Name: Fred Rivett's review of Falling Upward by Richard Rohr
Item: Falling Upward
Rating: 4.5
Author: Fred Rivett

Richard Rohr

A fresh way of thinking about spirituality that grows throughout life In Falling Upward, Fr. Richard Rohr seeks to help readers understand the tasks of the two halves of life and to show them that those who have fallen, failed, or "gone down" are the only ones who understand "up." Most of us tend to think of the second half of life as largely about getting old, dealing with health issues, and letting go of life, but the whole thesis of this book is exactly the opposite. What looks like falling down can largely be experienced as "falling upward." In fact, it is not a loss but somehow actually a gain, as we have all seen with elders who have come to their fullness. Explains why the second half of life can and should be full of spiritual richness Offers a new view of how spiritual growth happens?loss is gain Richard. Rohr is a regular contributing writer for Sojourners and Tikkun magazines This important book explores the counterintuitive message that we grow spiritually much more by doing wrong than by doing right.

A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life

Falling Upward

Fred Rivett

Remember, hypocrite is a Greek word that simply means "actor," someone playing a role rather than being "real."

The general pattern in story and novel is that heroes learn and grow encountering their shadow, whereas villains never do.

Spiritual maturity is largely a growth in seeing; and full seeing seems to take most of our lifetime, with a huge leap in the final years, months, weeks, and days of life, as any hospice volunteer will tell you.

Holier-than-thou people usually end up holier than nobody.

It is probably necessary to eliminate most doubt when you are young; doing so is a good survival technique. But such worldviews are not true—and they are not wisdom. Wisdom happily lives with mystery, doubt, and "unknowing,"…

It is sad and disconcerting for a while, outside the garden, and some lovely innocence dies, yet "angels with flaming swords prevented my return" to the first garden (Genesis 3:24). There was no going back, unfortunately. Life was much easier on the childhood side of the rainbow.

For postmodern people, the universe is not inherently enchanted, as it was for the ancients. We have to do all the "enchanting" ourselves. This leaves us alone, confused, and doubtful.

Before the truth "sets you free," it tends to make you miserable.

Jesus is never upset at sinners (check it out!); he is only upset with people who do not think they are sinners!

Jesus did not seem to teach that one size fits all, but instead that his God adjusts to the vagaries and failures of the moment. This ability to adjust to human disorder and failure is named God's providence or compassion. Every time God forgives us, God is saying that God’s own rules do not matter as much as the relationship that God wants to create with us.

To quote Archimedes once again, you must have both a lever and a place to stand" before you can move the world. The educated and sophisticated Western person today has many levers, but almost no solid place on which to stand, with either very weak identities terribly overstated identities.

You need a very strong container to hold the contents and contradictions that arrive later in life. You ironically need a very strong ego structure to let go of your ego. You need to struggle with the rules more than a bit before you throw them out.

Unless you build your first house well, you will never leave it. To build your house well is, ironically, to be nudged beyond its doors.

The second insight about steps and stages is that from your own level of development, you can only stretch yourself to comprehend people just a bit beyond yourself. Some theorists say you cannot stretch more than one step above your own level of consciousness, and that is on a good day! Because of this limitation, those at deeper (or "higher") levels beyond you invariably appear wrong, sinful, heretical, dangerous, or even worthy of elimination.

Remember, the opposite of rational is not always irational, but it can also be transrational or bigger than the rational mind can process; things like love, death, suffering, God, and infinity are transrational experiences.

iFalling upward is a "secret' of the soul, known not by thinking about it or proving it but only by risking it—at least once. And by allowing yourself to be led—at least once. Those who have allowed it know it is true, but only after the fact.

God mercifully hides thoughts of dying from the young, but unfortunately we then hide it from ourselves till the later years finally force it into our consciousness.

If there is such a thing as human perfection, it seems to emerge precisely from how we handle the imperfection that is everywhere, especially our own. What a clever place for God to hide holiness, so that only the humble and earnest perfect person ends up being one who will find it!

The familiar and the habitual are so falsely reassuring, and most of us make our homes there permanently. The new is always by definition unfamiliar and untested, so God, life, destiny, suffering have to give us a push—usually a big one—or we will not go. Someone has to make clear to us that homes are not meant to be lived in—but only to be moved out from.

There is much evidence on several levels that there are at least two major tasks to human life. The first task is to build a strong "container" or identity; the second is to find the contents that the container was meant to hold.

The first half of life is discovering the script, and the second half is actually writing it and owning it.

All we can give back and all God wants from any of us is to humbly and proudly return the product that we have been given — which is ourselves!

Our soul's discovery is utterly crucial, momentous, and of pressing importance for each of us and for the world. We do not "make" or "create" our souls; we just “grow” them up.

Our unique little bit of heaven is installed by the Manufacturer within the product, at the beginning! We are given a span of years to discover it, to choose it, and to live our own destiny to the full.

A guidebook for midlife (that could be read with profit by people in every stage of life). As an orthodox Protestant, I find plenty to critique in Rohr's fairly syncretistic theology. But you can get past some of that, there are profound spiritual insights on every page. One concept that especially stood out to me: "transcend and include." You inevitably have to move on from the first half of life, but you also need to include what was good and right and sturdy in it as well.

Luke Stamps

Finally a book that makes some sense of the journey I’m on, where I’ve been and where I’m headed.

A must read for anyone who believes in anything spiritual and wants to adventure on through to the deeper side of life.

Finally a book that makes some sense of the journey I’m on, where I’ve been and where I’m headed.

A must read for anyone who believes in anything spiritual and wants to adventure on through to the deeper side of life.

I’m certain I’ll re-read this soon.

Sarah Schumacher

We grow more spiritually by doing it wrong than by doing it right In Falling Upward, Fr Richard Rohr offers a new understanding of one of life’s most profound mysteries: how our failing can be the foundation for our ongoing spiritual growth. Drawing on the wisdom from time-honoured myths, heroic poems, great thinkers and scared religious texts, the author explores the two halves of life to show that those who have fallen, failed, or ‘gone down’ are the only ones who understand ‘up’. The heartbreaks, disappointments and first loves of life are actually stepping stones to the spiritual joys that the second half has in store for us. ‘I thank God for Richard Rohr’s sage-like presence in our culture: I honestly don’t know where I’d be without it.’ Brian Draper ‘Richard Rohr at his vintage best: prophetic, pastoral, practical.’ Cynthia Bourgeault ‘A voyage into the mystery and beauty of healthy spiritual maturity.’ Mehmet Oz, MD, host of the Dr Oz Show

A Spirituality For The Two Halves Of Life

Kevin. j Mercil 

Dave Walker

Luke Leighfield

Neva Davies

Tawnya Christensen

"A fresh way of thinking about spirituality that grows throughout life. In Falling Upward, Fr. Richard Rohr seeks to help readers understand the tasks of the two halves of life and to show them that those who have fallen, failed, or "gone down" are the only ones who understand "up." Most of us tend to think of the second half of life as largely about getting old, dealing with health issues, and letting go of life, but the whole thesis of this book is exactly the opposite.? What looks like falling down can largely be experienced as "falling upward."? In fact, it is not a loss but somehow actually a gain, as we have all seen with elders who?have come to their fullness.?? Explains why the second half of life can and should be full of spiritual richness Offers a new view of how spiritual growth happens loss is gain Richard Rohr is a regular contributing writer for Sojourners and Tikkun magazines This important book explores the counterintuitive message that we grow spiritually much more by doing wrong than by doing right."--

A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life -- A Companion Journal

Garren

Lorna Isles

school teaches us to become uniform, to direct our travels towards the norm, but the real journey is into our true selves, discovering who we were made to be and owning it unapologetically 

I believe that God gives us our soul, our deepest identity, our True Self, our unique blueprint, at our own "immaculate conception." Our unique little bit of heaven is installed by the Manufacturer within the product, at the beginning! We are given a span of years to discover it, to choose it, and to live our own destiny to the full. If we do not, our True Self will never be offered again, in our own unique form–which is perhaps why almost all religious traditions present the matter with utterly charged words like "heaven" and "hell." Our soul's discovery is utterly crucial, momentous, and of pressing importance for each of us and for the world. We do not “make" or "create" our souls; we just “grow” them up.

Fred Rivett &
Falling Upward by Richard Rohr

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Fred Rivett &Falling Upward by Richard Rohr

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Fred Rivett &
Falling Upward by Richard Rohr