Perhaps Prairiewoods’ greatest teacher is the venerated Grandmother Oak. Thousands are drawn to her majestic presence every year, and most come away moved, even changed. As an arbor elder three centuries old, Grandmother Oak has much to teach us. All we have to do is listen.
In March, author Leah Rampy facilitated a remarkable Prairiewoods retreat called Discovering the Spiritual Wisdom of Trees, which I was privileged to attend. Based on the new book of the same name by Rampy and co-author Beth Norcross, the retreat profoundly showed us how trees are teachers. As Rampy says in the book, “The idea that trees contain deep wisdom has a long history … Many terms that have to do with learning, knowledge, and wisdom in the Germanic languages are derived from the words for trees or woods. For example, wit and wisdom come from the ancient Scandinavian root word vid, which means wood or forest.”
Among her many areas of wisdom, Grandmother Oak obviously has a lot to teach us about aging and elderhood. She has inhabited this land for centuries yet continues to live out her purpose within creation. As we ourselves approach and embrace elderhood, the natural path of our soul is to continue to grow, to enlarge and embrace a fuller sense of purpose and authenticity, all the way up to the end of our earthly existence. For me, Grandmother Oak remains one of my greatest teachers in becoming elder.
Last summer, a group of two dozen incredible sojourners joined me and my amazing co-facilitator Chris Johnson for Becoming the Elder Tree: Purpose in the Second Half of Life, a Circle of Trust® retreat, following the Courage & Renewal® approach founded by Parker Palmer. Chris and I are delighted and honored to be invited back to offer a new iteration of this retreat this August. While our main goal—to explore the growth of our life purpose and our ecological soul in the second half of life—remains, the retreat is new. Our thematic focus this time will be Lessons from Grandmother Oak, and our topics and materials will be refreshed.
We hope to see many of our friends from last year continue the elder tree journey with us this year, and of course we are eager to welcome all newcomers to the gathering. Those who enjoyed Leah Rampy’s Discovering the Spiritual Wisdom of Trees Retreat last March are also encouraged to continue their discovery with us. People of all ages, backgrounds, and experience are invited to join us in listening to the lessons that our beloved elder tree, Grandmother Oak, has to share with us.
—Dr. Thomas Dean, retreat facilitator
Becoming the Elder Tree: Purpose in the Second Half of Life Retreat will take place at Prairiewoods from Aug. 15–17, co-facilitated by Thomas Dean and Chris Johnson as a Courage & Renewal© retreat. Click here to learn more or register.