August 2018      Sage-ing® International Communicator      Vol. 2018-3
SI Communicator
Editor
Judith Helburn

Copy Editor
Anne Boynton

Graphic Designer
Anna Wisehart
 
Contributors 
Ina Albert, inaalbert@me.com .

Carol Orsborn, www.carolorsborn.com .
HR Moody, The Gerontological Society of America, www.news@geron.org .

Maria Papova; www.Brainpickings.org .
Coordinating Circle

Co-Chair 
-  Mary Anne Ingenthron
Co-Chair
-  Jerome Kerner
Secretary
-  Marilyn Loy Every
Treasurer
-  Georgeanna Tryban
Members at Large
- Don Adams
- Bob Atchley
- Gustavo Boog
- Anne Boynton
- Jann Freed
- Pat Hoertdoerfer
- Brian McCaffrey
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Administrator
- Karen Clementi
Certification Coordinator
- Jeanne Marsh
Education Coordinator
- Rosemary Cox
Tech-Webinar Coordinator
- Alan Rider
Website Assistant
- Anna Wisehart
Council of
Honored Sages
Honored Sages are key figures who have made significant contributions for elders in the world and who share our vision of "changing the paradigm from aging to Sage-ing®." For more information about our Honored Sages visit our website here .
  
We are grateful to have the following members in our Council of Honored Sages :
 
Robert Atchley 
Christina Baldwin
Gary Carlson
Connie Goldman
Eve Ilsen
Rabbi Shaya Isenberg
Lynne Iser 
Richard Leider
Wendy Lustbader 
Rick Moody 
Bahira Sugarman 
William Thomas
Membership
 
Our Membership is free and open to anyone who is interested. Benefits of membership include:
 
* Knowledge that you are supporting SI in its work for elders
* Knowledge that you are supporting the Sage-ing work of Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi
* Networking with other members through local activities and Conferences
* Discounts on merchandise
* Periodic E-newsletters and bulletins
* Discounts on workshops, national meetings and intensive weekends
    
Merchandise
From Age-ing to
Sage-ing  by Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi and Ronald S. Miller is available through  Amazon .
 
The updated 2014 version of this popular book includes a preface which provides insight into the shifts that have taken place in our culture since the first edition of the book in 1995. An afterword provides Reb Zalman’s personal account of his experience of aging in the December Years.
SG Workbook
Sage-ing Workbook

A valuable resource for 
your sage-ing journey, filled with information and exercises. Visit the website to order a pdf version of the notebook.
Did you know that Sage-ing Internationa l is a registered organization with "Amazon Smile"? If you use Amazon for home or business shopping, Amazon Smile donates 0.5% of your purchase to SI. Simply go to
and select Sage-ing International as your designated charity in "My Account". Then start all Amazon visits from that site. Let purchases you normally make support "Conscious Aging" through SI...!
Have you donated to the  Connie Goldman fund  yet?

If not, we welcome you to give a gift of acknowledgment and gratitude for all Connie has shared with us as a wise elder, mentor and friend. In Connie's words, "I am humbled and deeply honored by the establishment of the Connie Goldman Scholarship Endowment Fund. I am excited and hopeful that (it) will encourage others to accept the opportunity to explore their deeper spiritual learning.
" Make your interests gradually wider and more impersonal, until bit by bit the walls of the ego recede, and your life becomes increasingly merged in the universal life. An individual human existence should be like a river — small at first, narrowly contained within its banks, and rushing passionately past rocks and over waterfalls. Gradually the river grows wider, the banks recede, the waters flow more quietly, and in the end, without any visible break, they become merged in the sea, and painlessly lose their individual being.
The man who, in old age, can see his life in this way, will not suffer from the fear of death, since the things he cares for will continue. And if, with the decay of vitality, weariness increases, the thought of rest will not be unwelcome. I should wish to die while still at work, knowing that others will carry on what I can no longer do and content in the thought that what was possible has been done. "

- Bertram Russell [ As quoted in Brain Pickings
Sage-Ing News and Happenings
While much of our focus this year has been on preparing for the upcoming global conference, behind the scenes Sage-ing International continues to offer an ever expanding array of educational programs, networking and service opportunities and conscious aging resources for your journey!  

Within the first six months of 2018 a record number of sage-ing workshops have been offered, the largest Certified Sage-ing Leaders (CSLs) class has been trained and is about to graduate and a number of new online programs will launch this coming Fall and Winter. In addition, our ongoing monthly webinar series continues to present conference Keynote speakers with Rachael Freed and Barry Barkan being featured in August and September. And don’t miss the unveiling of Sage-ing International’s “Heart of Aging” personal growth curriculum at the conference in late October. 

We are grateful to our hardworking team of consultants and volunteers who work tirelessly to bring the gifts of aging consciously to expanding global audiences. Thank you one and all!

We hope to see YOU in Chaska, Minnesota, October 25-28!

Blessings,
Mary Anne Ingenthron
Co-Chair, Sage-ing International
These are times of great uncertainty in our country and globally. How can we be exemplars in creating a world of harmony that we imagine? Join us at the Sage-ing International 2018 Global Conference:  Elder Voice Transforming the World: Our Stories in Action !,  October 25-28 th .   Be encouraged, learn, expand, and transform dynamically in the inspiring company of others. We are eager to welcome you there—a “home” on the path of conscious aging!
 
Review the conference program and events HERE , and register today for this most amazing event that promises next steps to a new future. I am confident that you will be grateful you attended. I look forward to seeing you in October!
Marilyn Loy Every, DMin, CSL
Conference Chair
Helping Sage-ing International

Even if you will miss  Elder Voices Transforming the World.  We will have a $5.00 for anything table which will feature any costume jewelry that people contribute. This was a success last time. So search your jewelry box for pieces you no longer use and either bring them to the conference of send them to: Marian Eisner, 9722 Palmer Circle, Bloomington MN, 55437 . Many thanks in advance.
An upcoming “Beyond the Basics" Course:
Changing Old to New: Discover the Power of Aging
created by Ina Albert

First view as a pre- Sage-ing International conference choice. [Elder Voices Transforming the World]
The prejudice of Ageism tries to convince us to trade our ability to age naturally for a fantasy of maintaining youthful vigor, energy and physical appearance  forever!   This seminar debunks these notions and explores how to develop a new vision of growing older that strengthens our individual and collective voices, expands our creativity, share our dreams, and the powerful wisdom of our years.
 
We will explore the both positive and negative attitudes about aging.  Too often the negative attitudes dominate our personal lives and our society.  We will discuss specific ways older adults can shift misconceptions of aging from negative to positive for themselves, their communities and beyond.

Our goal is to create a personal and social awareness of aging as a natural human process of development and identify how the prejudice of Ageism affects language and communication, health and healthcare, government policy, legal status, the job market, family and social relationships of older adults. [Ina Albert]

The Spiritual Legacy of
Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi

Save the Dates :   November 5 - 30, 2018

Sage-ing® International in co-sponsorship with  Spirituality & Practice  present an e-course on the life and teachings of this remarkable spiritual leader.

Rabbis Victor and Nadya Gross, co-authors and facilitators, convey their intimate knowledge of Reb Zalman, his wisdom and his contribution to the world. They are co-directors with Rabbi Shaya Isenberg, Bahira Sugarman and Lynne Iser of the Sage-ing Legacy Program, a project of Yerusha, an organization dedicated to carrying Reb Zalman's legacy into the future.

Registration coming soon...
Mark your Calendars  and join Sage-ing International in honoring Reb Zalman.
The Sage-ing Legacy Program
a project of Yerusha
February 10-15, 2019
“Wisdom of the Heart: from age-ing to sage-ing” presented by Bahira Sugarman & Rabbi Shaya Isenberg [members of our Council of Honored Sages] and “Death as Homecoming: Life is the Answer” presented by Rabbi Nadya Gross and Rabbi Victor Gross. February 10-15 at the Franciscan Retreat Center, Tampa Florida. [for more information: sageing@yerusha.org . ]
Now Available on Audible:
From Age-ing to Sage-ing.

Written by Zalman Schachter-Shalomi & Ronald S. Miller. Narrated by Sean Runnette. Over two decades ago, beloved and respected Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi felt an uneasiness. He was growing older, and fears about death and infirmity were haunting him. So he decided to embark on mission to get to the bottom of his fears....[www.audible.com.]. 
Certified Sage-ing Leader (CSL) Intern Shares Sage-ing in Western Kentucky!

On May 22, 2018, CSL Intern Bob Coulson and a panel of five emerging elders presented “Sage-ing…for Lifelong Wisdom, Wellness and Wholeness” at the Mental Health and Ageing Coalition (PAMHAC) 2018 Conference, themed “Gearing Up Today to Improve the Mental Health of Older Kentuckians for Tomorrow.” …. The Sage-ing Teams’ presentation included everyone into a Wisdom Circle, opening with a centering chime and candle lighting and included Sage-ing terms, purpose, phases, methods and the core topics. The sample reflection exercise “My Life in a Year” engaged participants in dyads, who in full circle harvest time, related it was life affirming to reflect, speak and be heard... the ending high note was the engaging Sage-ing panelists who completed Awakening the Sage Within and the Core Topics from January to May 2018. The conference served as their training capstone as Sages-in-Service by answering the audience’s questions about their Sage-ing experiences. The panel’s emerging elders and their years of life experience were Sandy (83) and Jean Meredith (83), Rachel Vaugh (80), Donna Seltzer (69) and Diane Coulson (66). The Sage-ing outreach table (photos) was staffed throughout the day and several follow-up inquiries are in progress. Bob may be contacted at: 270-519-7608, retirementlifecoachllc@gmail.com , or https://retirementlifecoachllc.com .
Wisdom Circles –What they mean to me
Jerome Kerner CSL

When I was a youngster I spent hours tossing pebbles into ponds to watch the ripples form and see them intertwine and disappear. As an “oldster” I have the privilege and pleasure of facilitating conscious eldering groups, bringing people together to share their journey. In the process some connect and want more; sharing, support and friendship. When this happens I offer the Wisdom Circle as a way of realizing their goal of community.

I see these wisdom circles as the ripples that form when the pebble, the seed idea is tossed into the circle. My intention is to nourish the new circle through infancy and toddlerhood and encourage leadership to emerge and gradually the circle will be self sustaining. I see each Wisdom circle as a catalyst for more workshops and then more wisdom circles.
Of Interest
“Moses—Benched”

When I speak before audiences, I often ask them to picture an old woman sitting alone on a park bench. Then I ask them to share the first image/thought/impulse that pops into their mind. The younger the audience, the more likely they are to feel sorry for the lonely woman who is probably in need of some kind of assistance. But more seasoned audience members often have a different response. “I wish it were me,” said one recently. “I’d love to be hanging out alone in a park somewhere enjoying nature.”

As it turns out, this simple image is a Rorschach test concerning the listener’s attitudes about aging. Those who view aging as decline and isolation—something to be feared or avoided—project these feelings on the woman sitting alone. But a growing number of us are turning the old stereotypes on their heads. Aging, as it turns out, can not only be a problem to be solved—but a transcendent experience.

So Moses. Moses, as it turns out, is another Rorschach test, this time having to do with attitudes about aging, mortality—and the meaning of life. This came to me recently, as I was preparing to give a talk about aging and spirituality before a temple audience. I was thinking a lot about Moses at the end of his life—you know, the one where after leading his people through the wilderness for 40 years he doesn’t get to enter the Promised Land. As it happened, I ended up at a meeting the day before with not just one but two rabbis. I learned an interesting lesson. If you want to get a big reaction from a rabbi, just ask them this question: “Was Moses happy at the end of his life?” Two big reactions—two very different responses. Click here to read more
Book Reviews
On the Brink of Everything: Grace, Gravity & Getting Old . Parker Palmer. Berrett-Koehler Publishers 2018. Why did I write this book? A lovely review in the May 28, 2018 edition of "Publishers Weekly" sums everything up in the last sentence: "Warm, generous, and funny, this impassioned book invites readers to the deep end of life where authentic soul work and human transformation become pressing concerns." - Parker Palmer
Advice for Future Corpses :
A Practical Perspective on Death and Dying . Sallie Tisdale Touchstone. 2018. “In its loving, fierce specificity, this book on how to die is also a blessedly saccharine-free guide for how to live. . . . Tisdale does not write to allay anxieties but to acknowledge them, and she brings death so close, in such detail and with such directness, that something unusual happens, something that feels a bit taboo. She invites not just awe or dread—but our curiosity. And why not? We are, after all, just 'future corpses pretending we don’t know.'” — New York Times
Come of Age: The Case for Elderhood in a Time of Trouble . Stephen Jenkinson. North Atlantic Bks. 2018.
“Stephen Jenkinson has a way of reaching right into the heart of Western culture’s dis-ease, all the while deftly rupturing and turning the English language inside out in order to do so. He traces the roots of the word elder to ‘coming to fullness’ or ‘fully realized,’ to one who may take their place among us only when the ebbing and failure of growth is admitted.” — Ruth Jones, founder of Holy Hiatus, Wales, UK
Links
" Into the Night: Portraits of Life and Death ," currently on PBS [online]. For a review, see:
The 75 year study that found the secret to a fulfilling life. https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/11/how-this-harvard-psycholo_n_3727229.html .

Lives well lived: celebrating the secrets, wit and wisdom of age . A film by Sky Bergman. https://www.lives-well-lived.com . Maybe coming to a theater near you.
GDPR Privacy Compliance
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