As I write this, the Elderwomen series described on this blog is coming to an end. Ten of us met on a monthly basis beginning in September 2010, braving this exceptionally cold, snowy, and ice-coated Northeastern winter. What a hearty, intrepid, and wise group of women! While the gatherings are coming to an end (a beginning!), there may be green off-shoot groups growing, after we experience our March Initiation. “Initiation,” after all, means beginning. So keep an eye on this blog to see what is offered next.
You may also wish to see the February Elderwoman newsletter published by my friend Marian. In it she describes the Spring flowers which are already appearing near her home in England. Spring carries especially rich symbolism after a hard Winter. Rebirth, resurrection, renewal.
The above photo of emerging snowdrops was taken in my garden on March 7, 2010. Dream on it! What tender green shoots of hope, life, and endeavor are waiting to emerge in your life, or in the wider world?
Photo by Seth Rockmuller
The colors of autumn are appearing: goldenrod blankets the fields, and clusters of red and gold leaves are glowing in the trees here and there. Mums blossom in large pots on porches, and people are starting to put their gardens to bed.
The life force that burst forth in our spring gardens is beginning to ebb, as we gather in our harvests; such is the flow of the spiraling seasons. After the busyness of the summer season, our lives start turning inward. I will take time to reflect upon and celebrate this turning of the wheel of the year.
Tomorrow, Sunday, is the big day!
Come meet Marian at the Real Food Network Co-op, 2 PM. Details below.
I’ll be there!
Marian With Flowers
On Sunday afternoon, 2 PM, September 12th, Marian Van Eyk McCain will be speaking at the Real Food Network Co-op (upstairs in the Community Room, 15 Church Street, Chatham, NY) about her new book GreenSpirit: Path to a New Consciousness. (Please note: the Co-op is not open for business on Sundays.)
Marian and her husband live simply in Devon, England. She limits her air travel for environmental reasons, so we are fortunate to have her with us. Please join us on September 12th!
Published by O Books and launched in London in July 2010, this book brings together the words and ideas of contemporary writers from a wide range of disciplines and wisdom traditions to create a comprehensive manual for eco-spiritual, green and sustainable 21st century living.
In his Foreword , Resurgence editor Satish Kumar says: “I am confident that the book will act like a guide to many who are seeking a right relationship between the human spirit and the natural world.”
Contributors include Marian, along with environmental lawyer Cormac Cullinan, economist David Korten, cosmologist Brian Swimme, ecologist Stephan Harding, ecopsychologist Sandra White, Episcopalian priest and educator Matthew Fox, wellness expert John Travis MD, spokespeople from the Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, Sufi and Pagan traditions and more than a dozen others. The late Thomas Berry gave this book his special blessing when the manuscript was first completed, just six months before he died.
This GreenSpirit event with Marian promises to be very inspiring. There is no fee, but donations will be gratefully accepted. We look forward to seeing you in the Community Room, upstairs at the Real Food Market Co-op on Sunday, September 12, 2 PM.
GreenSpirit Poster - Please help spread the word about this GreenSpirit event.
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Marian is also author of the book Elderwoman: Reap the Wisdom – Feel the Power – Embrace the Joy, which ties in with Growing Older, Growing Wiser: Becoming an Elderwoman, a seven-part series beginning in Chatham on September 14th.
Marian Van Eyk McCain
Photo by Seth Rockmuller
In preparing for the upcoming series Growing Older, Growing Wiser: Becoming an Elderwoman, I came across the article below, which was written when I first decided to present the series. It was originally published in The Eddy, the newsletter of the organization Wellspring Haven.
Autumn Reflections, by Katharine Houk
Lately, a cold wind has been rattling the last, clinging leaves of autumn. The mellow days have passed; winter is almost upon us. The harvest is in, my herb garden has been put to bed, and the geese are winging south.
At this autumn time, I am very aware that I have entered what is sometimes referred to as the “autumn” of life, even though inside I feel young, vital, and creative. In the past decade, I have given much thought to what it means to be entering the Third Age of my life: reading, talking with older women, revisiting my past, deepening spiritual practices, conducting research. I wish to live these years in a conscious and fruitful way, savoring each moment.
This autumn I attended a conference especially for women who have discovered that age is something to celebrate. There I enjoyed workshops, drumming, dancing, an “Honoring of the Elders,” small group gatherings, storytelling, and a beautiful labyrinth in the woods, where some deer and two owls appeared at twilight to accompany me on my otherwise solitary walk. Over two hundred women were at the conference, with the workshops being led by the women attending, much as Wellspring Haven conducts its Annual Women’s Campout. Women’s circles are thriving everywhere. It was fascinating to attend a conference designed expressly for Elderwomen, and I came away feeling as though I had experienced an initiation into my Third Age…
Delightfully, being in the autumn of life feels enormously liberating, as I find myself more at peace than ever before. It’s a feeling of lightness, and spaciousness. In my life I have learned from many experiences, both joyful and painful, and I intend to keep learning and growing as long as I am able. Each of us has her life story, rich with experience and insight. Sharing those stories empowers us.
Entering these final decades can be challenging, considering the changes which aging brings and the social attitudes toward older women in our culture. We are “crones,” or “hags” – two words that used to have very different connotations than they do now. “Crone” comes from the same root as the word “crown,” and “hag” mean “holy one,” which is why the study of saints’ lives is known as hagiography. It’s time to reclaim the honor that those words formerly conveyed.
…Becoming an Elderwoman, a Wisewoman, is an ongoing process. Growing older in and of itself is no guarantee of growing wiser. Here is my (and our) “how-to” challenge and adventure: How To Become an Elderwoman, someone aging with grace, good humor, joy, and wisdom. There are things we can do to make our autumn journeys conscious ones, as we deepen our awareness of who we truly are and how we want to live our Third Age. Let’s grow older and wiser together!
Elderwoman brochure Final#3 8.2010
Growing Older, Growing Wiser: Becoming an Elderwoman ~ For women 55 and older
Second Tuesday of each month, September 14, 2010 – March 8, 2011, 7 – 9 PM, Chatham, NY
Despite what the media and our cultural heritage tell us, our Third Age can be liberating, empowering, and full of wit and wisdom. It is a time of life when we can truly be ourselves, and celebrate it! This seven-month series offers a safe space and time for sharing our stories, feelings, and dreams; for music, writing, and artwork; and for developing spiritually and discovering a wider sense of self. The series will end with a ritual and tools for planning your initiation as Elderwomen.
The registration deadline is September 7th. Register now to reserve your spot;
this will be a small group. Donation: Sliding scale ~ for the seven-part series, $35 – $70.
Click on the link below to download a Registration Brochure in pdf format.
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Also of Note:
Special Guest: Marian Van Eyk McCain
Marian Van Eyk McCain
Marian Van Eyk McCain, author of Elderwoman: Reap the Wisdom – Feel the Power – Embrace the Joy, will speak for Sanctuary Without Walls on Sunday, September 12th, 2010, at 2 PM, here in Columbia County, NY. Marion writes fiction (The Bird Menders) as well as her marvelous books on simplifying one’s life (The Lilypad List: 7 Steps to the Simple Life) and women’s health and spirituality (Transformation Through Menopause). Her most recent book is GreenSpirit: Path to a New Consciousness, which she edited. This collection of diverse voices reveals deep thinking on the connections between ecology and spirituality. All are welcome to attend this event. Please RSVP so that we will have enough seats for everyone. And please share this message with your friends. Marian rarely travels by plane (she lives in England) because of the environmental impact of jet travel, so we’re fortunate to have time with her. Save the date!
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Marian Van Eyk McCain
Marian Van Eyk McCain, author of Elderwoman: Reap the Wisdom – Feel the Power – Embrace the Joy, will speak on Sunday, September 12th, 2010, at 2 PM, upstairs in the Community Room at Chatham Real Food Market Co-op. (Please note that the Co-op is not open for business on Sundays.)
Marian’s most recent book is GreenSpirit: Path to a New Consciousness, which she edited. This collection of diverse voices reveals deep thinking on the connections between ecology and spirituality. All are welcome to attend this event, which is sponsored by Sanctuary Without Walls.
Please RSVP so that we will have enough seats for everyone. And please share this message with your friends. Marian rarely travels by plane (she lives in England) because of the environmental impact of jet travel, so we’re fortunate to have time with her. Save the date!
Marion also writes fiction (The Bird Menders) as well as her marvelous books on simplifying one’s life (The Lilypad List: 7 Steps to the Simple Life) and women’s health and spirituality (Transformation Through Menopause).
Last year at a conference, I overheard a woman saying that the book Elderwoman was her “bible” on aging and spirituality. Marian’s visit in September will take place just days before the beginning of Sanctuary Without Wall’s seven-part monthly series for women 55 and older: Growing Older, Growing Wiser: Becoming an Elderwoman. Marian’s book is one of the resources used in planning this series for women.
People of all ages / genders are welcome to attend her talk on September 12th. To RSVP or for more information, contact info@sanctuarywithoutwalls.org.
“Beautiful young people are accidents of nature, but beautiful old people are works of art.” Eleanor Roosevelt
We stand at a time when the world is in need of wisdom, especially the wisdom of the Elders. Growing Older, Growing Wiser: Becoming an Elderwoman is a seven-part event designed to lead us thoughtfully, consciously, and joyfully into our Third Age. We will look deeply at our lives so far; discover (and re-discover) those things that are life- and energy-giving for us; separate the grain from the chaff; and step forward into our role as Elderwomen, which will be unique to each of us.
Join us for this important and life-affirming journey. For women, age 55 and older, meeting in Columbia County, NY. Second Tuesday of each month, September 14, 2010 through March 8, 2011.
The suggested donation is based on a sliding scale: $35 – $70 for the entire series of seven meetings.
This Elderwoman group will be kept intentionally small. Register now to reserve your spot. For a registration form, write to info (at) sanctuarywithoutwalls (dot) org. The brochure is also included below as a pdf.
“I like the metaphor of the thousand-mile river. It passes through time zones and climate changes occur along its path. Responding to the changing climate, the trees, shrubbery and vegetation along the riverbank change also. But it is the same water responsible for nourishing every bit of growth. There are spiritual waters, call it the River of Reverence, that nourishes all of us who grope for understanding on a journey that will last all our lives and beyond.” Norman Lear
What or where is your spiritual home? Where do you find or create space that is sacred to you? Is it indoors or outdoors? Are you with others or alone? Is it nearby or far away? Do you visit it seldom, daily, or some time in between? What makes experiences / places “sacred?” Do you wish to feel spiritually “at home” more often?
Where do you have a sense that you truly belong?
These are some of the questions we will explore at the May meeting of Sanctuary Without Walls, Sunday the 16th, 4 to 5:30 PM. Weather permitting, we will meet outdoors; otherwise we will meet inside. The meeting place is up a flight of stairs, and because it is in a barn 
there is no running water (or the conveniences that use running water). The space itself is a work in progress.
Monthly gatherings are in Columbia County, NY. If you need directions, send an email to:
info (at) sanctuarywithoutwalls.org.
I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree, And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made: Nine bean-rows will I have there, a hive for the honey-bee, And live alone in the bee-loud glade. And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow, Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings; There midnight's all a glimmer, and noon a purple glow, And evening full of the linnet's wings. I will arise and go now, for always night and day I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore; While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements grey, I hear it in the deep heart's core. ~ © W. B. Yeats
Welcome home to Sanctuary Without Walls. SWW sponsors gatherings and other events in Columbia County, NY ~ for spiritual sustenance, naturally. It is a home for those who wish to develop or deepen spiritual practices but who may or may not have a religious community in which to do so. These gatherings are an experiment, born of my interactions with many people who feel a need for connection, community, and spirituality, grounded in everyday life. SWW is also born of my interest in nature-based spiritual practices.
Here is a brief schedule of upcoming events. Please share this information with people who may be interested. More detailed descriptions will be posted on specific pages, listed above, below the header – and at the right. —–>
Katharine, Win, Joy, and Marian at Crones Counsel 2009
Growing Older, Growing Wiser: Becoming an Elderwoman ~ a seven-month series for women 55 and older. Meetings will be the second Tuesday of each month, 7 ~ 9 PM, September 14, 2010 through March 8, 2011. Here we will explore growing fully into the wise women we are meant to be. To download the Registration Brochure, click on the link below:
Elderwoman brochure Final#2 8.2010
Sanctuary Without Walls Meetings ~ These meetings offer a time for sharing, meditation and other spiritual practices, celebration, music, and whatever else evolves as we move forward together. They generally take place one Sunday a month at 4 PM, and are organized around specific topics. For information about these events, or if you have a topic of burning interest, please email: info (at) sanctuarywithoutwalls (dot) org.
Welcome to Sanctuary Without Walls!
