The ElderGarten: A Field Guide for the Journey of a Lifetime

by Sally Z Hare

The A Field Guide for the Journey of a Lifetime is author Sally Z. Hare's invitation to you to join her in becoming what the planet most needs Elders. There are more old people than ever on the planet - but fewer Elders, and there has never been a time that wisdom and leadership and integrity are more needed. This non-linear journey of a lifetime begins early in life - and invites us into becoming fully who we are and to use our gifts in service of the planet. Elder is not about age, but about the time of Life when one's hidden wholeness becomes visible. Elder means to live with integrity, undivided between the inner Self and the outer soul and role are connected in a seamless flow. The journey requires resilience and commitment - and Sally shares the practice she has discovered to build that strength. Sally envisions The ElderGarten as the field for learning to be an Elder. She knows that books are the thin places that invite her into the space between the real and the imaginal, so why not a field guide that shows the way to The ElderGarten?

Genres: Aging

114 pages, Paperback

Published September 5, 2023

Reviews

[Janisse Ray]

After a career in education and in service to growth and self-growth, my friend Sally Hare realized that she was reaching elderhood during a time when elders are desperately needed. Mostly what our culture does is focus on youth. Elders are relegated to nursing homes and assisted living facilities. In addition, now, more than at any time in human history, more elders are beset with Alzheimer's and other diseases of cognitive decline. This is a scary problem, because the wisdom of so many older people is being trashed and lost. The elders, of course, are--or can be and should be--the keepers of visions, believers in the future, supporters of new ideas, and people with the power of resources. Sally realized that she needed to distill the wisdom of a life spent seeking knowledge and wisdom into a book, and she decided to call the book ELDERGARTEN. The "garten" is a garden, a place of growth, flowering, and learning. In this small but encompassing book Sally writes about her childhood in a segregated south and the need for a new cultural awareness around issues of identity and race. She writes about a trip to Africa, where she encounters a symbol that becomes important to her--the Sankofa bird. This bird is moving forward while looking back, and at the same time it's caring for an egg entrusted to it. THE ELDERGARTEN is a book that embodies this symbology, of moving forward with an egg in the beak, while looking back at what one has learned throughout a life. This book is a loving distillation of what's important in life.

[Shirley Showalter]

Sally Hare's Eldergarten deserves to be shared far and wide. With 75 million baby boomers alone coming into the last third or fourth of their lives, there is huge potential for growth, especially spiritual growth, which our planet and our country greatly need. Seldom, however, is this need acknowledged or Elderhood celebrated as a goal. The idea of becoming an Elder should excite everyone who understands the spiritual dimensions of life -- the "hidden wholeness" in each of us.

We can learn to honor the wisdom of age even when we are very young. Nothing that happens in our lives is wasted if we see it as "work before the work." Becoming an Elder prepares us to become what we all need -- a good ancestor. Using the concept of a "garten" to suggest a counterpart to kindergarten, Hare helps the reader enter a space of playfulness so seldom associated in the popular culture with older age. Using story as a way to share wisdom she has gained, she shares insights gained after many years of working with educators and students.

One of my favorite metaphors from this book is the reclaiming of the idea of "going to seed," a popular image that suggests death and insignificance. But no gardener, especially of heirloom plants, would share that image. Going to seed is what Elders do! We should rejoice in the opportunity to grow, mature, and eventually give back, the seeds of our True Selves. The story we have to tell the youth of our culture is about hanging on to hope. Something new is coming into being. The seeds we Elders are becoming contain gifts for them.

[John]

This book was recommended by a mentor and friend as I am moving towards completion of the Center for Courage & Renewal (R) Facilitator Preparation Program (R). This has been the exact right book for me at the exactly right time. This is a time when our society needs Elders more than ever.

[Athana Kontinos]

Thought provoking and inspiring