The Five Stages of the Soul: Charting the Spiritual Passages - Hardcover

Moody, Harry R.; Carroll, David

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0385482256 ISBN 13: 9780385482257

Publisher: Doubleday, 1997

Synopsis

In a groundbreaking book that interweaves twenty years of case studies and research in the field of aging with an exhaustive knowledge of psychology, religion and literature, Harry R. Moody, co-founder and Director of the Brookdale Institute of Aging, reveals the spiritual passages that the vast majority of us encounter in life and explores the opportunities those spiritual stages offer us in achieving a sense of inner fulfillment.

At some point in our lives, most of us begin to question what life is all about, what the purpose of our existence is. This first of the passages in our spiritual lives often arises as the result of the death of a parent or other loved one, the birth of a child, or any number of life-changing events that force us to rethink who and what we are. Everyone responds differently to what Dr. Moody describes as the Call. For some, it may lead back to traditional religion; for others to good works in the community; still others turn to mysticism. Those who ignore the Call are called again, for the Call comes not once, but any number of times in one's life, and in any number of ways. For those who heed the Call, it is an opportunity to reflect on their inner lives, to explore and fulfill a deeper part of themselves. InThe Five Stages of the Soul, Dr. Moody identifies five specific spiritual stages that make up our inner lives, exploring the psychology of our spiritual development and interweaving the wisdom of Western and Eastern spiritual masters as we struggle through the labyrinth of life.

Written in richly textured narrative that constantly inspires as it offers a detailed roadmap of our spiritual lives, The Five Stages of the Soul is reminiscent in its approach of the best work of Scott Peck and Thomas Moore.

About this title

Review:

The quintessential baby-boom seeker of spiritual fulfillment, Harry Moody came of age in the late '60s, began his search for deeper meaning, gradually assimilated into professional life, married, and became "normal." The only difference is that Moody never stopped searching, and The Five Stages of the Soul is the culmination of his efforts. Everyone, especially in the middle years, he says, takes an interest in the spiritual life, and more or less goes through five stages of development: the call, the search, the struggle, the breakthrough, the return. In a colorful array of stories from contemporary America and legends and myths from religious traditions around the world, Moody unveils the varieties of spiritual paths and the common threads that bind them all together. As a mirror of our own search, The Five Stages of the Soul is as useful as it is informative.

About the Author:

Harry R. Moody, Ph.D., recently retired as Vice President and Director of Academic Affairs for AARP in Washington, DC.  He is currently Visiting Professor at Tohoku University in Japan, and Distinguished Faculty at Fielding Graduate University. Dr. Moody previously served as Executive Director of the Brookdale Center on Aging at Hunter College and Chairman of the Board of Elderhostel (now Road Scholar).
 
A graduate of Yale with a doctorate in philosophy from Columbia University, Dr. Moody has been a leading researcher in the field of aging. He is the author of over 100 scholarly articles, as well as a number of books. His most recent, The Five Stages of the Soul, has been translated into seven languages worldwide. In 2011 he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Society on Aging; in 2010, the Robert Kahn Award for Successful Aging, from Masterpiece Living and in 2008 he was named by Utne Reader magazine as one of  “50 Visionaries Who Are Changing Your World.”
David L. Carroll is the author of more than thirty books and ten network TV programs. He now specializes in medical self-help books, including Living with Parkinson's and The Complete Book of Natural Medicines, and film documentaries on medical technology and drug prevention.

About this edition

• Publisher: Doubleday
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 0385482256
• ISBN 13: 9780385482257
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 384