Inner elder
There is a lot of talk about healing your inner child, but not so much about meeting the inner elder we all have within us; the wise carer who can sooth and share the truth in times of need.
Inner elder is a short experiential documentary video about disability and chronic illness and based on a mindfulness meditation practice; A valuable meditation is to sit and visualise yourself as a benevolent, wise old person. If you were to give your younger self advice, what would you inner elder say?
The video is based on a decades long collection of photographic stills and videos taken in hospital and doctor’s clinic waiting rooms. An imagined Inner Elder gives advice to their younger self. Amongst this footage are video clips of diverse people voicing the advice of their inner elder.
“Understand one thing: being ‘imperfect’ is part of being human. It all belongs. It is possible to live a fulfilling life, no matter how restricted your life becomes.
Treat emotional wounds with gentleness. Have compassion to yourself and those who hurt you. They have their own pain. Learn how to lovingly forgive, but also to let go and set boundaries.
Find a few people you can be your true self with, but don’t spread yourself too thin. No matter where you are, you can set boundaries and live with love, gratitude, humility and compassion as compass points.”
If you would like to contribute to this project please write an email to preciousillness at gmail dot com.
