The Second Half of Life

In every culture, in every age, there is a turning point in human life. At this threshold, when you see fewer days ahead than have already passed, you begin the greatest adventure: the second half of your life. On The Second Half of Life, anthropologist and author Angeles Arrien retrieves the world's vital wisdom-teachings that have opened people at midlife to the deeper mysteries of who we really are and why we are truly here.Resurrect the Dream for Your LifeWe are all born with a great dream for our lives, Dr. Arrien begins, a dream that may have been submerged or derailed along the way by family and career realities. In the second half of life, after your roots have gone deeply into the world, it is time to resurrect this dream. For now the blossom of your wild and precious life is ready to bring forth the fruit of your special creative gifts. By reclaiming your dream-by refusing to stay down-you lift your heart up to heaven and make all things possible.A Midlife Curriculum for the Legacy of a LifetimeFor more than 25 years, Dr. Arrien has examined the way diverse cultures handle the challenges unique to the great crossing at midlife. Now, in six insightful lectures-each one packed with mythological tales and elder wisdom-she brings you these profound teachings just when they are most needed.Here are the Blessing Way, the indigenous ritual for making a golden invitation for those who follow us; the Eight Gates of Initiation, which open to new vistas in your inner and outer worlds; the nine muses of the ancient Greeks, and how they mediate between the mystery of creation and your creativity; and much, much moreWhen you find the courage to change at midlife, Dr. 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 only come true in the second half of life.