One of my favorite authors, Dr. Clarissa Pinkola-Estes, mentions the concept of the value of being ‘old’ while we are young and being ‘young’ when we are old. In her book, How to be an Elder, she explains, “What makes an elder, a heartfelt spirit, a clear mind, a talented heart, one who is young while old and old while young, an activist for the Soul? Is it formulae, schemas, lexicons? It could be. But also, and often more so, I think it is very like the flowering of the trees in the forest, as we gather more years: we straggle and stride onward in our better learned ways to give out even more seeds for new life, and to blossom wildly in so doing for self and others … The old ones are yet traveling underground and overland toward us as we meet by the fireside one more time. La Vidente, the Seer. La Que Sabe, the Knowing Woman. La Levantadora, the Lifter of Curses—the Dangerous Old Woman in her many likenesses calls to you to ‘get down to business’” (https://www.mavenproductions.com/dr-estes-publications/how-to-be-an-elder). What does it mean to be ‘old while young’ and ‘young while old’?
Have you ever heard someone say - or, perhaps, you have said it yourself - “That little child is an old soul”? I’ve even heard people who don’t believe in incarnation refer to someone as an ‘old soul.’ What do we mean by that? In her article,“Have You Been Called An Old Soul? Here's What That Really Means," Sarah Regan seeks to address this question: “It's likely you know an old soul when you meet one. They probably seem wise beyond their years, mature, grounded, and aren't interested in superficial things. According to intuitive counselor Randi Merzon, the concept of the old soul is inspired by the idea that our bodies are containers for spirit, and an old soul ‘is someone who continues to reincarnate in order to heal or complete karmic agreements.’ Of course, depending on what you believe and how you relate to spirituality, another way of thinking about old souls is the idea that we're all perhaps different incarnations of universal life force, and those old souls are simply tapped into that wisdom on a deeper level (and from an earlier age) during that lifetime.
As spiritual guide and author of Sacred Landscapes of the Soul, Karen Brailsford tells [us], ‘I believe there's a timelessness or eternality we all have access to—this innate wisdom and core truth. In some ways, one might say we're all old souls, and maybe in different lifetimes we're exploring different aspects of that’"(qtd. in https://www.mindbodygreen.com/articles/are-you-old-soul-11-signs-what-it-really-means) To find out the eleven characteristics of old souls according to Ms. Regan, please read the article by clicking the link referenced above.
In a quick Google search on ‘being young while old,’ the majority of the articles are about how to look younger when we age. That’s disappointing! With so much emphasis on looks, it seems many have missed the point. It’s not about looking younger; it’s about thinking younger, not becoming an old stuck-in-the-past frumpy thinker. In the article, “5 SECRETS OF SENIORS WHO KEEP THEIR MINDS ‘YOUNG,'" the author shares, "When people talk about ‘aging gracefully,’ they’re usually referring to physical appearance. But you can also have a gracefully aging mind. In recent years, scientific research has delved into the secrets of people in their 80s and 90s whose brains function well — by some measures, as well as the minds of people decades younger. Researchers have started calling these high-functioning older people ‘super-agers,’ and we’re learning more about what sets them apart. While some factors are genetic, many are things within our control. Following are five things you can do to keep your aging brain sharp: Stay positive, Keep good company, Stay in shape, Meditate, Learn something new” (https://allegriavillage.com/5-secrets-of-seniors-who-keep-their-minds-young/). Click this link to learn more about what researchers have to say about these five things.
American businesswoman and fashion designer/icon, Iris Apfel, who recently passed away at 102 years old mused, “I see myself as the world’s oldest living teenager because I have such a good time and because I try to get as much of a kick out of things as possible” (https://www.facebook.com/IrisApfelofficial/posts/if-i-could-remain-one-age-forever-i-wouldnt-i-dont-believe-in-that/1035912476574800/); she shared this when she was 92. If you are unfamiliar with Ms. Apfel, I encourage you to google her. You will see a bold, bright, lit person who in her olde age was forever young. She was a inspiration for old and your alike and showed us what it means to be ‘young while old.’
What does being old while young and young while old mean to you? Please share your thoughts and insights by either commenting below this post if you are reading this on social media, or, if you are reading this through your email subscription, please share, by emailing me, at reimaginelife22@gmail.com.
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