Jungian analyst James Hollis is one of the most read authors in this field. His books, such as The Middle Passage and Swamplands of the Soul, have been touchstones for thousands of readers. Now, he offers us an illuminating approach to the anxieties and dynamics of midlife and beyond—a profound rite of passage for each one of us.

What does it really mean to be a grown-up in the world today? We assume that once we “get it together” with the right job, marry the right person, have children, and buy a home, all is settled and well. But lo and behold!—adulthood itself presents varying levels of “growing pains,” and is rarely the oasis of stability we expected. Turbulent emotional shifts can take place anywhere between the age of  35 and 70, when we question the choices we’ve made, realize our limitations, and feel stuck—a situation commonly known as the “midlife crisis.” In Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life, Hollis provides an insightful and useful road map to caring for the soul in the second half of life.

The necessary choices will never prove easy, but asking this question [What do the gods intend through me?], and suffering it honestly, leads through the vicissitudes of life to larger places of meaning and purpose… The gods want us to grow up, to step up to that high calling that each soul carries as its destiny. Choosing the path that enlarges rather than diminishes will serve us well in navigating through our idol-ridden, clamorous, but sterile time and move us further toward meeting the person we are meant to be.

He takes an unflinching look at the causes of our suffering, explains what’s happening from the depth-psychology perspective, and helps us explore the ways we can grow and evolve to fully become ourselves in the deepest and richest sense.

Themes include dynamics of intimate relationships, career versus vocation, recovering mature spirituality, the family during the second half of life, the collision of selves, and many more.

Through case studies and pithy observations, this book offers wisdom to anyone facing a career that no longer fulfills, a long-term relationship that has shifted, or family transitions that raise issues of aging and mortality. Hollis provides a reassuring message and crucial bridge across this pivotal passage of adult development. His book brings both challenge and guidance in the friendly tone of one who’s been there, and knows the landscape.

I seek to write as I might talk to you across a table, clearly and respectfully, yet always challenging you to find your own answers to the ongoing questions that your life asks of you.

Among James Hollis’ other books is The Eden Project: In Search of the Magical Other.