{"id":25371,"date":"2022-02-01T01:10:13","date_gmt":"2022-02-01T05:10:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/?p=25371"},"modified":"2022-01-31T21:10:43","modified_gmt":"2022-02-01T01:10:43","slug":"book-review-the-inner-work-of-age-by-connie-zweig-ph-d","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/2022\/02\/01\/book-review-the-inner-work-of-age-by-connie-zweig-ph-d\/","title":{"rendered":"Book Review \u2013 The Inner Work of Age: Shifting from Role to Soul by Connie Zweig, Ph. D."},"content":{"rendered":"

Book Review<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n

The Inner Work of Age: Shifting from Role to Soul<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n

by Connie Zweig, Ph.D.<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n

Publisher:\u00a0 Park Street Press <\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n

416 pages<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n

Publication Date: September 7, 2021<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I turned sixty in 2020 \u2013 the first year of the COVID pandemic. As someone who has lived through years of drug addiction, violent relationships, homelessness and poverty, I never expected to live this long, nor did I expect to end up in such a lovely home with the financial security that understandably don\u2019t quite trust. I enjoy pretty good health but most of my friends are dead or dying, due to years of too much partying \u2013 some have succumbed to the COVID virus.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

I requested to review this book \u2013 The Inner Work of Age: Shifting from Role to Soul, by Connie Zweig, Ph.D. As an elder myself, it seemed right up my alley. I am at that point in my life where I am reviewing and reflecting on every aspect of my life \u2013 although as a daily diarist, that\u2019s something I have always done. But there\u2019s something about reaching your sixties that changes your perspective somewhat. Indeed, there are important moments in my life that I see radically different than I did even a few years ago.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

I Googled Connie Zweig and she has WordPress page which seems to be mostly to promote The Inner Work of Age; however there are quite a few podcasts if you\u2019re into that kind of thing. Here\u2019s the link to that page ~~~> https:\/\/conniezweig.com\/<\/a>. It\u2019s definitely worth checking out. She also has a Linkedin page and you can find her on Twitter at @InnerWorkofAge<\/a>. She also blogs at Medium.com. She is the author of three previous non-fiction books and one novel.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The Inner Work of Age: Shifting from Role to Soul has four parts, taking us from the concept of growing old to dying as a rite in and of itself. For those of us who have had experienced death \u2013 through the loss of loved ones, especially our parents and close friends \u2013 and who are now going through the process of seeing our bodies age, with all the problems that process entails \u2013 these are often difficult issues to even admit ourselves \u2013 even as we see the changes in the mirror every morning. In a youth-based culture such as ours, the denial of our own aging is common and even applauded.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

I was lucky \u2013 I grew up with old people. I spent a major portion of my childhood at my paternal grandparents and there were also many aunts and uncles \u2013 as well as great-aunts and -uncles \u2013 so the notion that someday I would grow old wasn\u2019t foreign to me. I was an impatient child and I couldn\u2019t wait to \u201cgrow up\u201d. I enjoyed hearing their stories and their philosophies of life. Unlike most young people, I did not have an attitude that old people were to be ignored \u2013 I sought them out.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Part 1 is called \u201cThe Divine Messengers\u201d and it addresses the issue of aging itself. Many of us older ones are in the active act of denying their own aging \u2013 until it is much too late \u2013 how often have you heard, \u201cHe just dropped dead! He was so active! There was no sign at all!\u201d But this could be no further from the truth. We all have all kinds of signs of our aging \u2013 usually starting around the age of forty \u2013 if we pay attention and we are honest with ourselves.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Zweig addresses the issue of retirement \u2013 \u201cTo Retire or Not to Retire\u201d is one of the sections in chapter 4 \u2013 and she calls retirement itself one of the \u201cDivine Messengers\u201d. She says that retirement can be a spiritual practice: \u201cA quiet mind helps us retire fixed ideas, a need for others\u2019 respect, and a need to control, all traits that no longer serve us.\u201d (Zweig, 116).<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

But she adds, \u201cUnfortunately, we live in a culture that hypes only achievement and consumption and dismisses contemplative practice and spiritual development, even in late life. But these inner values have been woven into the social fabric of other cultures, such as the Christian monastic traditions, Buddhism, and Hinduism\u201d. (Zweig, 117).<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Because I am disabled, I \u201cretired\u201d from active work ten years ago. Many of the issues in part one I have been struggling with for many years, since I was only fifty-one years old when I stopped active work. The idea that we must be gainfully employed to be worthy is a toxic idea, especially in the American culture. As I grow into my sixties, this is becoming easier but I still try to stay busy throughout the day \u2013 like I have some kind of \u201creal\u201d job. The truth is \u2013 my only real job is to become a spiritually evolved person.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Part 2 is about \u201cLife Review and Life Repair\u201d. I am actively working on this right now. I have been transcribing my hand-written diaries for the past year \u2013 I am up to the year 2002 \u2013 and reviewing all the issues that have plagued me in the past. And yes \u2013 I have changed some of the way I have viewed some of the major events of my life.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

There are only three chapters to this part but they are powerful. I know I will be rereading them in the future, as I continue my work with my diaries.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Part 3 is called \u201cFrom Hero to Elder\u201d. I think the main theme of this section is \u201cacceptance\u201d. It\u2019s not easy getting old. There are so many more health issues to deal with \u2013 it can become demoralizing and depressing. And yet \u2013 we have a wealth of wisdom to offer the world. And what is wisdom? Zweig quotes Monika Ardelt, a sociology professor at the University of Florida in Gainesville: \u201cWise people are able to accept reality as it is, with equanimity.\u201d (Zweig, 292).<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Zweig expands on this, concluding, \u201cTo perfectly realize wisdom is to gain the highest awakening, enlightenment, and liberation.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Again: acceptance.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Part 4 is \u201cLife Completion\u201d and it only has two chapters. I imagine many people might skip this part altogether \u2013 maybe until they are near the end of their own lives \u2013 but I beg you, please, do not. This is a vital part of this book, and a most necessary part. I remember my grandmother telling me that you never know when \u201cit\u2019s your time so you have to be ready\u201d \u2013 this becomes more true the older you get. So don\u2019t skimp out on part 4!<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Throughout the book, there are interviews with spiritual teachers such as Ram Dass and Father Thomas Keating; Jungian Analysts James Hollis and Lionel Corbett; Agism Crusader Ashton Applewhite; Poet, Novelist and Activist Deena Metzger; among many others. There is Shadow-Work in the various parts of the book to help us with the issues raised within those pages \u2013 for there are always shadows lurking. In the Appendix, there is a \u201cShadow-Work Handbook for Aging Consciously\u201d \u2013 fifteen important questions \u2013 certainly not to hurry through \u2013 perfect for journaling or working with a therapist or recovery sponsor or a very close friend.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In closing, I would say that The Inner Work of Age: Shifting from Role to Soul, by Connie Zweig is not the kind of book you read only once. It\u2019s a book you read once and then you read it again and again \u2013 you get out your highlighter and you highlight important passages \u2013 you mark the pages with colored tabs \u2013 you talk about it with your friends and family \u2013 you buy copies of it for special friends for their birthdays and the upcoming holiday season. You do what I do \u2013 you highly recommend it!<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

References
\nZweig, Connie. The Inner Work of Soul: Shifting from Role to Soul. Rochester, VT: Park Street Press, 2021.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The Inner Work of Age: Shifting from Role to Soul on Amazon<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

**<\/b><\/p>\n

About the Author:<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Polly MacDavid<\/b>\u00a0lives in Buffalo, New York at the moment but that could easily change, since she is a gypsy at heart. Like a gypsy, she is attracted to the divinatory arts, as well as camp fires and dancing barefoot. She has three cats who all help her with her magic.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Her philosophy about religion and magic is that it must be thoroughly based in<\/span><\/span> science and logic. She is Dianic Wiccan but she gets along with a few of the masculine deities.\u00a0 She loves to cook and she is a Bills fan.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

She blogs at\u00a0<\/span><\/span>silverapplequeen.wordpress.com<\/span><\/span><\/a>. She writes about general life, politics and poetry. She is writing a novel about sex, drugs and recovery.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Book Review The Inner Work of Age: Shifting from Role to Soul by Connie Zweig, Ph.D. Publisher:\u00a0 Park Street Press 416 pages Publication Date: September 7, 2021     I turned sixty in 2020 \u2013 the first year of the COVID pandemic. As someone who has lived through years of drug addiction, violent relationships, homelessness and poverty, I never expected to live this long, nor did I expect to end up in such a lovely home with the financial security that understandably don\u2019t quite trust. I enjoy pretty good health but most of my friends are dead or dying, due to years of too much partying \u2013 some have succumbed to the COVID virus. I requested to review this book \u2013 The Inner Work of Age: Shifting from Role to Soul, by Connie Zweig, Ph.D. As an elder myself, it seemed right up my alley. I am at that point in my life where I am reviewing and reflecting on every aspect of my life \u2013 although as a daily diarist, that\u2019s something I have always done. But there\u2019s something about reaching your sixties that changes your perspective somewhat. Indeed, there are important moments in my life that I see radically different than I did even a few years ago. I Googled Connie Zweig and she has WordPress page which seems to be mostly to promote The Inner Work of Age; however there are quite a few podcasts if you\u2019re into that kind of thing. Here\u2019s the link to that page ~~~> https:\/\/conniezweig.com\/. It\u2019s definitely worth checking out. She also has a Linkedin page and you can find her on Twitter at @InnerWorkofAge. She also blogs at Medium.com. She is the author of three previous non-fiction books and one novel. The Inner Work of Age: Shifting from Role to Soul has four parts, taking us from the concept of growing old to dying as a rite in and of itself. For those of us who have had experienced death \u2013 through the loss of loved ones, especially our parents and close friends \u2013 and who are now going through the process of seeing our bodies age, with all the problems that process entails \u2013 these are often difficult issues to even admit ourselves \u2013 even as we see the changes in the mirror every morning. In a youth-based culture such as ours, the denial of our own aging is common and even applauded. I was lucky \u2013 I grew up with old people. I spent a major portion of my childhood at my paternal grandparents and there were also many aunts and uncles \u2013 as well as great-aunts and -uncles \u2013 so the notion that someday I would grow old wasn\u2019t foreign to me. I was an impatient child and I couldn\u2019t wait to \u201cgrow up\u201d. I enjoyed hearing their stories and their philosophies of life. Unlike most young people, I did not have an attitude that old people were to be ignored \u2013 I sought them out. Part 1 is called \u201cThe Divine Messengers\u201d and it addresses the issue of aging itself. Many of us older ones are in the active act of denying their own aging \u2013 until it is much too late \u2013 how often have you heard, \u201cHe just dropped dead! He was so active! There was no sign at all!\u201d But this could be no further from the truth. We all have all kinds of signs of our aging \u2013 usually starting around the age of forty \u2013 if we pay attention and we are honest with ourselves. Zweig addresses the issue of retirement \u2013 \u201cTo Retire or Not to Retire\u201d is one of the sections in chapter 4 \u2013 and she calls retirement itself one of the \u201cDivine Messengers\u201d. She says that retirement can be a spiritual practice: \u201cA quiet mind helps us retire fixed ideas, a need for others\u2019 respect, and a need to control, all traits that no longer serve us.\u201d (Zweig, 116). But she adds, \u201cUnfortunately, we live in a culture that hypes only achievement and consumption and dismisses contemplative practice and spiritual development, even in late life. But these inner values have been woven into the social fabric of other cultures, such as the Christian monastic traditions, Buddhism, and Hinduism\u201d. (Zweig, 117). Because I am disabled, I \u201cretired\u201d from active work ten years ago. Many of the issues in part one I have been struggling with for many years, since I was only fifty-one years old when I stopped active work. The idea that we must be gainfully employed to be worthy is a toxic idea, especially in the American culture. As I grow into my sixties, this is becoming easier but I still try to stay busy throughout the day \u2013 like I have some kind of \u201creal\u201d job. The truth is \u2013 my only real job is to become a spiritually evolved person. Part 2 is about \u201cLife Review and Life Repair\u201d. I am actively working on this right now. I have been transcribing my hand-written diaries for the past year \u2013 I am up to the year 2002 \u2013 and reviewing all the issues that have plagued me in the past. And yes \u2013 I have changed some of the way I have viewed some of the major events of my life. There are only three chapters to this part but they are powerful. I know I will be rereading them in the future, as I continue my work with my diaries. Part 3 is called \u201cFrom Hero to Elder\u201d. I think the main theme of this section is \u201cacceptance\u201d. It\u2019s not easy getting old. There are so many more health issues to deal with \u2013 it can become demoralizing and depressing. And yet \u2013 we have a wealth of wisdom to offer the world. And what is wisdom? Zweig quotes Monika Ardelt, a sociology professor at the University of Florida in Gainesville: \u201cWise people are able to accept reality as it is, with equanimity.\u201d (Zweig, 292). Zweig expands on this, concluding, \u201cTo perfectly realize wisdom is to gain the highest awakening, enlightenment, and liberation.\u201d Again: acceptance. Part 4 is \u201cLife Completion\u201d and it only has two chapters. I imagine many people might skip this part altogether \u2013 maybe until they are near the end of their own lives \u2013 but I beg you, please, do not. This is a vital part of this book, and a most necessary part. I remember my grandmother telling me that you never know when \u201cit\u2019s your time so you have to be ready\u201d \u2013 this becomes more true the older you get. So don\u2019t skimp out on part 4! Throughout the book, there are interviews with spiritual teachers such as Ram Dass and Father Thomas Keating; Jungian Analysts James Hollis and Lionel Corbett; Agism Crusader Ashton Applewhite; Poet, Novelist and Activist Deena Metzger; among many others. There is Shadow-Work in the various parts of the book to help us with the issues raised within those pages \u2013 for there are always shadows lurking. In the Appendix, there is a \u201cShadow-Work Handbook for Aging Consciously\u201d \u2013 fifteen important questions \u2013 certainly not to hurry through \u2013 perfect for journaling or working with a therapist or recovery sponsor or a very close friend. In closing, I would say that The Inner Work of Age: Shifting from Role to Soul, by Connie Zweig is not the kind of book you read only once. It\u2019s a book you read once and then you read it again and again \u2013 you get out your highlighter and you highlight important passages \u2013 you mark the pages with colored tabs \u2013 you talk about it with your friends and family \u2013 you buy copies of it for special friends for their birthdays and the upcoming holiday season. You do what I do \u2013 you highly recommend it! References Zweig, Connie. The Inner Work of Soul: Shifting from Role to Soul. Rochester, VT: Park Street Press, 2021.   The Inner Work of Age: Shifting from Role to Soul on Amazon   ** About the Author: Polly MacDavid\u00a0lives in Buffalo, New York at the moment but that could easily change, since she is a gypsy at heart. Like a gypsy, she is attracted to the divinatory arts, as well as camp fires and dancing barefoot. She has three cats who all help her with her magic. Her philosophy about religion and magic is that it must be thoroughly based in science and logic. She is Dianic Wiccan but she gets along with a few of the masculine deities.\u00a0 She loves to cook and she is a Bills fan.\u00a0\u00a0 She blogs at\u00a0silverapplequeen.wordpress.com. She writes about general life, politics and poetry. She is writing a novel about sex, drugs and recovery.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":197,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":1,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10005],"tags":[12578,10095,10015,13613,10075,13612],"class_list":["post-25371","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews","tag-aging","tag-book","tag-book-review","tag-connie-zweig","tag-review","tag-the-inner-work-of-age"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25371","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/197"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25371"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25371\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25516,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25371\/revisions\/25516"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25371"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25371"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25371"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}