“Once again, Carol Orsborn stirs the reader to reflect upon aging as an opportunity for depth and expansion, and week by week to experience that which abides through life’s changes.”
James Hollis, Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life
Spiritual Aging, Weekly Reflections for Embracing Life
New book by Carol Orsborn, Ph.D. to be published December, 2024 by Inner Traditions. Foreword by Harry R. Moody, Ph.D.
Many of us navigating the years beyond midlife report high levels of self-acceptance, freedom, and joy, but there can also be bouts of second-guessing and regret as well as the occasional longing to be reminded that you’re not in this alone. Walking readers through the most uplifting, passionate, as well as dangerous passages on the path of aging consciously, Carol Orsborn, Ph.D.’s new book Spiritual Aging, Weekly Reflections for Embracing Life, points the way forward through every conceivable mood, opportunity, and stumbling block that may arise on the journey through the second half of life.
Designed to be read weekly in two-year cycles, the 120 timeless readings focus on the issues and concerns that arise among those who view aging as a path to spiritual culmination. From transforming loneliness to solitude, loss of identity to freedom, anger to self-protection, fear to faith, and envy to love, Dr. Orsborn’s wise and compassionate insights are seasoned by quotes and stories by and about mystics, sages, and old souls from ancient through contemporary times who illuminate the path to living a full life while embracing old age. The connecting thread is the reminder that you have what it takes to shift from fear-driven reactivity to the challenges of aging, to instead accept them in a spirit of gratitude as they help you grow not just old, but whole.
At once unflinching and triumphant, the readings are both archetypal and personal, reminding readers of how far they’ve come and that, regardless of their circumstances, aging can be a lifestage with spiritual meaning and purpose of its own.
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Carol Orsborn, Ph.D., is a leader in the conscious aging movement and editor-in-chief of Fierce with Age: The Digest of Boomer Wisdom, Inspiration, and Spirituality. The author of more than 35 books, including award-winning The Spirituality of Age, and Older, Wiser, Fiercer as well as popular blogs on Huffington Post, and BeliefNet.com, she has served on the faculties of Georgetown University, Loyola Marymount University, and Pepperdine University. She lives with her husband in Madison, Tennessee and Toronto, Ontario.
Pub month
Park Street Press
ISBN 978-1-64411-667-8
$16.99 (CAN $21.50) Paper
[ebook] Also available as an ebook
224 pages, 4 x 5 3/4
FOR MEDIA INQUIRIES: Corsborn@aol.com
SPIRITUAL AGING EXCERPT
Fourth Week of November, Year Two
Excerpted from Spiritual Aging: Weekly Reflections for Embracing Age by Carol Orsborn, Ph.D. To be published December, 2024 Inner Traditions.
The search for meaning drove you for decades. You thought of life as a puzzle to be solved and the prize would be the discovery of your higher purpose.
When you were young, it was others who attempted to answer the question of meaning for you. Following their lead, some of us were expected to go into the family business, others to cure cancer or become a priest.
Some of us realized early on that others’ desire to determine our life’s purpose was not a good fit. We were the ones who were labeled rebels or failures. “You’ll never amount to anything” was the refrain that accompanied our coming of age. Others of us complied and found ourselves praised and respected, while feeling hollow inside.
Meanwhile, life goes on. You got educated, got your first job. You made choices about getting married, having children. You decided where you would live, which hobbies, activities and causes you would adopt. Some of your decisions worked out fine, others not so much. But still, you persevered.
All the while, you were building memories: a lifetime full of simple joys and unavoidable losses. There was celebration, crisis, joy, sadness, every possible emotion, but through it all, something miraculous transpired. You fell in love with your life.
Now that you are old, you have finally come to realize that there’s a better question to ask yourself than what is the purpose of life? Simply this:
What would I like to do today?
