Elder Men and Mentorship | The Men's Work Directory

What the tradition says about elders

Richard Rohr's Illuman programs were founded on a specific theological and anthropological premise: genuine masculine initiation requires elder men who have passed through the passage themselves. The man in midlife crisis does not need advice from another man in midlife crisis. He needs the witness of a man who has navigated the passage and come out the other side with something real to transmit.

Michael Meade's account of the elder goes deeper: the elder's function in the community is not to compete but to bless — to see the young men in front of him, to acknowledge their gifts and their struggles, and to transmit what he has learned without controlling what they do with it. This is the function that modern culture has largely eliminated.

James Hollis's account of the second half of life includes a specific role for elder men: the transmission of wisdom, not as instruction but as presence. The man who has genuinely navigated his own depths has something to offer the man who has not — not a blueprint, but a quality of company.

Common Questions

How do I find elder men to learn from?

Illuman programs specifically include elder men as facilitators and participants. Animas Valley Institute's programs draw on elders from multiple traditions. Men's circles that span age groups naturally develop this dimension over time. The church and synagogue, in their best forms, have always provided this function.