Elderhood and Spiral Dynamics.

In this my second conversation with Jon Freeman, we explore the interplay between Erik Erikson’s life cycle model (adapted by Mary Catherine Bateson) and the stages of adult development within Spiral Dynamics theory.   Having laid the ground of Spiral Dynamics within this understanding in our first conversation, Jon and I move into an exploration of the applied nature of Spiral Dynamics to elderhood, as seen through the lens of the concept of Active Wisdom, i.e., Wisdom in Action.

Mary Catherine describes the “virtue” of Active Wisdom as being about sharing insight gained from rich life experience, combined with new levels of experimenting, travel, study, and a refreshed interest in giving back to others. The “vulnerability” of this stage can be an attendant loss of identity that leads us to withdraw rather than whole-heartedly engage with new possibilities.

In this discussion, my purpose was to harness the clarity Jon brings to understand more about the emergent nature of this stage in human life.  Research has shown that human longevity increased by 30 years during the 20th Century with attendant opportunities and challenges of living longer.  Jon brings a clarity and precision to this by explaining how we can, if we choose, develop in response to what is happening in our lives. 

Jon is a trainer, acknowledged expert and podcast guest on the subject of Spiral Dynamics and its applications for how we can perceive and, if called, to change our reality. Jon has written books on parenting, the nature of consciousness, and contributions to a variety of collections and journals. He is currently exploring the nature of intuition and how to harness this to find passion and purpose in our lives. You can find more information on Jon and his Spiral Dynamics offerings here .

This link takes you to information about the intuition and conscious creation program.

There is also a Facebook group page