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Author Carol Orsborn at 76 has been a leading advocate of conscious aging since receiving her doctorate in life stage development at 50 from Vanderbilt University 20 books ago. On the occasion of the publication of her recent critically-acclaimed book: “Spiritual Aging: Weekly Reflections for Embracing Life.” I sat down with Orsborn to discuss the global grassroots movement of seekers 50 plus her new book has sparked.
I met Orsborn more than 10 years ago following her keynote address for Sage-ing International, an organization whose mission is to “harvest the wisdom of our lives and finding ways to transmit that wisdom as a legacy to future generations.” Her audience of older adults defy the stereotypes of aging and are inspired by stories about mavericks and visionaries who are forging their own path through midlife and beyond.
As both a scholar and self-avowed mystic, Orsborn is known for helping individuals navigating older age place themselves into a larger historical and cultural context to embrace the broader range of what it means to fulfill the true human potential. The essence of her message: that older age is not primarily a problem to be solved, but is a life stage with meaning and purpose of its own: a time for enjoyment, fulfillment and growth.
Since meeting Orsborn, I have followed her work and interviewed her for my last two books, “Leading with Wisdom: Sage Advice from 100 Experts” and “Breadcrumb Legacy: How Great Leaders Live a Life Worth Remembering.”
I am not surprised at the enthusiastic response to her new book. “Spiritual Aging: Weekly Reflections for Embracing Life” is like a strand of wisdom pearls to guide your life. It is a timeless and valuable book that lets you start where you are while realizing the journey never ends. After reading through the two years of weekly reflections, I concluded the shelf life for her book is eternity.
An Alternative Vision of Aging
For Orsborn, the concept of spiritual aging finds its roots in the 90s, while earning her doctorate in the areas of life stage and spiritual development. Orsborn discovered the focus of adult development in academia was youth-centric and that any growth beyond midlife was denied or marginalized. She personally encountered ageism while still in her forties. Despite authoring numerous books and articles in the field, she couldn’t land an interview for a tenure track position because of her age.
At the same time, as one of a generation of seekers, Orsborn recognized a “tremendous hunger” for a new vision of aging, looking beyond academia to encounter the works of mystics, elders and sages whose vision of growing old she found to be revolutionary.
Orsborn says, “So many of the self-help books on aging treat it as a problem to solve. But I experience aging to be a spiritual journey. Older age is a life stage with meaning and purpose of its own.”
Society tends to emphasize anti-aging practices and external beauty as indicators of growing older gracefully, but she described the beauty in aging by embracing a vision of aging where the focus is on internal work — beauty from the inside out.