Ageless Soul

Reviews / Votes

'After reading this beautifully and eloquently written book, getting older seems much more like a blessing than a curse! Thomas Moore convinces us that we age best when we embrace our age, live agelessly, and remember every day to find the endless joy nestled inside our soul.' -- Dr Rudolph E. Tanzi, Joseph P. and Rose F. Kennedy Professor of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, and New York Times bestselling author of Super Brain and Super Genes 'With warmth, intimacy, and rare depth of wisdom, [Moore] guides his readers through each of [aging's] stages. Grounded in years of psychological research and spiritual reflection on the human enterprise, this wonderful book lays out for us what it is to live a full and creative life all the way to its end. This book should be read by everyone but especially by those for whom the very thought of aging is depressing. This book can change their minds.' -- Sister Joan Chittister, author of The Gift of Years 'With Ageless Soul, Thomas Moore extends a magnificent invitation to reflect, grow up with joy and intention, and give back with an open heart. Accept and pleasure follows.' -- Marc Freedman, founder and CEO of Encore.org and author of The Big Shift 'In this profound and moving meditation upon aging, Thomas Moore offers us the keys to living well. Anyone facing the second half of life can gain from this lovely book a measure of wisdom and serenity.' -- Ralph White, author of The Jeweled Highway 'Moore, a former monk, current psychotherapist, and author of the classic Care of the Soul (1992), contemplates aging in this thoughtful book. Successful aging is more than growing older, he writes. It's going through the steps and passages of life proactively to finally arrive at your true self. Moore sees melancholy and loneliness as feelings to embrace, explore, and work through. Instead of fighting aging, he urges readers to accept it and become mentors or elders to younger people, sharing both wisdom and compassion. Moore doesn't belittle the challenges that older people face, but instead counsels them to use these obstacles as the means to develop the soul. He urges everyone to be open to opportunities, to use retirement as a time to focus on arts and relationships, and to think of leaving legacies. He understands older people's need to be seen and heard as well as the draw of formal religion and the quest for meaning. And he speaks of death as the natural progression of life. Moore, who is in his late seventies, follows his own advice as he continues to speak and write about spirituality. This gentle book, filled with specific suggestions and thought-provoking examples, will be inspiring to older readers and a comfort to their caregivers.' -- Candace Smith, Booklist