with Carol Fox & Judy Lay
While wisdom shows up at various ages and stages of life, the Wisdom of Elder is unique because of decades of experience through success, failure, loss and the consequent lessons from each of these. It is precisely because of the accumulation of these experiences that a broader perspective is available.
A deeper understanding for the need to hold space, see through non-judgmental eyes, and slowing down a process or an interaction so Deep Listening can occur and for Wisdom to show up....this, and more is what an Elder brings forth.
Calling the Elders for SIX GATHERINGS FROM 1PM TO 3PM ON THE FIRST THURSDAY OF THE MONTH
Oct. 3, 2019
Nov. 7, 2019
Dec. 5, 2019
Jan. 2, 2020
Feb. 6, 2020
Initiation Ceremony on March 5, 2020
At the conclusion of each gathering, you will be given readings and thoughtful questions to ponder for the in between times.
October 3, 2019 River of Life - A hands on exercise to gather, cull through and integrate the major life events that have shaped who we are.....exploring patterns and gaining perspective on where our wisdom lies.
November 7, 2019 Writing Your Life
December 5, 2019 Loose Endings and Unknown Beginnings - It is the time of year when darkness prevails....a time of going inside to release old roles and a trapped self within our relationships in order to envision our Elder Self, taking our place in the larger community.
January 2, 2020 The Land of the Mist Beings - Being an Elder requires one to learn the skills of Grief —so much letting go—of identities, relationships, careers and sometimes health and able bodies. We must learn about dying, become comfortable witnessing it and talking to our loved ones as we walk toward our own dying time.
February 6, 2020 Claiming Our Elder Self - Our Voice, our Gifts, our Place in the world.....it is time to fully claim this. Preparation for what will be needed for the Initiation Ceremony taking place next month.
March 5, 2020 Elder Initiation Ceremony - Sharing our personal Ancestral Altar, recognition of completed work and being witnessed by our invited guests.
Six Monthly Sessions $250
Carol Fox
Carol Fox is a Marriage and Family Therapist who has worked both in her private therapy practice and the Placer and Sacramento courts, helping families create parenting plans that are in the best interest of their children. She was ordained as a Minister of Walking Prayer through the Center of Sacred Studies in 2012 and has held women’s personal growth groups based on Women Who Run With The Wolves since that book was published in 1995. Carol, mother of 6 children and Grandmother to 14 grandchildren, has become her own story-teller and has presented writing workshops and retreats through Yoga Shala.
Judy Lay 
After living in NM for 43 years, Judy retired her psychotherapy practice and moved in 2011 to the wildness of off-grid living with her son and his family, building a strawbale RoundHouse and Life Spiral to hold ceremonies, classes, workshops and fun events. Last year she moved to Grass Valley to be closer to her family, friends and do the work as Elder with more ease. Ordained in 2011 as a Minster of Walking Prayer through the Center for Sacred Studies, she brings this presence to all her interactions and ceremonies. Judy volunteers for Hospice of the Foothills in Grass Valley as a Bereavement Group facilitator, providing Spiritual Care to patients and family members, and sitting vigil with those whom are dying. Judy has played a significant role in the creation of the HoneyRoot Elder Council, and passionately steps forward as an Elder in her community when asked to do so. She facilitated a 6-week online tele-seminar for Elders, co-facilitated many Elder workshops in Grass Valley and Sacramento, and has provided Rites of Passage Ceremonies in various communities. Judy is a Grandmother to 6 grandchildren and mother of two daughters and a son. She is a fiber artist with wet felting and knitting as her two favorite things to do with her hands. Her felting workshops include honoring the ancestral knowledge of this ancient craft while working with one’s hands as a sacred act.
Definition of an Elder
“ As women transform from one stage to the next, she dwells on where she has been and where she is going. An Elder has just finished a great work of something and casts her eyes on the next phase of her life, feeling a different energy of stillness and soul. The Call of the Elder sounds different, feels different and is different as this call has cast off defenses and identities and she starts to be drawn to the silent nothingness that allows her to understand the weaving of life. An Elder is not defined by age but rather by the desire to live a meaningful life from this point on.”
“Often the question arises, “When does one become an Elder?” I answer that one doesn’t arrive at being an Elder…..or a mother or a wife….It is a journey towards that, and it deepens and broadens as we are actively practicing it. “Elder” begins when one turns towards and fully embraces it. It happens after many well-worn paths have been walked….. after many times of deep surrender to things one has no control over, like cancer or heart attacks or death…..after saying goodbye to children off to college or marriage; after leaving careers and full time obligations. It is an expanded perspective, in which the Elder will witness, support and nourish those coming behind. An internal calling gets louder, and the Elder listens seriously this time. “How and where will I give back to the gracious gift of life?” is a guiding question.”