Richard Rohr created a contemporary rites of passage almost 30 years ago, which thousands have participated in all over the world. The Men's Rites of Passage or MROP serves as a threshold into the Wisdom Journey of Descent, leaving the first half of life spirituality and ushering folk into a healthy second half of life spirituality. An entire community of men in many countries has sprung up out of this seminal event, offering a generative spiritual path.

Ned Abenroth, a weaver of Rohr's MROP, through 15 years of working with folks in their 60s/70s/80s as a wealth manager, guided many into and through the eldering years and learned first hand the opportunities and challenges this season of life offer. As part of a Master's thesis project, he created the EROP™ with the aid of Belden Lane, Jonathan Miller, and numerous others. The Elders' Rites of Passage® intensive was birthed in 2018 and is now being offered in Europe and the US. There are several EROP™ offerings now, including the EROP Journey™, a ten session companion course offered virtually that helps folks prepare for and/or integrate after the movements of the EROP™ retreat.

First offered for men, there has been for years a desire to offer a different version open for all, while maintaining the original version for men. Seeds were planted in 2019 for this part of the work, and a team of women and men elders have worked to recontextualize the EROP™ in this separate offering open to all.

It's been said we have many elderly folk, but very few elders. True elderhood is the flowering of life, and ripe with opportunity to be life's most joyful season of significance rather than furthering consumptive leisure and the myth of individualism. An experience unlike any other, with powerful original rituals, time alone in nature, wisdom teachings and more, men and women are guided across the threshold from adulthood into elderhood.

Christians, Buddhists, Jews, folk of other traditions and no tradition at all, have found the Elders' Rites of Passage® intensive to be a profound spiritual and soulful encounter impacting them for the rest of their lives. The 2024 Elders' Rites of Passage® retreats are being held at Ekone Ranch, a 1200 acre wilderness preserve and burial ground, outside of Goldendale WA September 10-14 (open for all) and again September 17- 21 (for men).