The New Year is a Time of Mending and Melding:
The Elders Need the Young, and The Young Need Their Elders
*********************
Long ago, the child of ‘the new year’ was born, when the dark is lifting and the light of day is growing and remaining with us longer. Named Dionysus, the infant was carried about by the old men Silenus and Hermes.
The child, the God in all things, represented bright new life, fresh imagination, sunny impetuosity, joyous spirit without end.
The old man who carried the child in his arms as his protector, represented the senex, that is, the old wise man; the one who had lived long, who knew the preciousness of new life, the locations of the ‘trip and fall-down’ places, the detours and long-cuts, the underground pathways through.
Back in the day, the child and the old man were not separate ideas, but one. The older one did not die in order to be replaced by the younger. Instead, they represented a hieros gamos of sorts, a sacred union. They are the two critical aspects of inner nature, that when melded together by inquiry, plans laid, and actions taken, created a third: a more conscious and awakened psyche.
One without the other, creative life without the long view, wisdom without action of invention, could cause each to falter, eventually go awry, then sicken and die… for lack of their life’s work in balance with one another… enthusiasm and a reliable over-and-inner sight.
In modern time, many older persons remain in high spirit by creating deep friendships with the very young, and/or with ideas and attitudes that carry fresh vitality. Many of the young feel they are living in the shelter of a mountain, because they are near the heart of an elder who is reasonably aged and wise in love, loyalty, praise and prescience.
As a pair, the wise old one and the newly born potential are the essence of creative power that can make ideas manifest through deliberate actions… much needed in our world, so that decent wishes can become manifest in progressions through ‘inspirited’ and focused actions.
Inspired by: Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estes
The Elders Need the Young, and The Young Need Their Elders
*********************
Long ago, the child of ‘the new year’ was born, when the dark is lifting and the light of day is growing and remaining with us longer. Named Dionysus, the infant was carried about by the old men Silenus and Hermes.
The child, the God in all things, represented bright new life, fresh imagination, sunny impetuosity, joyous spirit without end.The old man who carried the child in his arms as his protector, represented the senex, that is, the old wise man; the one who had lived long, who knew the preciousness of new life, the locations of the ‘trip and fall-down’ places, the detours and long-cuts, the underground pathways through.
Back in the day, the child and the old man were not separate ideas, but one. The older one did not die in order to be replaced by the younger. Instead, they represented a hieros gamos of sorts, a sacred union. They are the two critical aspects of inner nature, that when melded together by inquiry, plans laid, and actions taken, created a third: a more conscious and awakened psyche.
One without the other, creative life without the long view, wisdom without action of invention, could cause each to falter, eventually go awry, then sicken and die… for lack of their life’s work in balance with one another… enthusiasm and a reliable over-and-inner sight.
In modern time, many older persons remain in high spirit by creating deep friendships with the very young, and/or with ideas and attitudes that carry fresh vitality. Many of the young feel they are living in the shelter of a mountain, because they are near the heart of an elder who is reasonably aged and wise in love, loyalty, praise and prescience.
As a pair, the wise old one and the newly born potential are the essence of creative power that can make ideas manifest through deliberate actions… much needed in our world, so that decent wishes can become manifest in progressions through ‘inspirited’ and focused actions.
Inspired by: Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estes
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