reflections stem from the willingness to look within, to see what is there to be found. there is little value placed on reflectiveness in our culture. instead we value the rational, the linear, the trajectory forward. reflection calls for the ability to look backward, to hold what was in the light of what is.elders have the time and space to reflect and to act as mirrors to our communities. this is one of the many gifts of conscious eldering. while this mirroring might take the form of guiding and mentoring younger people, it may also take a less tangible form...that of simply being the mirror in each conversation, in each connection with another being. 
the ability to reflect asks us to take in a gestalt, a field of energy, with our intuitive sense rather than the rational mind. how does the situation feel? where does the energy flow? where is the silence in the midst of the words? where is the living Spirit present in each conversation?as part of the curriculum of the elder we can show that ageing is not a mistake, that it is a valuable, indeed necessary, part of all cultures. we can change the current paradigm by being the mirror, by being that reflective surface that allows others to see who they really are, the truth of their being.we have the capacity do this because we have turned the mirror around and reflected on ourselves.i must know my fears, my reactions, my delights, my anger, my love, my boredom, my peace in order to speak my truth. to know these aspects of who i am i must quiet my mind and reflect enough to see truth.and i must develop resilience to face the face i see in the mirror.