Becoming the Elder Tree: Purpose in the Second Half of Life Retreat at Prairiewoods (in person)

  • Details

  • 8/15/25
  • 6:30 - 1 p.m.
  • $180 – $255
  • All Ages

  • Categories

  • Educational

Event Description

Join a weekend retreat that invites you to envision a second half of life that calls forth your truest self and unique purpose and to consider what it means to be an elder in the deepest sense: when our lived years contribute to a special wisdom, vision and wholeness of self that are shared for the benefit of the community and society. We will place the development of elderhood in the context of our interdependent relationships with the more-than-human world, from nature outside our window all the way out through our entire solar system, the world soul and the greater universe story. Inspired by ecologist Suzanne Simard’s revelations about how forests are communities that are cooperative, collaborative, communicative and reciprocal, we will consider how we can be the elder trees that nurture, support and pass wisdom to others for the health and wellbeing of the entire community. Prairiewoods’ revered Grandmother Oak will thus be our touchstone and inspiration for the weekend. This retreat follows the Circle of Trust® approach developed by Parker Palmer and the organization he cofounded, the Center for Courage and Renewal. A Circle of Trust invites the individual soul, or inner teacher, to show up in a safe, welcoming, hospitable space, where it can be heard and supported by a trustworthy community. For more on the approach’s core values, touchstones, and principles and practices, visit couragerenewal.org/courage-renewal-approach/. This retreat at Prairiewoods (120 East Boyson Road in Hiawatha) with Dr. Thomas Dean and Dr. Chris Johnson will welcome participants of all ages and at any stage of life. Dr. Thomas Dean is a Circle of Trust® facilitator-in-preparation with the Center for Courage and Renewal and is senior presidential writer/editor at the University of Iowa, where he also teaches interdisciplinary humanities and writing courses. He has taught in numerous community programs, has facilitated retreats and workshops, and is a trained Land Ethic Leader through the Aldo Leopold Foundation, bringing programs on Leopold and the land ethic to libraries and nature centers across Iowa. Thomas loves to work with others to discover, understand and express the “wild soul” in all of us: how our authenticity and life purpose are intertwined with our relationships with the natural world. Dr. Chris Johnson has nearly 30 years of experience in teaching, speaking, coaching, and facilitating retreats with a wide range of audiences in education, nonprofit and faith-based organizations around issues of vocation, calling and purpose; life transitions; leadership development; and spirituality in life and work. Chris is a Circle of Trust® facilitator in association with Parker J. Palmer and the Center for Courage and Renewal, and is founder and principal of The Milkweed Group, LLC, whose work is to create and hold safe, courageous spaces that nourish inner wisdom, sharpen clarity of purpose, and nourish capacity to live and lead for a better world. The cost of this weekend retreat is $255 and includes sessions, Friday and Saturday lodging, and Saturday breakfast through Sunday lunch. The commuter fee is $180 and includes sessions, Saturday lunch and dinner, and Sunday lunch. For more information or to register, contact Prairiewoods at www.Prairiewoods.org or 319-395-6700.

Registration

Please register at https://pw.retreatportal.com/events/f?p=101:13::::RP,13:P13_PROGRAM_ID:26657 by August 11, 2025

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