Background
Our Core Understanding
From our perspective, everyone deep inside has access to her/his natural wisdom that knows what to do in every breath, to live in balance with the living system on Earth and with one another. Our intention is to support that capacity in ourselves, in the community and encourage people to perceive and use their own natural wisdom for the benefit of the whole through themselves.
Our role is to:
- Inspire listening inwardly on how to respect the foundations of life
- Grow the fundament and oxygen for care/trust/peace
- Create and hold spaces where this wisdom can be remembered
- Encourage people to trust and act from it
What we do as a Council
We meet every nine months in a different European country, and you are also welcome to our Council Meetings. Each gathering is intentional and focused. The host Grandmothers choose a specific theme one year before the meeting, relevant to the time, our intentional vision and to the European country that we visit.
At each meeting we:
Gather – all delegates from different countries – in circle days
- We share experiences and good practice
- We visit places, meet people, visit initiatives/projects connected to the topic
- We listen to the children and young people, who always have a lot to teach us through their clear eyes
- We prepare the Official Open Days
- After official days, we reflect and give our attention to the next council
Official open days
- We invite local visitors, people of the community and from other countries to participate. We hold a Council Dialogue on the topic, activities, ceremonies and shared presence; facilitated both from local women and the European Grandmothers. We focus our trust on the now and the future and on all our human and solution oriented abilities.
- We go home to serve and do our work in our countries in different ways filled with joy, confidence, determination and energy to give from our best to the good to growth.
- Both women, men and youngsters participate in our Council Meetings.
Through listening, reflecting, holding dialogue, ceremonies and activities we cultivate a field of peace, respect, and acceptance. In this field; inner wisdom – both individual and collective – can emerge and guide future steps and make vibrations.
Why this work is needed
In today’s world, the deeper meaning of life is often replaced by myths that drive hasty actions that harm rather than nurture, create and build.
Many people – young and old – feel the urgency to restore balance, build human relationships, community cohesion and an Earth system to sustain all life. But they lack spaces of trust and guidance where this can be explored and supported. We respond to this need by standing visibly as Elders and as Women, offering continuity, perspective, grounded wisdom and hope.
Our roots and origins
Since 2004, the The International Council of Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers from around the world have worked internationally to preserve and share traditional wisdom rooted in:
- Respect for the Earth
- Responsibility for future generations
- Rights and relationship with all living beings
Some of our Council members were guests at their gatherings and recognized that Europe had no representation or a comparable council of Elders. Instead of including another continent in the 13th Indigenous Grandmothers Council, It was decided, for many good reasons together with The 13th Grandmothers, to start a European Council in a European context.
Guided by intuition, Swami Nitya invited women from several European countries to gather in 2015 in Merano, South Tyrol. There, a shared platform and commitment were formed, giving birth to The Council of European Grandmothers.
Blessing and continuity
At that initial gathering for the European Council 2015, Grandmother Agnes Baker Pilgrim, the founder and the eldest of the Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers and her daughter Nadine, honored us with their presence. Agnes made a speech and gave The European Council their blessing and the words of wisdom:
“Follow your hearts. Do what you feel you should do.”
We are
Since then, we continue to meet every nine months, going from country to country. Nurturing and expanding the vision of the Council through presence, relationship, and service for the now and the coming generations. We call ourselves The Council of European Grandmothers. We are not an organisation, we are an organism of nurturing power, natural wisdom and willingness to do our part to support, achieve and maintain a healthy living environment – in our time, for the children, grandchildren and future generations.
