Shed your despair, Elders, awaken into the real presence of other passionate Elders and the very meaning of that word. Our common desire to make a difference in the world that we find ourselves, our common grief and our shared love for life was all that the leaders needed to take us through the amazing soul wrenching work...

Mike Lerner, retreat participant

Your contribution matters greatly in this pivotal time on the planet. We work together as Elders to find our essential role and purpose in today’s world.
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Through our work together, you will:

• connect to other awesome elders! 
• learn tools to face the crises of our time
• discover your authentic path for taking action for the healing of our world.

How to work with me:

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Empowered Elder Webinar

​Come Together with Other Elders
to reconnect our hearts, minds and hands
to act on behalf of life.
Starting again Oct 2  2018

​CEN is a movement of vital elders who are dedicated to growing in consciousness while actively addressing the vital issues of our time. The Empowered Elder Workshop introduces the basic tenets upon which CEN is founded and explores the important role of elders in today's world. There is a focus on understanding, embracing, and stepping into the role of elder—of moving from 'disempowered older' to 'empowered elder'!

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Workshops & Retreats

I have been working with the Conscious Elders Network since its inception in April  2014. It has been an honor and a delight to work with so many dedicated, intelligent and accomplished elders to find ways to build a movement of elders so we all can  live in greater harmony with the earth, our fellow humans, and all of life.

I am leading retreats, day long workshops and a 7-week interactive course which introduces the foundational ideas underpinning the CEN movement. I offer workshops & retreats in the San Francisco Bay Area to develop Elder Circles so that people can come together to support each other in their inner work and their work for the world.

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Past Events

​Awakening our Courageous Hearts

A 4-6 Day Retreat in the Work That Reconnects

"I went to the retreat feeling drained and I left feeling juiced! And this is not just post-retreat bliss. 
This is a true return to what motivates my life." Joanie Linney

 "A wonderful and thoughtful experience that will have a profound effect on the rest of my life.
I now see retirement as the beginning of a new life,not the end. "   Patricia Brenner

The Work That Reconnects helps us uncover and experience our innate connections with each other and the healing powers of the web of life, so we can discover our role in creating a life-sustaining civilization.  Pioneered by root teacher Joanna Macy in the late 1970’s, this highly experiential and interactive work draws from systems thinking, deep ecology, and many spiritual traditions.  The Spiral of the work moves through Gratitude, Honoring Our Pain for the World, Seeing with New Eyes, and Going Forth.

•  Learn new stories and concepts to communicate and understand the challenges of our time. 
• Reconnect to the wonder and beauty of this earth.
• Rediscover our joy, our creativity, and the gifts we bring to our communities. 
• Move through our grief and fear to our love and courage.
• Find power in our interconnectedness with both the human and non-human world.
• Shift our perception of what is possible.
• Embrace this time on planet earth as a great adventure that is asking us to step up and be heroes.

• Clarify our vision of how we can act for the healing of the world.

We face many life-shattering crises today: climate change, income inequality, environmental destruction, institutionalized greed, to name a few. These crises are more than we can bear alone, so let us come together to share our despair, our dreams, and connect with our passions to participate in Great Turning.

As teachers,  parents, grandparents, business leaders, counselors, activists, and community members we need to talk about what is happening on the planet in ways that inspire action, creativity, and hope. We need to inspire ourselves so we can build community cooperation and resiliency to navigate the bumpy road ahead.  ​

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Elders Gathering for the Earth​ -
Day long and weekend workshops 

Come join other elders to deepen our connections to the earth and one another while we discover how we can be of greater service to life as empowered elders. We will learn about the Conscious Elders Network and experience some of the interactive practices of the Work That Reconnects. At the end of the Workshop we will find ways to support each other in deepening our consciousness and our commitment to action for the earth.
 
Drawing from deep ecology, systems theory and spiritual traditions, the Work That Reconnects builds motivation, creativity, courage and solidarity for the transition to a sustainable human culture. First emerging in 1978, this pioneering work has its roots in the teachings and experiential methods of Joanna Macy. www.workthatreconnects.org

The Conscious Elders Network is a movement of vital elders, dedicated to growing in consciousness while actively addressing the demanding challenges facing our world. We bring our multiple talents and resources, offering these in service to the goal of preserving and protecting life for all generations to come. www.consciouselders.org

“ If you are serious about doing something valuable with the time you have here on this blessed planet,  this workshop is the place to start.”  
​                                                        Mike Lerner, workshop participant 2015