In every culture, in every age, the wise have observed that in the middle of our years, we encounter a series of great “thresholds” we must cross in order to fulfill the final stage of our destiny. “We are all born with a great dream for our lives,” explains cultural anthropologist Angeles Arrien, “a dream that may have been derailed along the way by family and career responsibilities or submerged by our own choices. In the second half of life, after your roots have gone deeply into the world, it is time to resurrect this dream.”
Working with images, poetry, metaphors, and other forms of symbolic language from diverse world cultures, Dr. Arrien introduces us to the Eight Gates of Initiation. By mastering their lessons and gifts, we harvest the meaning and purpose of our life, and come into our spiritual maturity. With The Second Half of Life, she takes you step-by-step through each gate to deepen your most valuable relationships, reclaim your untended creative talents, and shift your focus from ambition to meaning to grow into the exceptional elder you’ve always imagined you would one day become.
“The Second Half of Life is a wise, unique, and beautifully written guidebook for those who want to live every day of their lives. A book for everyone who plans to grow old.”
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“There is a grace in this book, an invitation to beautiful, deep wisdom, a banquet to refresh your spirit for the years ahead.”
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“Angeles Arrien maps the elder hero’s journey and guides the mature person through succeeding gates of wisdom. She offers archetypal tools to an expanded awareness that takes advantage of our extended lifespan.”
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