About this episode
Connie Zweig, Ph.D., is a retired therapist, co-author of Meeting the Shadow: The Hidden Power of the Dark Side of Human Nature and Romancing the Shadow: A Guide to Soul Work for a Vital, Authentic Life, author of Meeting the Shadow of Spirituality, and a novel, A Moth to the Flame: The Story of the Great Sufi Poet Rumi. Her new book, The Inner Work of Age: Shifting from Role to Soul, extends shadow-work into late life and teaches aging as a spiritual practice. Connie has been doing contemplative practices for 50 years. She is a wife and grandmother and was initiated as an Elder by Sage-ing International in 2017. After investing in all these roles, she is practicing the shift from role to soul. Website: conniezweig.com Email: conniezweig@gmail.com Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group. Summary and Transcript of this interview. Interview recorded October 22, 2021. YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction and Welcome to Buddha at the Gas Pump 00:03:59 - The Different Stages of My Life 00:07:38 - The Already Enlightened Governors of the Age of Enlightenment 00:10:58 - The Urgency of Enlightenment 00:14:30 - Understanding Enlightenment and Charismatic Teachers 00:17:46 - Spiritual Development at Every Stage of Life 00:21:21 - Transition in Identity 00:25:10 - Late Life Identity Crisis 00:29:38 - The Challenge of Finding Time for Everything 00:33:07 - The Unconscious and the Shadow in Conscious Aging Movement 00:37:25 - Witnessing and Shadow Work 00:40:54 - The Contents of Consciousness Spilled Out 00:44:35 - The Importance of Awareness and Mortality 00:48:43 - Ageism and Shifting Identity 00:52:50 - The Inner Work of Aging 00:56:42 - Unfinished Spiritual Business 01:00:44 - Unfinished Business in the Spiritual Journey 01:05:12 - Finding Guidance in Inner Work 01:08:56 - The Shift from Hero to Elder 01:13:06 - Finding Refuge in Spiritual Practice 01:16:49 - Completing the Ego Story 01:21:17 - The Orientation Towards Life and Death 01:24:32 - The Importance of Discernment on the Spiritual Path 01:28:24 - Cultivating Self-awareness for Contribution to the Common Good 01:32:25 - Improving the Level of Consciousness 01:36:13 - Preventing Mental Decline and Memory Loss 01:40:03 - Astonishing Moments in Deathbed Experiences 01:44:03 - Awakening Practices and Life Completion 01:47:32 - Expanding the Frame of Reference 01:51:05 - The Soul's Longing for Transcendence 01:54:36 - Farewell to Rick Archer