Useful Articles on Aging and Spirituality:

The Challenges and Blessings of Age →

Article by Pat Lewis

When you think of aging, do you think more about challenges or blessings?

Many people associate aging with challenges rather than blessings. We are the product of such sayings as "the description of the 4 stages of humans are 1)infancy 2)childhood 3)adolescence and 4)obsolescence or someone saying, "Old age is when you know all the answers but no one asks you the questions." Obviously, if these are the kinds of images that permeate our culture, people will first think of the challenges of aging.

Changing the Image of Aging →

Article by Pat Lewis

Are you one of the people who never like to say how old you are? Why is this? I often ask people in my workshops to share their age. While many seem fairly comfortable sharing their age, others are very uncomfortable and will not do this. When I have asked people why this is, I often get the response that it is because society focuses on our youth culture.

Images of Aging: An Invitation to New Possibilities →

Article by Carol Scott-Kassner

What is your paradigm of aging? Do you think of aging as a time of freedom, a time of diminishing health and functioning, or a time of ongoing growth? How does your way of thinking about aging affect the choices you are making? Examine the possibilities of choosing a spiritual model of aging and explore what that might mean to you.

Invitations into the Paradoxes of Aging

Article by Carol Scott-Kassner

Living the paradox of doing and being is one of our most important invitations as we age. The first half of our lives is driven by the energy of eros – the "doing and producing" energy. We prove ourselves in the world. We create families. We are productive members of society. We create our to-do lists...As we move into the second half of life, the "being" phase of our lives, we are often struck dumb when faced with the question. "What do you do?"