Spirituality of Aging, meaningful retirement, volunteering careers
Resources: websites, blogs, courses, books, essays and articles
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From a Christian Perspective …
Spiritual Mentoring… a Universal Call
Spiritual Mentoring is currently enjoying a new wave of interest especially among maturing adults.
The spiritual mentor role is a re-vocation, a re-dedication to Jesus in a different form. It’s a role required of us in our maturing years, a role that gives new direction and new purpose at a time when the agitation and emptiness of purposeless infects too many of us.
Continue reading this blog post by Richard P. Johnson, PhD
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From an Old Age Psychiatry perspective …
How spirituality can help us cope with the trials of ageing
Authored by Professors John Wattis and Stephen Curran, from the department of Psychiatry for Older Adults at University of Huddersfield
Being prepared to assess spiritual need and deal with it – or signpost the patient to those who can help – should be part of good medical practice.
With colleagues in the spirituality special interest group at the University of Huddersfield we have developed a description of spiritually competent practice that:
“Engages a person as a unique spiritual being, in ways which will provide them with a sense of meaning and purpose, connecting or reconnecting with a community where they experience a sense of well-being, addressing suffering and developing coping strategies to improve their quality of life. This includes the practitioner accepting a person’s beliefs and values, whether they are religious in foundation or not, and practising with cultural competency.”
Continue reading the full article:
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From the Website Aging with Spirit ….
Aging with Spirit
There are depths to this page for all minds.
Aging with Spirit Bibliography list
Aging with Spirit Quotations … I am sure you will find at least one that makes you chuckle or smile
Beautiful young people are accidents of nature,
but beautiful old people are works of art.
~ Eleanor Roosevelt
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From a Buddhist Perspective …
Aging as a Spiritual Practice
We can’t escape the process of getting older. But for those who embrace it with awareness and gratitude, it can bestow unrivaled gifts.
Interview with Lewis Richmond —Suzanne Gerber, Next Avenue’s Living & Learning editor
Q: You call your book a guide for gracious aging. In it, you say this stage of life is an ideal time for cultivating a spiritual practice and getting more in touch with one’s inner life. Why now?
A: Everyone needs to feel that their life has purpose and meaning. It’s one of life’s basic needs. It is only when we have lived a full life and the time of elderhood is dawning that its deepest meaning begins to appear.
Of course, aging has its share of losses. One is the loss of earlier identities: job, career, family, relationships and so on. The challenge of aging is to keep building new identities, through volunteer work, a different career, avocations, new friends, new vistas and new interests. One of the phrases I hear a lot is “giving back.” Even though certain aspects of our body and mind decline as we age, the opportunity to give back can expand and grow
Link to Book Review: Aging as a Spiritual Practice: A Contemplative Guide to Growing Older and Wiser
Link to You Tube Aging As Spiritual Practice with Lewis Richmond