The Inner Work of Age: Dr Connie Zweig on PYP 541
Channel: Sick to Fit | Plant Yourself Podcast
Date: 2022-11-22

Dr Connie Zweig, author of The Inner Work of Age: Shifting from Role to Soul, is a retired therapist and climate activist. Her professional work has focused on helping people meet, accept, and integrate their "shadows" -- the parts of ourselves that we don't want to look at or own.

As she approached retirement, Dr Zweig began noticing fears and resistance to the idea of dropping her "professional" identity. Who would she be without a respected role? What would her purpose be in such a state?

She recognized these trepidations and uncertainties as coming from her own shadow; new, heretofore undetected elements of that unclaimed realm that got triggered by this new phase of her life.

The more Dr Zweig looked, the more she saw aging as an opportunity for deeper spiritual practice in line with the deep psychological work she'd be offering her clients for decades.

Because our modern post-industrial culture is repelled by the normal process of aging, all of us must contend with our "inner ageist," or find it turned against ourselves as we move from power to weakness, productivity to stillness, and independence to dependence.

[I found it in myself quite easily, through my adoption of the Yiddish phrase "alter kakker" (literally, "old shitter") when talking about older people (and envisioning my own later years.]

We also have the opportunity to heal our fear of mortality itself, and align with our pure awareness rather than the outward trappings of ego.

If we're lucky enough to have many years on this planet, we have an opportunity to step out of the roles by which we've defined ourselves and by which others have defined us, and slow down enough to encounter our deeper essence.

In our conversation, Dr Zweig and I talked about the three portals from egoic to elder consciousness:

shadow awareness
pure awareness
mortality awareness

We spoke of the overriding task of later life, which is to orient ourselves toward our subconscious.

And Dr Zweig shared tools, such as the Life Review and Letter to the Grandchildren, to help us take advantage of the blessings of a long life.

Enjoy!