Connie Zweig, Ph.D., is a retired therapist, co-author of Meeting the Shadow: The Hidden Power of the Dark Side of Human Nature and Romancing the Shadow: A Guide to Soul Work for a Vital, Authentic Life, author of Meeting the Shadow of Spirituality, and a novel, A Moth to the Flame: The Story of the Great Sufi Poet Rumi. Her new book, The Inner Work of Age: Shifting from Role to Soul, extends shadow-work into late life and teaches aging as a spiritual practice. Connie has been doing contemplative practices for 50 years. She is a wife and grandmother and was initiated as an Elder by Sage-ing International in 2017. After investing in all these roles, she is practicing the shift from role to soul.

Website: conniezweig.com

Email: [email protected]

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group.

Summary and Transcript of this interview.

Interview recorded October 22, 2021.

YouTube Video Chapters:

00:00:00 - Introduction and Welcome to Buddha at the Gas Pump

00:03:59 - The Different Stages of My Life

00:07:38 - The Already Enlightened Governors of the Age of Enlightenment

00:10:58 - The Urgency of Enlightenment

00:14:30 - Understanding Enlightenment and Charismatic Teachers

00:17:46 - Spiritual Development at Every Stage of Life

00:21:21 - Transition in Identity

00:25:10 - Late Life Identity Crisis

00:29:38 - The Challenge of Finding Time for Everything

00:33:07 - The Unconscious and the Shadow in Conscious Aging Movement

00:37:25 - Witnessing and Shadow Work

00:40:54 - The Contents of Consciousness Spilled Out

00:44:35 - The Importance of Awareness and Mortality

00:48:43 - Ageism and Shifting Identity

00:52:50 - The Inner Work of Aging

00:56:42 - Unfinished Spiritual Business

01:00:44 - Unfinished Business in the Spiritual Journey

01:05:12 - Finding Guidance in Inner Work

01:08:56 - The Shift from Hero to Elder

01:13:06 - Finding Refuge in Spiritual Practice

01:16:49 - Completing the Ego Story

01:21:17 - The Orientation Towards Life and Death

01:24:32 - The Importance of Discernment on the Spiritual Path

01:28:24 - Cultivating Self-awareness for Contribution to the Common Good

01:32:25 - Improving the Level of Consciousness

01:36:13 - Preventing Mental Decline and Memory Loss

01:40:03 - Astonishing Moments in Deathbed Experiences

01:44:03 - Awakening Practices and Life Completion

01:47:32 - Expanding the Frame of Reference

01:51:05 - The Soul's Longing for Transcendence

01:54:36 - Farewell to Rick Archer