Ageless Soul: The Lifelong Journey Toward Meaning and Joy

by Thomas Moore

Overview

"Beautifully and eloquently written...Thomas Moore convinces us that we age best when we embrace our age, live agelessly, and remember every day to find the endless joy nestled inside our soul." - Dr. Rudolph E. Tanzi, New York Times bestselling author of Super Brain and Super Genes

Thomas Moore is the renowned author of Care of the Soul, the classic #1 New York Times bestseller. In Ageless Soul, Moore reveals a fresh, uplifting, and inspiring path toward aging, one that need not be feared, but rather embraced and cherished. In Moore’s view, aging is the process by which one becomes a more distinctive, complex, fulfilled, loving, and connected person.

Using examples from his practice as a psychotherapist and teacher who lectures widely on the soul of medicine and spirituality, Moore argues for a new vision of aging: as a dramatic series of initiations, rather than a diminishing experience, one that each of us has the tools—experience, maturity, fulfillment—to live out. Subjects include:

*Why melancholy is a natural part of aging, and how to accept it, rather than confuse it with depression

*The vital role of the elder and mentor in the lives of younger people

*The many paths of spiritual growth and learning that open later in life

*Sex and sensuality

*Building new communities and leaving a legacy

Ageless Soul teaches readers how to embrace the richness of experience and how to take life on, accept invitations to new vitality, and feel fulfilled as they get older.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250141002
Publisher:	St. Martin's Publishing Group
Publication date:	01/22/2019
Pages:	304
Sales rank:	204,937
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

THOMAS MOORE is the New York Times bestselling author of Care of the Soul, as well as many other books on deepening soul and cultivating a mature spiritual life, three of which have received the Books for a Better Life Award. At turns he has been a monk, a musician, a university professor, and a psychotherapist. Today he lectures widely on creating a more soulful world and on spirituality. He lives in New Hampshire.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ix

Introduction 1

Part 1 Rites Of Passage

1 The First Taste of Aging 13

2 Old Bodies, Young Souls 31

3 The Passages of Life 49

Part 2 Becoming A Deeper Person As You Age

4 Melancholy: A Way to Happiness 67

5 Processing Life Experiences 83

6 The Maturing of Sexuality 99

Part 3 Imagine Aging Differently

7 Illness as an Initiation 119

8 Kindly Curmudgeons 135

9 Play, Work, Retire 149

Part 4 Open Your Heart To The Future

10 Being Fulfilled as an Elder 169

11 Legacy: The Future of Your Life Experiment 185

12 Transforming Loneliness 203

Part 5 The Spirituality Of Aging

13 Friendship and Community 221

14 The Angel of Old Age 241

15 Living with Dying 261

Conclusion: Let Things Take Their Course 273

Index 287

Editorial Reviews

"After reading this beautifully and eloquently written book, getting older seems much more like a blessing than a curse! Thomas Moore convinces us that we age best when we embrace our age, live agelessly, and remember every day to find the endless joy nestled inside our soul." - Dr. Rudolph E. Tanzi, Joseph P. and Rose F. Kennedy Professor of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, and New York Times bestselling author of Super Brain and Super Genes

“Destined to become a classic, Ageless Soul brilliantly illuminates one of life's most enduring mysteries: ‘Why—and how—do we grow old?’ A pioneer pointing the way forward to a new world of aging, Thomas Moore reveals the land beyond middle age as both a culmination of experience and a summons to adventure and exploration… A precious book to keep for ourselves, and to give to friends and family of all generations, Ageless Soul offers a richly textured vision of how, in Moore's own words, to 'age well.'” - Pythia Peay, author of American Icarus: A Memoir of Father and Family and America on the Couch: Psychological Perspectives on American Politics and Culture

"With warmth, intimacy, and rare depth of wisdom [Moore] guides his readers through each of [aging’s] stages. Grounded in years of psychological research and spiritual reflection on the human enterprise, this wonderful book lays out for us what it is to live a full and creative life all the way to its end. This book should be read by everyone but especially by those for whom the very thought of aging is depressing. This book can change their minds." - Sister Joan Chittister, author of The Gift of Years

"With Ageless Soul, Thomas Moore extends a magnificent invitation to reflect, grow up with joy and intention, and give back with an open heart. Accept and pleasure follows." - Marc Freedman, founder and CEO of Encore.org and author of The Big Shift

“In this profound and moving meditation upon aging, Thomas Moore offers us the keys to living well. Anyone facing the second half of life can gain from this lovely book a measure of wisdom and serenity.” - Ralph White, author of The Jeweled Highway

“Ageless Soul comes at a time when the world dearly needs a soul lift…Moore’s most crucial work to date and a must-read for contemplatives of all ages.” – Southwest Journal

"Moore offers a guide to growing old and accepting who we are while seeking joy, contentment and fulfillment in our final season of life." - BookPage

“This gentle book, filled with specific suggestions and thought-provoking examples, will be inspiring to older readers and a comfort to their caregivers.” - Booklist, starred review

From the Publisher

06/01/2017
Author of huge New York Times best seller Care of the Soul, Moore now attends to the art of growing older, discussing such issues as spirituality, sexuality, and, most interestingly, the recognition that melancholy is natural with the passing years and not to be confused with depression.

Library Journal