Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life -- A Companion Journal

by Richard Rohr

A valuable new companion journal for the best-selling Falling Upward In Falling Upward, Fr. Richard Rohr seeks to help readers understand the tasks of the two halves of life and to show them that those who have fallen, failed, or "gone down" are the only ones who understand "up." The Companion Journal helps those who have (and those who have not) read Falling Upward to engage more deeply with the questions the book raises. Using a blend of quotes, questions for individual and group reflection, stories, and suggestions for spiritual practices, it provides a wise guide for deepening the spiritual journey. . . at any time of life.

Explains why the second half of life can and should be full of spiritual richness Offers tools for spiritual growth and greater understanding of the ideas in Falling Upward
Richard Rohr is a regular contributing writer for Sojourners and Tikkun magazines This important companion to Falling Upward is an excellent tool for exploring the counterintuitive messages of how we grow spiritually.

Genres: Spirituality, Christianity, Nonfiction, Christian, Religion, Theology, Faith

208 pages, Paperback

Published January 22, 2013

About the author

Fr. Richard Rohr is a globally recognized ecumenical teacher bearing witness to the universal awakening within Christian mysticism and the Perennial Tradition. He is a Franciscan priest of the New Mexico Province and founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation (CAC) in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Fr. Richard's teaching is grounded in the Franciscan alternative orthodoxy—practices of contemplation and expressing itself in radical compassion, particularly for the socially marginalized.

Fr. Richard is author of numerous books, including Everything Belongs, Adam’s Return, The Naked Now, Breathing Under Water, Falling Upward, Immortal Diamond, Eager to Love, and The Divine Dance: The Trinity and Your Transformation (with Mike Morrell).

Fr. Richard is academic Dean of the Living School for Action and Contemplation. Drawing upon Christianity's place within the Perennial Tradition, the mission of the Living School is to produce compassionate and powerfully learned individuals who will work for positive change in the world based on awareness of our common union with God and all beings. Visit cac.org for more information.

Reviews

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I facilitate a spiritual book study group that meets weekly. This companion book to Richard Rohr's Falling Upward was helpful. The discussion questions led to deeper conversations. Many of the members enjoyed either the weekly(for us) journal prompts or exercises or both.

[Jenny Burns · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book passed through my life at exactly the right time - midlife. The wisdom Father Rohr imparts is profound. It has encouraged me to see the ‘second half of life’ not as a physically decaying, hedonistic, self serving, hanging your boots up existence. Rohr describes the contrary; life is just starting!

[Mark F]

Coming to this companion journal was an accident. Searching the library portal, I saw that the county library had "Falling Upward..." in both eBook and paper format and promptly chose the latter, my preference. The book covers were otherwise the same, and my quick scanning failed to notice that the latter also had the words "A Companion Journal" appended to the title.

Only realizing my mistake when I opened the book and found many pages of blank lines intended for journaling, after a moment I decided to embrace this. Read this before the real book. Use it as a kind of reverse logic for prompting thought. Use the thought exercises as a departure point for self exploration _before_ getting the context.

The experience allowed me to generate a shortlist of zen koans for self realization:

- Watch for heightened responses to others that might be out of proportion to the moment.
- Think about situations where you have received greater peace by making room for another’s view of things.
- Write about your desires to hoard, possess and collect.
- Consider how you are like, rather than unlike, people you tend to oppose.
- How would you describe your “True Self”?
- Describe what you have observed in nature that you would describe as “necessary suffering” Most of nature seems to totally accept major loss, gross inefficiency, mass extinction and short life span as the price of life at all.
- When has suffering in your life opened up new spaces for learning and loving?
- Do you agree that even our sin/error has something to teach us? Could there be such a thing as “necessary transgressions”?
- Think of times when you’ve gravitated toward the never-broken, always applicable rules and patterns of life.
- The best word for God is “Mystery”
- Name the Loyal Soldier in you. What is he or she trying to protect or obtain?
- How would you define unconditional love? Name someone who loved you that way and how it made you feel.
- Think about a necessary fall that you experienced – loss of job, reputation, self-image, relationship, or a moral failure you had to own up to. Did that experience teach you more about balance?
- How would you describe the difference between your current life situation and what Fr. Richard calls your “real life”? Do you have a sense that there is a deeper movement beneath the surface of your everyday tasks? Can you describe what Fr. Richard describes as “what you are doing while you are doing what you’re doing”?
- As you reflect on your life, do you see deeper meaning in your youthful experiences than you did when they were happening?
- Think about your childhood faith. What do you remember believing? How has your childhood faith changed?
- How do you respond to the idea that the cure for loneliness is solitude?
- Identify someone in your life whom you would call soulful, someone who reflects a sense of abundance, grace, and freedom.

[Marti · Rating 3 out of 5]

The 3-star rating is more accurately a rating of my innate struggle with journaling. In actuality, this is probably a 4-star journal as I feel it did lead my study group to deeper understanding of Fr. Richard Rohr's book, "Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life."

[Delores Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

How to realize God’s control of our lives. God picks us up as we need his direction.

[Lisa Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is beautifully written. I read it around my 50th birthday. Perfect timing to re-evaluate priorities with the awesome writing of Richard Rohr.

[Virginia Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Falling Upward Journal

This is a wonderful source for group discussion of growing more spiritual as we age. It is also excellent to use on your own alone.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

4+ stars. Great companion piece to the book of the same name.

[Kenneth Jeremy · Rating 5 out of 5]

It gives me new kind of seeing, to live our original intended life, the true-self, going toward a mature Christian life

[Chandra Slavonic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes, wish everyone would read this. So informative, thought provoking and inspiring. But I feel that way about anything Richard Rohr writes.

[Jen Kittleson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lot to digest in almost every sentence. So much wisdom. Perfect for midlife… all the things. Need to
Read again

[Michael Alvin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Richard Rohr definitely qualifies as someone to write on spirituality. After many years as a Catholic priest, he transcended the narrowness of denomination to author a book about the spirituality of life itself. If you have ever wondered what to do with the last half of your life, Richard has the answer that our secular society does not.
The author brings hope for the last half of life by showing a deeper meaning behind the entire life cycle that has been completely missed by psychologists, philosophers, and most religions. He has a deep understanding of this real meaning behind the stages of life which he communicates very eloquently to the reader. A highly recommended book for those who are not satisfied with just remaining on the surface of life.

[Janet C-B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book organized with space for journalling and writing in response to prompts that expand upon the content of the book Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life. Very useful, highly recommend.

[Lydia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this author/priest through Krista Tippet and her "On Being" podcast. The general tenet is that through the first half of life you are creating your foundation/container for the second half of life. It starts off great, but then there are many repeats of the same information. Only the first and last chapter are devoted to the second half. The podcast was very good however...

[Christopher Payne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been getting Fr. Richard's daily reflections for several years and have read Universal Christ which incorporates the basic message of this book. Therefore, I didn't intend to go back and read Falling Upward until I received it as a Christmas gift. I'm glad I did. Very much enjoyed getting the whole argument, especially the analogy to the Hero's Journey.

[David Garnett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. Though the writer is a committed Catholic, he managed unknowingly to describe my own spiritual journey as a Presbyterian. I think it is Rohr's broad spirituality that allows him to speak to so many people from different religious backgrounds. Rohr admits that this is not the best book he has ever written, but it is the one that seems to have connected the most with his readers.

[Gill · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book to ponder over in small doses. Some of the gold needs time to extract, but it is worth the effort.

"The first half of life is discovering the script, and the second half is actualy writing it and owning it."