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Midlife Is Not a Crisis: Using Astrology to Thrive in the Second Half of Life
Midlife Is Not a Crisis combines astrology, inspiration, and wisdom about aging to empower people to live more fully in the second half of life. It is based on the generational life cycles we all share at certain ages, from the Saturn Return at 29 and Midlife, which peaks at 42, all the way to the Uranus Return at 84. These cycles are the great crossroads of life, and each cycle is a journey in itself. Strung together they offer a road map to life's most challenging and rewarding passages. In every decade there are trials, lessons, and losses; in this we have no choice. Our freedom lies in how we respond--consciously or unconsciously, awake or asleep. The planet that governs each cycle acts as a wise elder or guide and holds the key to navigating the cycle successfully. This book tells the story of these cycles and provides a guide to living consciously and well. We are aging differently from the way we did in the past--we are not only living longer, we are staying healthy and vital longer as well. Midlife Is Not a Crisis motivates people to grow and prosper at any age. Ultimately it is a practical guidebook for our later years that shows us what to expect as we age and helps us make the most of our journey to becoming whole.
- GenresAstrologyNonfiction
264 pages, Paperback
Published April 1, 2017
19 people are currently reading
247 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
October 11, 2021
This book sat in my "to be read" pile for quite awhile. I picked up when I researching about astrology for a writing project. I began reading it off and on a couple months ago. It sucked me in and spawned me checking a number of other books out of the library. It is a good read that discusses issues in midlife and old age. It talks about becoming an elder rather than simply "old". It sparked me to reflect and think and pointed the way for me to do some work. Thank you to Virginia Bell for a fabulous book!
January 20, 2022
Virginia focuses on people's stories, so this book is mostly a collection of stories showing how people (celebrities we might know as well as ordinary people) have manifested the different planetary influences in their lives. She gives a wide variety of examples to help you see how the concepts might fit into your own life.
There is an introduction to astrological planets, signs, houses, and a few other key things, so if you've never read anything about astrology besides your newspaper horoscope, she has you covered, and you can get a lot from this book. After that introduction, it felt like there was very little astrology to me, but I think I'm just used to reading things targeted at a different audience. I think this book is perfect for an introduction to astrology and the cycles, especially, and how to work with them.
In spite of the title, she starts with the first Saturn return around age 28-29, then goes to midlife and the confluence of cycles around ages 38-42, and then covers each decade of life after that and the major planetary cycles that influence us at different points. The first part made me feel like all was lost and I'd missed a number of opportunities for growth, but the latter part was a love letter to growing older and all the benefits it brings. In the end, I feel much better now about the second half of life than when I bought the book, so I would recommend this to anyone else who needs to process growing older.
There is an introduction to astrological planets, signs, houses, and a few other key things, so if you've never read anything about astrology besides your newspaper horoscope, she has you covered, and you can get a lot from this book. After that introduction, it felt like there was very little astrology to me, but I think I'm just used to reading things targeted at a different audience. I think this book is perfect for an introduction to astrology and the cycles, especially, and how to work with them.
In spite of the title, she starts with the first Saturn return around age 28-29, then goes to midlife and the confluence of cycles around ages 38-42, and then covers each decade of life after that and the major planetary cycles that influence us at different points. The first part made me feel like all was lost and I'd missed a number of opportunities for growth, but the latter part was a love letter to growing older and all the benefits it brings. In the end, I feel much better now about the second half of life than when I bought the book, so I would recommend this to anyone else who needs to process growing older.
October 1, 2018
"Midlife is not for sissies. It takes tremendous stamina and courage, not to mention compassion for yourself and for the entire scary, sacred and miraculous process. Ultimately, it's worth it, for it is the deepest work we can do; it is Soul work."
This book was incredibly pertinent and I wanted to ingest it absorbing all its' Wisdom and Insights! Virginia has done a great service Writing this with the World's population of 50+ being at almost 20%. Being a student of Astrology since childhood, this was the first Astrologer who gave me an acute interpretation of the Houses, as well as extensive detail about the big planets' impact on our lives beyond the first Saturn Return. Astute, comprehensively laid out and filled with personal anecdotes combined with references to famous names, such as Jung & O'Keefe this is a work for anyone who has a birthdate and wants to assimilate what it all means in a deeper, sage and pragmatic manner!
This book was incredibly pertinent and I wanted to ingest it absorbing all its' Wisdom and Insights! Virginia has done a great service Writing this with the World's population of 50+ being at almost 20%. Being a student of Astrology since childhood, this was the first Astrologer who gave me an acute interpretation of the Houses, as well as extensive detail about the big planets' impact on our lives beyond the first Saturn Return. Astute, comprehensively laid out and filled with personal anecdotes combined with references to famous names, such as Jung & O'Keefe this is a work for anyone who has a birthdate and wants to assimilate what it all means in a deeper, sage and pragmatic manner!
May 28, 2018
Just what I needed as I head into "the second half of life."
The book is thoroughly grounded in astrology, with plenty of personal anecdotes. Very readable regardless of your level of knowledge or familiarity with astrology.
My favorite part is the "what works" and "what doesn't work" for each transition period. I don't think there's anything that I'm doing "wrong" that I didn't already know, but it's nice to have a spotlight shined on it because I didn't realize it was such a big deal.
I definitely recommend this book, or Gail Sheahy's "Passages" if you want something more mainstream.
The book is thoroughly grounded in astrology, with plenty of personal anecdotes. Very readable regardless of your level of knowledge or familiarity with astrology.
My favorite part is the "what works" and "what doesn't work" for each transition period. I don't think there's anything that I'm doing "wrong" that I didn't already know, but it's nice to have a spotlight shined on it because I didn't realize it was such a big deal.
I definitely recommend this book, or Gail Sheahy's "Passages" if you want something more mainstream.
December 13, 2023
Enlightening 20’s Astrologer of “Passages”
A MUST READ for all humans with or without any knowledge of the 5000 year old study of Astrology. The book documents the influence of the planets as they relate to our natal Astrology charts and how they effect our souls (and brains with 100 billion neurons our guts with trillions of microbes). Virginia Bell follows Seven Forrest’s Evolution Astrology theory as she writes an excellent overview about the Passages of our “selfs” and our “souls” throughout our lives on earth. LOVED the Book! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
A MUST READ for all humans with or without any knowledge of the 5000 year old study of Astrology. The book documents the influence of the planets as they relate to our natal Astrology charts and how they effect our souls (and brains with 100 billion neurons our guts with trillions of microbes). Virginia Bell follows Seven Forrest’s Evolution Astrology theory as she writes an excellent overview about the Passages of our “selfs” and our “souls” throughout our lives on earth. LOVED the Book! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
May 31, 2022
I loved this book! It helped me understand the universality of aging in a positive and expansive way. It has helped me feel enthusiasm for the transitions to come, which at this point have felt not so fun. I am so glad to have this book as a resource and will use it for years to come as future astrological cycles come upon me. Virginia also has a ton of additional resources in the book, throughout and at the end, which I know will be useful as well.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews