Stage 6: “In Service” – Empowered Eldership

The outcome for many Elders is a conscious choice to serve, however that might look. With an Elder Mission of service, a man can live out his life with a sense of purpose and meaning. As he grows in humility and wisdom, the grace and gift of being a "Master" is often achieved. A true Master is one who realizes that he is perpetually the "student.” Moreover, "mastery" does not mean that one doesn't have to deal with "shadows" anymore. To the contrary; the shadows become more refined and subtle the more "mastery” one embraces. So the journey is without end.

One task of maturity is to acquire a sense of proportion - a realistic appraisal of who we are and of our relationship with the world. The important gift that maturity can bring is to reconcile earlier dreams with current day reality. That gift is available when the Elder is at this stage.

Key Characteristics of an Empowered Elder

• Purposeful Living: Elders at this stage find deep meaning and purpose in their commitment to serving others, whatever form that service takes.
• Humility and Wisdom: Despite achieving "mastery," there's a profound understanding that the journey of learning is endless. A true Master remains perpetually a "student."
• Refined Shadow Work: Mastery doesn't mean an absence of personal challenges ("shadows"). Instead, these challenges become more subtle and refined, requiring continuous self-awareness.
• Reconciling Dreams and Reality: A crucial gift of this stage is the ability to align past aspirations with current realities, fostering a realistic and mature self-appraisal.
• Spiritual Detachment: Elders embody a detachment from material possessions and focus on gracious, generous giving of themselves.
• Openness to New Ideas: Even as a Master, there's a constant openness to new perspectives and ways of understanding life.

The Call for Community Recognition

In my view, the Elder at this stage should be given an opportunity to do his sharing in a public way, with ceremony and praise. It is a time of coming out and acknowledgement of the “Community Elder”. The Community needs to be aware of and know its Elders.

I believe it is critically important to have Community support of this notion. I have a vision that every Elder who has reached this stage of the transformative Passage of the Elder Journey will be specially honored in a public way before the entire Community.

Proposed Recognition Process:

• Final Step with Honored Elders: The Elder undergoes a “final step” guided by already recognized “Honored Elders.” This could resemble a “Vision Quest” weekend.
• Interview and "Tests": This step might involve interviews, specific "tests", some context pieces, and a “blessing” hot seat before the Elders.
• Public Presentation and Honoring: Upon the successful completion of this “final step”, the newly-blessed Elder would be "presented" to the community as "Worthy of Special Honoring". This “Honoring” would preferably be at some formal ceremony, where everyone is invited.
• Recitation of Accomplishments: The individual’s life and his accomplishments as an Elder could be recited, as would the fact that he had been “tested” and found ready to be honored as a true asset of the Community.
• Elder's Speech: Perhaps, the Elder being blessed also could be given the opportunity to make a brief speech to the assembled community on aspects of his Elder Journey or another relevant subject of his own choosing.

What Does This Stage Look/Feel Like?

• Clearly seeing my mission – taking it out to the world with conviction and commitment.
• Accepting my role as Mentor and Teacher – continuing to learn ways to do it even better.
• Knowing that I am a Leader, even as I serve, and leading from my heart, as a Servant-King.

What Can I Do?

• Continue to develop yourself as a conscious being.
• Become clearer that you have a mission in your later years.
• Take it out to the world, with conviction and commitment.