Jung focused on the important transition that occurs in the second half of life, but we are living longer now, leading many of us, who are in our 3rd 30 years, to reflect on what this third life stage is about. In the class, we will begin by exploring our life blessings and challenges. We will then utilize archetypal insights and language to conduct a life review, with a focus on what strengths we gained, what abilities are helping us now (or could,) and what interests us
that might help us respond to a new calling. In this process, we will also explore ways that the archetypes in question may be expressed in different decades within these 30 years, and how experiencing a sense of Oneness with the Divine in the All elevates their expression at any time of life.
Cost: $75
REGISTER HERE (Zoom link provided upon registration)
Living Fully in Your 3rd 30 Years+: Optional Class Preparation
By Carol S. Pearson
To prepare for the class, you might want to think about the people you know that, in your view, have lived fully after about age 60. Remember that Ernest Holmes encouraged all of us to use affirmative prayer to remind ourselves that we can be vital and full of love for life into old age, even with its challenges.
Below are some examples from my life: three people who have passed on in the last 2 years, who in my view, lived fully in the last portion of their lives. I’ve not used their actual names or other identifying information.
Pam: A homemaker and mother, Pam had a difficult divorce, leaving her with 5 children to support. She took a teaching job as she cared for them and went to graduate school to become a psychologist. She had a successful practice and eventually married a wonderful man who also had 5 children. They had a fine marriage, much happiness, and also dealt well with many tough life crises and hard loses.
Early in her 70’s, Pam created a new 20 year plan, even though she already had a potentially fatal lung condition. She then took a 3 year training course to be a coach, became one, and eventually a leader in the field. After her husband died, she moved in with one of her daughters who was also her co-author, and later into a lovely active retirement center where she was a leader and loved by all. An author of 3 books, she was writing a 4th, until, at 91, her illness worsened and she passed on, surrounded by loving family and friends.
Jennifer: In her early life, Jennifer’s life was difficult. Her mother drowned when she was still small, and she was raised by an abusive father. To escape, she dropped out of high school and went to live with relatives. She gained her GED, but suffered from severe depression, often being suicidal. She had three unfortunate marriages and a serious bout with cancer. On the positive side, she birthed two great kids. However, she struggled as a single mother, and to handle the stress, she drank heavily, but was saved eventually by involvement in AA.
In her 2nd 30 years, she went back to school to fulfill her dream of becoming a nurse. She worked in various settings including a mental hospital and a nursing home, even into her 3rd, 30 years. Her last 10 years were the happiest of her life with much of her efforts focused on the joy of family and also the satisfaction gained from helping out her daughter, son and, grandchildren, supporting her siblings and cousins, as well as being an AA mentor who helped many. She died peacefully in her sleep from a heart attack at 78.
Dennis: Dennis was a professor in the education school of a university, where he was loved by his students and colleagues, and also created many new and innovative courses of study. Diagnosed with cancer, he went on a spiritual retreat and determined to live as fully as he could for as long as he could. Subsequently, in his 2nd 30 years, still dealing with cancer, he got a divorce, so he could marry the love of his life. After retiring from his university position, he and his wife worked together consulting with non-profit organizations, many international and some in the US.
In his 3rd 30 years, Dennis continued to be an ardent activist for social justice. He sought out and joined numerous organizations and churches dedicated to social justice reform, while also making sure to save time to play with his grandchildren. His last public activist stance before entering Hospice was to attend the Poor People’s Campaign in his wheelchair. In Hospice, his pain from cancer was such that he decided it was time to let go. Where he lived, the only legal way to do that is to stop eating and drinking, which he did while continuing to show concern for his wife, and the many family members and friends who came to support him and share how much he meant to them. He was 89.
Returning to you and your life, once you have reflected on people you know who have thrived in their elder years, you might turn to what in your life right now brings you joy and what else might also fulfill you as you grow older.
