect for who we truly are.
Transitions to Eldership Workshops to date:
To date we have run these workshops both in Cape Town and in the Garden Route:
- Transitions to Eldership - Introduction
- Inner Child:
- Healing the Wounded Child
- Playing with the Inner Child
- Who is the Inner Child Anyway?
- Using Inner Child Awareness to Model Social Change
- Freedom and Power - Free Spirited Adolescent Self
- Being Okay with where I am right now!
- Surviving our Inner Critic
- Honouring yourself with Love, Compassion and Respect - 2019
- Standing at the Centre of your Life - Cape Town 1st Feb. 2020 / Garden Route 22 Feb. 2020
Launching Soon: Live Online Group Programme:
Quest for Queendom
A Rite-of-Passage journey which honours ageing consciously where you reignite your inner wisdom and come home to your own Queendom.
An 8 Module, 4 month Quest toward your Queendom and becoming your envisioned Graceful Elder Self.
With the Medicine Wheel as the map for your quest, you begin in the centre. Honouring your self-care and your own power, you create your own unique Medicine Wheel in preparation for moving into the four directions. You map moves to the East where you meet your inner-child and inner-critic. In the south you rediscover your free-spirited younger-self. Moving to the west you reawaken your adult-self and the art of becoming receptive. You then move to the north and start to envision you elder-self with her grace and shadow parts. After the quest around the circle is complete, you once again move into the centre of your own Medicine Wheel. Here you honour your authenticity and place the gems and insights gathered along the way, into your Eldership Crown. Finally you sit on your earth throne and affirm your inner wisdom, coming home to the magnificent Queen that you are.
Modules include:
- Module 1 - Circle of Self-Nurturing
- Module 2 - Standing in the Centre of your Life
- Module 3 - Inner Child / Inner Critic
- Module 4 - Freedom and Power - Free Spirited Adolescent Self
- Module 5 - Reawakening your Creative Essence
- Module 6 - Grace and Shadow in the Art of Ageing
- Module 7 - Honouring yourself with Love, Compassion and Respect
- Module 8 - Letting go Gracefully
Quest for Queendom is also offered as an individual package consisting of 10 x
one-on-one sessions.
We work with the 8 modules within these sessions as well as an initial spiritual awareness session and a closing Rite-of-Passage Ritual session.
