Farther On
Rites of Passage in the New World of Active Aging
The landscape of aging has expanded significantly in our lifetimes, and the possibilities for greater vitality, broader community engagement,
and deeper personal meaning are becoming extraordinary. The freedom to fulfill ourselves—each in our own way, following our own visions—has never been greater.
Are we ready for the new adventure?
So rapidly have our possibilities and opportunities expanded that the maps we have inherited to guide us feel out of date, no longer in sync with our experience. Framing our later years as a time of ‘retirement’ feels just plain wrong-- the word refers only to what we no longer do, rather than who and what we are becoming. We don’t want to retire; we want to be engaged in a way that recognizes our new worth. We want to revitalize the ancient role of the elder, a title for people who crave a deeper relationship with the mysteries and wonders of growing old, and a more active dialogue with fellow travelers who are making the same journey.
Most of us are not adequately prepared for the emotional and spiritual jolt-- the anxiety and exhilaration that inevitably accompany passage through this threshold. Our culture encourages us to prepare outwardly for the transition by managing our money and our health care needs.
But what about our inner lives?
Who are we now?
To what new purposes will we put our time and energy?
What new roles and responsibilities await the new elder?
How will we live--joyfully, gratefully--
with the certainty of our mortality staring us in the face?
Currently there are few supports for this inner journey. Most of us ask these deep questions (if at all) only to ourselves. Too frequently, we face our fears alone and are left to make (and avoid) huge decisions in isolation.
It is time to break the taboos that stifle meaningful dialogue around the essential and universal challenge of healthy aging.
The adventure of aging beckons like new territory waiting to be settled. Like pioneers of old, the allure of the unknown stirs in us a passion to get moving, to discover for ourselves the beauty and wonder of a new life in a new land. Farther On is like a wagon train of kindred spirts, traveling alone, together, into the adventurous terrain of elderhood.
Farther On invites you to share in re-imagining this stage of life.
Ancient and indigenous people have always recognized that times of profound transition in the life cycle require rites of passage, dignified events to usher us through the threshold between one stage and the next. None of us is wise enough or courageous enough to make these passages on our own, and so we miss the opportunities to do what must be done in times of profound transition: gracefully let go of where we have been, make the difficult journey where we are neither here nor there, and embrace the new phase with enthusiasm. Rites of Passage sanction and bless the inner work that must be done if one is to move joyfully through the natural portals of life.
Rites of Passage
designed and facilitated by Farther On
JOURNAL CIRCLES
Twelve months of journaling--around twelve themes essential to creative, mindful aging--
in dialogue with twelve fellow travelers.
SEASONAL GATHERINGS
Seasonal retreats built around the rhythms of nature in mountain, desert, river, and ocean settings.
ELDERHOOD WALKABOUTS
A modern version of the ancient practice known as Walkabout,
with coaching and support toward a self-styled creative demonstration of one’s readiness
to embrace the new world of growing old.
Rites of Passage in the New World of Active Aging
The landscape of aging has expanded significantly in our lifetimes, and the possibilities for greater vitality, broader community engagement,
and deeper personal meaning are becoming extraordinary. The freedom to fulfill ourselves—each in our own way, following our own visions—has never been greater.
Are we ready for the new adventure?
So rapidly have our possibilities and opportunities expanded that the maps we have inherited to guide us feel out of date, no longer in sync with our experience. Framing our later years as a time of ‘retirement’ feels just plain wrong-- the word refers only to what we no longer do, rather than who and what we are becoming. We don’t want to retire; we want to be engaged in a way that recognizes our new worth. We want to revitalize the ancient role of the elder, a title for people who crave a deeper relationship with the mysteries and wonders of growing old, and a more active dialogue with fellow travelers who are making the same journey.
Most of us are not adequately prepared for the emotional and spiritual jolt-- the anxiety and exhilaration that inevitably accompany passage through this threshold. Our culture encourages us to prepare outwardly for the transition by managing our money and our health care needs.
But what about our inner lives?
Who are we now?
To what new purposes will we put our time and energy?
What new roles and responsibilities await the new elder?
How will we live--joyfully, gratefully--
with the certainty of our mortality staring us in the face?
Currently there are few supports for this inner journey. Most of us ask these deep questions (if at all) only to ourselves. Too frequently, we face our fears alone and are left to make (and avoid) huge decisions in isolation.
It is time to break the taboos that stifle meaningful dialogue around the essential and universal challenge of healthy aging.
The adventure of aging beckons like new territory waiting to be settled. Like pioneers of old, the allure of the unknown stirs in us a passion to get moving, to discover for ourselves the beauty and wonder of a new life in a new land. Farther On is like a wagon train of kindred spirts, traveling alone, together, into the adventurous terrain of elderhood.
Farther On invites you to share in re-imagining this stage of life.
Ancient and indigenous people have always recognized that times of profound transition in the life cycle require rites of passage, dignified events to usher us through the threshold between one stage and the next. None of us is wise enough or courageous enough to make these passages on our own, and so we miss the opportunities to do what must be done in times of profound transition: gracefully let go of where we have been, make the difficult journey where we are neither here nor there, and embrace the new phase with enthusiasm. Rites of Passage sanction and bless the inner work that must be done if one is to move joyfully through the natural portals of life.
Rites of Passage
designed and facilitated by Farther On
JOURNAL CIRCLES
Twelve months of journaling--around twelve themes essential to creative, mindful aging--
in dialogue with twelve fellow travelers.
SEASONAL GATHERINGS
Seasonal retreats built around the rhythms of nature in mountain, desert, river, and ocean settings.
ELDERHOOD WALKABOUTS
A modern version of the ancient practice known as Walkabout,
with coaching and support toward a self-styled creative demonstration of one’s readiness
to embrace the new world of growing old.