The Second Half of Life ─ Opening the Eight Gates of Wisdom

When you find the courage to change at midlife," Angeles Arrien teaches, "a miracle happens." Your character is opened, deepened, strengthened, softened. You return to your soul's highest values. You are now prepared to create your legacy: an imprint of your dream for our world-a dream that can fully come true in The Second Half of Life. 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, you harvest the meaning and purpose of your life, and come into 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. Book jacket.

Angeles Arrien, PhD (1940 – 2014) received her master’s degree from the University of California at Berkeley, and her doctorate from the California Institute for Integral Studies. Dr. Arrien’s teachings bridge the disciplines of anthropology, psychology, and comparative religion, while focusing on universal beliefs shared by humanity. She lectured and led workshops internationally on cultural anthropology and transpersonal psychology at colleges, corporate settings, and personal growth facilities. Her books include The Four-Fold Way, The Second Half of Life, and Living in Gratitude, and her audio-learning programs include Gratitude, Gathering Medicine, and more.