Lexie Carroll’s Reviews > Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life > Status Update
Lexie Carroll
is on page 101 of 199
Like any true mirror, the gaze of God receives us exactly as we are, w/o judgment or distortion. Such perfect receiving is what transforms us. Being totally received as we truly are is what we wait & long for all our lives. All we can do is receive & return the loving gaze of God every day, and afterward we will be internally free & deeply happy. Soon we can pass on the same accepting gaze to all others who need it.
— Aug 24, 2026 06:40PM
Like flag
Lexie’s Previous Updates
Lexie Carroll
is on page 109 of 199
I encourage you to focus on a call to BEING rather than a call to action. Learn how to live in a relaxed, peaceful way in this nondual world of mystery. Then, eventually, God will place something on your doorstep that can move you into action.
The Latin meaning of “contemplation” is the way you stare at reality. If you don’t change your basic stance then your “doing” will be artificial, halfhearted & phony.
— Aug 24, 2026 07:25PM
The Latin meaning of “contemplation” is the way you stare at reality. If you don’t change your basic stance then your “doing” will be artificial, halfhearted & phony.
Lexie Carroll
is on page 94 of 199
In the 1st half of life, the negative, the mysterious, the scary & the problematic are always exported elsewhere. Doing so gives us a quick & firm ego structure that works for awhile. But such splitting is not an objective statement of truth! It is just helpful for our private purposes. Eventually, this overcompensation in 1 direction must be resolved & balanced- this brings integration, growth, maturity & holiness.
— Aug 22, 2026 12:43AM
Lexie Carroll
is on page 93 of 199
Dualistic thinking is the well-practiced pattern of knowing most things by comparison- labeling one thing as good and so the other less good (or bad).
Typical sequencing of the dualistic mind:
It compares, it competes, it conflicts, it conspires, it condemns, it cancels out any contrary evidence, then it crucifies with impunity. (The 7 Cs of delusion & the source of most violence).
— Aug 22, 2026 12:36AM
Typical sequencing of the dualistic mind:
It compares, it competes, it conflicts, it conspires, it condemns, it cancels out any contrary evidence, then it crucifies with impunity. (The 7 Cs of delusion & the source of most violence).
Lexie Carroll
is on page 90 of 199
In your 2nd half of life you can bless others in what they feel they must do, but you can no longer join them in the first half of life. You can belong to such institutions for all the good that they do, but you no longer put all your eggs in that one basket. This will keep you and others from unnecessary frustration & anger, and from knocking on doors that cannot be opened from the other side.
— Aug 20, 2026 08:36AM
Lexie Carroll
is on page 89 of 199
The reminder that groups & institutions are 1st half of life structures is not meant to discourage you, but to keep you from losing hope (due to false expectations). Don’t expect/demand from groups what they usually cannot give- will make you needlessly angry & reactionary. They must and WILL be concerned with identity, boundaries, self maintenance/perpetuation, & self congratulation. It is their nature & purpose.
— Aug 20, 2026 08:22AM
Lexie Carroll
is on page 87 of 199
Institutions must, by necessity, be concerned with membership requirements, policies, procedures, protocols, and precedents. If they are working organizations, they need to have supervision & management, rules for promotion & salaries, and concerned about lawsuits & litigation. We would resent them even more if they did not do these things well- but these are nevertheless ego needs and not soul needs.
— Aug 20, 2026 08:16AM
Lexie Carroll
is on page 84 of 199
The Saint is precisely the one who has no “I” to protect or protect. Their “I” is in unconscious union with the “I AM” of God, and that is more than enough. Divine union overrides any need for self-hatred or self-rejection; these people just try to be in right relationship. Shadow work literally saves you from yourself (your false self), which is the foundational meaning of salvation to begin with.
— Aug 19, 2026 01:29PM
Lexie Carroll
is on page 83 of 199
Shadow work is humiliating work, but properly so. If you do not “make friends with judges & courtrooms” (Matt.5:25)- (ie, all those who reveal & convict you of your own denied faults), you will surely remain in the 1st half of life forever. “Shadowboxing” continues until the end of life, with the only difference being we are no longer surprised by our surprises or so totally humiliated by our humiliations.
— Aug 19, 2026 01:22PM
Lexie Carroll
is on page 81 of 199
We all have a persona (Gk. “Stage mask”) constructed in the 1st half of life. It is not bad, evil, or necess. egocentric, it is just not “true”. It is manufactured unconsciously by your mind. Persona & Shadow are co-relative terms. Your shadow is what you refuse to see about yourself and what you do not want others to see. The more cultivated/protected your persona, the more shadow work you will need to do.
— Aug 18, 2026 06:47PM
Lexie Carroll
is on page 78 of 199
In the 2nd Half of Life, we do not have strong & final opinions about everything, every event, or most people, as much as we allow things & people to delight us, or sadden us, & truly influence us. We no longer need to change or adjust other people to be happy ourselves. Ironically, we are, more than ever before, in a position to change people- but we do not NEED to, and that makes all the difference.
— Aug 17, 2026 09:29PM