About

Boulder Sage-ing®: a CO Chapter of Sage-ing® International (SI).

The meeting facilitators are:

Rosemary Lohndorf, rlohndorf@comcast.net 720-937-8466 and

Rabbi Ori Har,  ori@orihar.com  303-440-1024

We generally meet the first Sunday of the month from 3:00-5:00 p.m.

Location:  Horizon West Condominiums
1850 Folsom Street, Boulder, CO 80302

About Boulder Sage-ing, A Chapter of Sage-ing International

Interested in Positive, Creative, Conscious ‘Age-ing’??   

The Answer is “Sage-ing”?!

Do you – or would you like to – embrace aging as the natural, beneficial, invaluable fulfillment of the life cycle? Would you like to hold a vision of the aging process as a spiritual path? Would you like to be in community with others who share this vision? Would you like to be supported by and offer support to those who are seeing beyond the cultural stereotypes and Madison Ave. portrayals of the second half of life?

Did you know an international organization exists for this purpose and that a local Front Range chapter now meets that YOU can be a part of if you would like to:

• interact with others who embrace the gifts that come with aging and to be inspired by the gathered energy within the group;
• share your own wisdom and life experience in a setting where there are no experts AND all are valued as experts;
• establish relationships with others interested in community, learning, and service to promote meaning-making and spiritual eldering;
• and explore resources for sage-ing and create new ones.

(based on Second Journey Vision Council outcomes http://www.secondjourney.org/VC.htm)

“SAGE-ING” is based on the book by Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi: From Age-ing to Sage-ing: A Profound New Vision of Growing Older, in which he says:

“Then what are elders? They are wisdom keepers who have an ongoing responsibility for maintaining society’s well-being and safeguarding the health of our ailing planet Earth. They are pioneers in consciousness who practice contemplative arts from our spiritual traditions to open up greater intelligence for their late-life vocations.”

“I hope you sense what a glorious future awaits you in old age. No longer will you dread the evening of life as a time of unremitting suffering and futility, but as an opportunity for continued growth in consciousness and service to humanity. What a vista, what a wonderful adventure, what a miraculous window of opportunity awaits us in old age!”

The ‘Sage-ing Guild’ Transitioned to ‘Sage-ing International’ and a Front Range (CO) Chapter Begins!

Sage-ing International or SI (http://sage-ing.org/) was known as the Sage-ing Guild until the October 2012 conference at Lake Junaluska.NC, where, along with the new name, a process was announced for forming local chapters open to all interested in Sage-ing, regardless of membership in SI or completion of From Age-ing to Sage-ing training or workshops.

James Robinson-Long, Deborah Windrum, and Ori and Oz DiGennaro participated in national conference calls to prepare conveners of local chapters. They called a first chapter meeting on Sunday 28 October 2012. About one dozen individuals ranging from 50-something to 80-something years of life experience met at the DiGennaro home to consider and begin planning a Front Range Chapter.

Role of Sage-ing Int’l Chapters According to Sage-ing International

The purposes of Sage-ing Guild Chapters are:

• To provide an opportunity for Sage-ing Guild members and others interested in conscious aging to share interests and resources, provide mutual support, and create community.
• To make the larger community aware of the ideas of sage-ing, and the resources available for interested people.
• To support and/or sponsor sage-ing workshops and trainings in the area covered by the Chapter.
• To be a vehicle for providing input to the Guild Coordinating Circle and Committees on organizational planning and issues.

Each local chapter decides when, where, and how often to meet; develops their own organizational structure and leadership; and establishes their own vision and goals. Chapters may function as or sponsor Wisdom Circles.

Minimum requirements for a Chapter are:

• All Sage-ing Guild members are invited to participate in all Chapter meetings and activities
• Other individuals interested in sage-ing are welcome to participate.

Sage-ing International on Chapters and Wisdom Circles  (Oct 2012)

Wisdom Circles

 Wisdom Circles are formed to create a group for elders, and people approaching elderhood, to inspire and support each other in doing the inner work of sage-ing – a process of emotional, intellectual and spiritual growth through which we can become the wise elders or sages which our world so desperately needs.

Members of Wisdom Circles are whoever the convener decides to invite.  Sometimes it’s people within their faith community congregation, or senior center, or any kind of group which the convener belongs to and which contains people of an appropriate age.  Sometimes it’s just friends and acquaintances invited by the convener.   Members of a Wisdom Circle need not be associated with Sage-ing International (although we would very much like to have them join us in our efforts to create a world which honors its elders, and to which its elders make great contributions).

Sage-ing International is forming a Wisdom Circle Network which will enable Wisdom Circle conveners and other interested people an opportunity to learn from each other and serve as resources for each other.  We will be holding periodic Wisdom Circle Network Conference calls and exploring creation of an online forum for Wisdom Circle members to post questions and experiences.

Some Wisdom Circles also decide to become Chapters of Sage-ing International, and some Chapters decide to function as Wisdom Circles, while  some Wisdom Circles and Chapters decide to stay within the particular realm they were formed to occupy.

Chapters

         A Chapter is an essential part of the Sage-ing International organization, and has several key functions:

• Inviting all Sage-ing International members in the Chapter area to Chapter meetings and activities.

• Making contact with new Sage-ing International members in the Chapter area to welcome them, and tell them about the Chapter.

• Designating a Chapter member to be listed as Chapter Representative on the Sage-ing International website, with contact information so that persons visiting the website wanting more information about the Chapter will have someone to contact.

• Providing the Sage-ing International Coordinating Circle (Board of Directors) input from time-to-time on organizational issues and plans.

• Considering (not mandatory) steps to promote sage-ing in their communities, including sponsoring sage-ing workshops, taking information about Sage-ing International to local media, etc.

In addition, Chapters may plan other activities consistent with Sage-ing International goals.  As an example, the Chapter could plan a service project to engage members in service to the community.

To fulfill these functions, Chapters generally meet at least quarterly, although the schedule is up to the Chapter members.

Any person, regardless of membership in Sage-ing International is welcome to participate in Chapter activities.