The Five Stages of the Soul: Charting the Spiritual Passages

Moody, Harry R., Carroll, David

ISBN 10: 0385482256 / ISBN 13: 9780385482257

Published by Doubleday, 1997

About this Item

Very Good condition. Good dust jacket. A copy that may have a few cosmetic defects. May also contain light spine creasing or a few markings such as an owner's name, short gifter's inscription or light stamp.

Seller Inventory # N24M-01713

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Five Stages of the Soul: Charting the Spiritual Passages
• Publisher: Doubleday
• Publication Date: 1997
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0385482256
• ISBN 13: 9780385482257
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: Very Good
• Dust Jacket Condition: Dust Jacket Included

About this title

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.

From the Back Cover

The Five Stages of the Soul is the first book to identify the five specific stages of spiritual awakening most of us go through: the Call, when we receive a message that we have lost our way and that something has gone wrong in our lives; the Search; the Struggle, when we have found the way and begin the climb to spiritual fulfillment; the Breakthrough; the Return. Combining psychology, religion, myth, and literature, Harry Moody - in the bestselling tradition of Joseph Campbell, Thomas Moore, and Scott Peck - charts the passages of countless individuals across the country who have lived through these five spiritual stages, and recounts their lessons and experiences. Moreover, he explores their confrontation with the question of meaning in their lives and the experiences the five stages offered them - from a return to traditional religion to an embrace of mysticism to the desire simply to do community service.