The New Elder Movement

Let's Make it Psychedelic

artwork by Lauren Meyer/Painter Dancer

“The elder movement is now unstoppable,” Marc Cooper recently announced on his Substack, the One-Minute Elder.

With elder-awareness-focused books, retreats, podcasts, workshops, groups and conferences now numbering in the thousands, Cooper believes we are at a tipping point. The term Elder, with all the wisdom, gravity and power it entails, is now entering the mainstream. And the mission of Elders, as he sees it, is bring more wisdom into the world.

I agree with Marc about the growing momentum of the emerging elderhood movement – especially among the ranks of the aging baby boomers. In a recent conversation, we shared how exciting this moment is.

To his credit, Marc doesn’t shut me down when I talk about the role of psychedelics as a driver of the conscious elderhood movement. He acknowledges that consciousness-expansion with psychedelics is one of many avenues – and I couldn’t agree with him more.

Todays older adults (a critical mass of aging boomers) are anything but a homogenous group. Interest in psychedelics is a niche phenomenon – attracting a small subset of people with curiosity and a non-conventional outlook. But just like the core group of hippies were small in number but outsized in their influence on society, so may the case be with the contemporary elder counterculture.

The tipping point that Marc sees rests on countless smaller shifts, and I have no doubt that the boomers’ embrace of psychedelics is a distinct rumbling in this seismic movement.

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In our conversation, Marc asked me about the trajectory of my own experience in this field, and whether there was a before, middle and after. On a moment of reflection, I realized my journey has taken me from the notion of transformation at an individual level – to the belief that a movement of awakened older adults is, in fact, at hand.

It started with the discovery of how beautifully suited the work of psychedelic exploration can be in older life – as a means to experiencing aging as a vital period of healing, growth, creativity, joy and community.

Then came the recognition that there is a huge desire among my cohort to experience those things. And the discovery that, across the country and beyond, in settings above and underground, older adults are increasingly seeking out psychedelics to expand their horizons.

But the now – where all this has led – is the realization that experiencing psychedelics in groups – whether composed all of older adults or multi-generational – can not only be profoundly meaningful for the individual, but also a powerful means for community building and social transformation. (Psychedelic Alpha Practitioner just put out a great analysis of group psychedelic experiences). And that, with intention, these groups can counter the isolation and alienation so common among older adults, and help us bring the benefits of conscious aging to ourselves, each other, and the greater community.

My vision of creating Elder Vision Circles is sketched out in my book, Psychedelics and the Counterculture of Aging – which is now available if you order through the publisher – and will be officially in bookstores on July 7^th.

Once the book is launched, I’ll be working on creating a pilot Elder Vision Circle. I’ll be reporting on my progress here in this newsletter.

In the meantime, if you are in the Washington, DC/Baltimore area, come celebrate my book launch with me!

July 7, 7 PM at Busboys and Poets, Takoma, DC – I’ll be in conversation with Prof. Misha Kogan of the George Washington University Center for Integrative Medicine.

July 11, 2 PM, the Baltimore Psychedelic Society will be hosting me for a panel discussion with psychedelic luminaries, Bill Richards, Mary Cosimano and John Rhead.

Please be in touch with me for details on events in Seattle, Victoria, Portland, Santa Cruz and the Bay Area…