The Five Stages of the Soul: Charting the Spiritual Passages

by Harry R. Moody, David Carroll

In a groundbreaking book that interweaves twenty years of case studies and research in the field of aging with an exhaustive knowledge of psychology, religion and literature, Harry R. Moody, co-founder and Director of the Brookdale Institute of Aging, reveals the spiritual passages that the vast majority of us encounter in life and explores the opportunities those spiritual stages offer us in achieving a sense of inner fulfillment.

At some point in our lives, most of us begin to question what life is all about, what the purpose of our existence is. This first of the passages in our spiritual lives often arises as the result of the death of a parent or other loved one, the birth of a child, or any number of life-changing events that force us to rethink who and what we are. Everyone responds differently to what Dr. Moody describes as the Call. For some, it may lead back to traditional religion; for others to good works in the community; still others turn to mysticism. Those who ignore the Call are called again, for the Call comes not once, but any number of times in one's life, and in any number of ways. For those who heed the Call, it is an opportunity to reflect on their inner lives, to explore and fulfill a deeper part of themselves. In The Five Stages of the Soul , Dr. Moody identifies five specific spiritual stages that make up our inner lives, exploring the psychology of our spiritual development and interweaving the wisdom of Western and Eastern spiritual masters as we struggle through the labyrinth of life.

Written in richly textured narrative that constantly inspires as it offers a detailed roadmap of our spiritual lives, The Five Stages of the Soul is reminiscent in its approach of the best work of Scott Peck and Thomas Moore.

Genres: Spirituality, Nonfiction, Self Help

384 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1997

Reviews

[Tristy · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are only a handful of spiritual books that I keep to read again and again and this is one of those books. My copy was published in 1997 but it is truly timeless. Moody & Carroll take us through the "five stages of the soul" which are The Call, The Search, The Struggle, The Breakthrough, and The Return. It's full of wonderful quotes and stories, both personal and mythological and I can open to any page and be excited and inspired. I also appreciate the honesty of both the authors, who are far from humble at times and yet are totally honest and accountable for their ego-filled moments, as we all should be and only can be, if we are honest. A great read for anyone who is on their own unique, spiritual journey and need a little nourishment along the way.

[Tabs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Combining psychology, philosophy, spirituality, religion and ancient myths/ folklore, a framework is derived to map the stages common to all journeys of spiritual development.

Seems plausible.

[Leanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed the references to parables and how these relate to the five stages of the Soul. It is a dense book, which saw me put it down and pick it back up at various times... sometimes due to the time required to digest the information, at at other times due to finding parts of it uninteresting. I felt relieved at the end of the book because I resonate with the authors viewpoint. Definitely worth reading.

[Donna EJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely difficult to read at first. The struggle to read led to putting it aside for years until 1999. Then “the heavens opened and glory appeared” and from cover to cover the pages were digested hungrily.
Three stars are due to the audience appeal. Like myself, stages and ages will respond differently.
Glad that I kept the book and read it when I did. Wondering if I picked it up again would I skim or devour each word.

[Elvira · Rating 5 out of 5]

A psychological essay of approx. 500 pages yet crammed with metaphysical aspects of our existence. Though the subject is by no means an easy one, there is much to gain in following it through to the end.

[Charlotte Carroll]

had to put this book down -- too dense and long. Hope to return to it.

[Debbie Stone]

I read this whole book which says that it was interesting enough and full of information and knowledge, but just as it got more interesting in the last half of it, I read a number of incorrect statements. I biggest error was the author's statement that the Native American vison quests were no longer done and that this was lost now. I was shocked that someone so knowledgeable would not know that in 1999 when it was published that native culture was flourishing all around our country. It reminded me of how some indigenous people say that they feel they are always having to inform people that they are still her in America, alive and practicing their culture and spirituality. While the author shares numerous and varied spiritual beliefs and experiences, I found that I could not fully trust him because of the errors I had noticed. He also takes much of his ideas directly from Carl Jung and only attributes a few of his ideas to Jung. I believe he also makes some false assumptions about psychedelic drugs and the impact they can have on people and does not cover the long use of these in other cultures than mainstream America. He attributes spiritual growth and experience too much to religion misses the mystical experience with nature, poetry, art....

[Maris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I stumbled on this book right when it made the most sense in my life, and deeply appreciated the way in which the story was told. The author uses both scientific studies, his own experience, stories of people he is friends with or has met along the way in his teachings, as well as stories from buddhism and other parts of culture, to convey insights into aging and spiritual explorations. Using such a vast array of examples made the topics and ideas much more digestible - it seems like many things can go missing when describing spirituality. This book also taught me to read slowly again :)

[Jean Walton · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were many things I could relate to here but overall I think the book was too long. The author wrote about the experiences of others and also of his own using them to illustrate his belief in the various stages and to prove his point about each one. To my mind, he used too many examples. He didn't really need so many to get his points across.

[Houman Sebghati · Rating 4 out of 5]

Den här boken var fett tung. Jag rekommenderar den. Speciellt om man är i fyrtioårsåldern och vill ha spirituell soppa. En bok om döden och andligt sökande. Rekommenderas till mig en gång i världen av Anders Carlberg några år innan han gick bort. Bra fucking bok.

[Joyce De · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I’ve ever read. It is the only book I have read that recognizes spiritual stages of development, much like psychological stages of development. The concept of soul development resonates with me and rounds out my understanding of human existence and our relationship to God.

[Rob Jacobs · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best books I've ever read! I will be going back for another round soon enough.

[Russell]

This read came highly recommended!

[Shaila · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you understand the concept of soul and it's phases, you will love this book. It's my top 5 go to book everyone I'm in a funk. I Love love this book!!!

[Nisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the must read book to understand spiritual journey ! I enjoyed every chapter.