From Age-ing to Sage-ing

May 1, 1995
In the next 20 years 75 million Americans will be reaching retirement age. To deal with this sea change, Rabbi Schachter-Shalomi (Paradigm Shift, Jason Aronson, 1993) introduces the concept of "eldering," or mentoring, each other in the years ahead. He contends that we are at the cutting edge of the next stage in our evolution and that elders will bring us into this more compassionate, intuitive, and caring era. In Part 1 of the book, Schachter-Shalomi recommends meditation, exercise, and spiritual healing to help individuals enter their later years, while in Part 2 he speaks to our limited perceptions of death. Creating ceremonies and learning to forgive help ease the transition into death, according to Schachter-Shalomi, who believes in the certainty of life after death. Adding a personal dimension, the rabbi compassionately relates his own mental crisis as he approaches the age of 60 to help readers understand the process. Highly recommended for public and academic libraries with gerontology collections.--Lisa Wise, Univ. of Southern Colorado, Pueblo

April 15, 1995
Schachter-Shalomi, a rabbi dreading retirement, realized that he must "recontextualize aging as the anticipated fulfillment of life, not its inevitable decline." So he devised Spiritual Eldering--a social activism, awareness, and mentoring program. The rabbi provides instructions on selecting people to mentor and how to go about doing so. He supples advice on helping individuals, family, community, and the planet. In his analysis of how elderly people can learn conscious dying (or the acceptance of death), the author pulls concepts from multiple religious traditions: Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, and Buddhism, among others. A worthwhile, multicultural look at the value of aging individuals and the work they could have in store for them. ((Reviewed Apr. 15, 1995))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1995, American Library Association.)