Weird Elders

You know who you are...


WEIRD ELDERS

Michael Meade says: "In old traditions those who acted as elders were
considered to have one foot in daily life and the other foot in the
otherworld. Elders acted as a bridge between the visible world and the
unseen realms of spirit and soul. A person in touch with the otherworld
stands out because something normally invisible can be seen through
them.

"The old word for having a foot in each world is 'weird.' The original sense
of weird involved both fate and destiny. Becoming weird enough to be wise
requires that a person learn to accommodate the strange way they are
shaped within and aimed at the world.

"An old idea suggests that those seeking for an elder should look for
someone weird enough to be wise. For just as there can be no general
wisdom, there are no 'normal' elders. Normal bespeaks the 'norms' that
society uses to regulate people, whereas an awakened destiny always
involves connections to the weird and the warp of life.

"In Norse mythology, as in Shakespeare, the Fates appear as the Weird
Sisters who hold time and the timeless together.

"Those who would become truly wise must become weird enough to be in
touch with timeless things and abnormal enough to follow the guidance of
the unseen. Elders are supposed to be weird, not simply 'weirdoes,' but
strange and unusual in meaningful ways.

"Elders are supposed to be more in touch with the otherworld, but not out
of touch with the struggles in this world. Elders have one foot firmly in
the ground of survival and another in the realm of great imagination. This
double-minded stance serves to help the living community and even helps
the species survive."

– Michael Meade, *Fate and Destiny: The Two Agreements of the Soul*