The Wise Elder represents Logos, which, according to Jung, also is a feminine principle. He is the archetype behind a multitude of professions like doctors, lawyers, teachers and clergy. He mentors younger men using the wisdom he has gained through his experiences. By using his intuition he is able to see the unseen.
He is the mediator and communicator of secret knowledge, the healer, counselor, teacher, and spiritual guide. The Wise Elder always has the possibility of abusing his power by denying his shadow aspects. He becomes instead the frightening negative force, the witch or warlock.
Description
About the Series
The Real Men book series consists of four books designed to help men develop their feminine side. Men are largely unaware of their feminine side that has been denigrated by many in our modern world. Real Men is a series of books that addresses what men need to do to become fully mature and effective.
- The Male Mother: The Missing Skill Set For Fathers
- The Servant Leader: What the World Needs Now
- The Wise Elder: Harvesting the Wisdom of Our Fathers & Grandfathers
- The Open-Hearted Lover: Love Is All You Need
The Wise Elder: Harvesting the Wisdom of Our Fathers & Grandfathers
By Barry. K. Weinhold, Ph.D.
What Is the Difference Between A Wise Elder and An Old Man?”
My definition of a wise elder is someone who lives an authentic life, shows up and knows what he wants and how to get it. He is wise because he has been able to connect the dots in his life and learn from all his life experiences. He is self-aware and able to self-correct. He also has spent some quality time considering their mortality.
By contrast, an old man is basically just waiting to die. He is not very self-aware and most of what he does is try to stay in his comfort zone. He does not like change or uncertainty. He silently worries about his future and often worries about his children and other loved ones. Henry David Thoreau summed up this picture in his famous quote, “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.”
Too Many Men Are Living Lives of “Quiet Desperation.”
Currently, we have way too many “old men” and too few wise elders. That is the main purpose why I am writing this book. I want to inspire “old men” to become wise elders and I want to challenge our society to reach out to our elderly men and do things with them that help them develop their wise elder archetype and cast aside their old man archetype. I also believe that men have to take charge of their lives and create more purposeful activities in their twilight years. They can’t just wait for society to change and instead they have to help it change.
The book provides needed support for men who wish to be of service to others and share the wisdom they have gained throughout their lives. It contains the wisdom of 18 wise elder contributors to the book. They share stories of mentoring experiences they have had, advice to young men that they wished they had gotten when they were young and what, as wise elders, they want out of life.
Here Is What One Wise Elder Has To Say:
Wise Elder contributor, Rafa Flores, says this, “As an elder, advocate, mentor, teacher, leader, example, we as adults with life lessons and wisdom to share, must be proactive. If the mountain won’t come to you, YOU must go to the mountain. We as self-aware conscious beings (wise elders), must go to where the kids are. It is only then that they will have access to us, and we to them. This requires awareness of the need and also effort on our parts to make ourselves available.”
Topical Outline
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Chapter 1: What Are Some of the Contributions of Wise Elders Throughout History?
Chapter 2: What Do We Lose Without Wise Elders?
Chapter 3: Why Do We Need The Wisdom Of Wise Elders Now More Than Ever?
Chapter 4: What Do Wise Elders Want In Their Lives
Chapter 5: What Advice Do Wise Elders Have For Young Men?
Chapter 6: How Can Wise Elders Maintain Good Health and Longevity?
Chapter 7: What Are The Personal/Psychological Barriers To Overcome In Order To Become A Wise Elder?
Chapter 8: What Are The Social/Cultural Barriers to Overcome In Order To Become A Wise Elder?
Chapter 9: What Strategies Can Be Used To Overcome The Personal/psychological Barriers To be AS Wise Elder?
Chapter 10: What Strategies Can Be Used To Overcome the Social and Cultural Barriers to Being A wise Elder?
Chapter 11: What Would The World Be Like If it Were Filled With Wise Elders?
About The Author:
Barry K. Weinhold, Ph.D. is professor emeritus and the founder and former program chair of the counseling and human services M.A. program at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. He is the co-founder and director of both the Colorado Institute for Conflict Resolution and Creative Leadership and The Kind & Safe Schools Initiative, a nationally acclaimed school violence prevention program.
Dr. Weinhold is the founder of The Kindness Campaign, a community-based violence prevention program, and the co-founder of The First Visitor program, a home visitation program designed to prevent child abuse and neglect. Dr. Weinhold earned his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota and has been a licensed psychologist since 1976.
He has been involved in men’s work for over 40 years, specializes in working with men in his practice as a psychologist, and is the author or co-author of 65 books. The book is the third book in a series of four books called “The Real Men Series.” The other books in the series
already published are The Male Mother: The Missing Skill Set For Fathers and The Servant Leader: What The World Needs Now. The fourth book is tentatively titled, The Open-Hearted Lover.
