Time

Elle Dooley

Oh precious time! The Chronos and Kairos of it. A place to begin our conversations about the container for everything.

Let’s begin with simple definitions. Chronos is measured time and the things we use to measure it, our clocks and calendars. With it, we mark our days and order our memories; we create a shared sense of history. With elegant Chronos timekeeping, we arrive at appointments as arranged, along with those who agreed to meet us there. We set time-bound goals and create deadlines. Like most things we measure, we learn to worry about having enough. Our consensus culture, with its emphasis on constant productivity, creates a belief that time is scarce, generating an ever-anxious state of mind.

Kairos is non-linear, a way of experiencing and being in time rather than measuring it. In Scripture, Kairos is the appointed time for God's purpose to be made known. For mystics, Kairos is "deep time", the presence of the Divine in each moment of our lives. A Kairos moment can open up anywhere - in the sound of summer rain, as a meditative stillness, or a conversation that changes everything. Kairos may be acting on your intuition, being open to the Cosmos, savoring what happens in the moment.

Chronos and Kairos – the difference between, “How much time do I have?” and “What is magical in this moment?” As you consider conscious eldering, what do these questions evoke for you? We would love to see your thoughts here.