Book Review of From Age-ing to Sage-ing

A Profound New Vision of Growing Older

Aug 23, 2008

From Age-ing to Sage-ing by Zalman Schachter-Shalomi and Ronald S. Miller teaches elders how to create a meaningful aging process characterized by adventure and passion.

From Age-ing to Sage-ing: A Profound New Vision of Growing Older (Warner Books,1995) has been described by Bernie Siegel, author of Love, Medicine and Miracles (Harper Collins,1988), as a wise and inspiring guidebook to the aging process. It shows how healthy aging may be more like the process of birth than a reminder of mortality.

In the words of Rabbi Zalman, "As the possibility of becoming a sage takes root in your heart and mind, I see what a glorious future awaits you in old age...an opportunity for continued growth in conciousness and service to humanity. And so I say, L'chaim (To Life) to all of you possible sages on the way to your new vocations."

From Age-ing to Sage-ing Spiritual Seeking

From Age-ing to Sage-ing came about as Zalman Schacter Shalomi’s went on his own spiritual search when he found that at the age of 60, he was developing an awareness of the fear of aging. His personal journey led him to focus on the value of elderhood and how he could turn aging into a meaningful time of life. He envisioned a radically different aging process, characterized by adventure, passion, mystery and fulfillment. His choice of using saging as a verb denotes that it is not something that happens, one must be active in producing it for oneself.

From Age-ing to Sage-ing Theory of Spiritual Eldering

Rabbi Zalman used the concept of a first and second maturity from Five Stages of Man (Julien Press,1963) by Gerald Heard who wrote that human consciousness has evolved through five epochs of world history. These stages are recapitulated as human’s grow from infancy, through adolescence, and into first maturity. When elderhood arrives, there is the possibility of taking a quantum leap into second maturity, with its possibility of spiritual realization.

From Age-ing to Sage-ing Spiritual Eldering and Personal Transformation

From Age-ing and Sage-ing Spiritual Eldering and Social Transformation

Rabbi Zalman, former Professor of Religion at Temple Universty, looked to many religions for guidance on aging, quoting from the Kabbalah, Catholic and Hindu traditions in proof of his thesis that a person can live joyfully, fearlessly and richly to the very end. He maintains that today’s spiritual elders are wisdom keepers entrusted with the responsibility of maintaining the well-being of those around them, the community, the nation and for all those on the rest of the planet. From Age-ing to Sage-ing is written in an easy, conversational style and is enhanced by an excellent index and extensive bibliography.

From Age-ing to Sage-ing: A Profound New Vision of Growing Older by Zalman Schacter-Shalomi and Ronald S. Miller. New York: Warner Books, 1995.

Vaillant, George E. Aging Well: Surprising Guideposts to a Happier Life from the Landmark Harvard Study of Adult Development. MA: Little Brown, 2003

The copyright of the article Book Review of From Age-ing to Sage-ing in Senior Retirement is owned by Martha R. Gore. Permission to republish Book Review of From Age-ing to Sage-ing in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.