Coming to Age: The Croning Years and Late-Life Transformation

Studies in Jungian Psychology by Jungian Analysts #62

by Jane R. Prétat

A comprehensive overview of inner events and creative possibilities during the years after middle age. Pretat explores the tasks and rewards of this period, including the singular significance of the Denter-Persephone myth.

Genres: Psychology

144 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1994

Reviews

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Drawing on Jungian ideology, analysis case studies and ancient world myths, she creates a prescription for finding meaning in older life. It involves accepting suffering and hardship as tools for growth, exploring one's shadow (hidden and suppressed parts of oneself) and listening to one's body as an informant for soul work. Good read, enjoyed. The kind of book you highlight a lot of.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I appreciated that this book dealt with people in their 60’s and 70’s, identified as being between midlife and full old age. I agree with the author that this demarcation is rarely made but very useful. The case studies of the author’s analysands were particularly good and realistic, which isn’t always the case in books by analysts.

[JP · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was simple and discusses the psychological aspect behind ageing.
The chapter of double loss by Carl Jung was very good. and other therapeutic experiences are readable.
The book was a little disappointing because It moved away from the topic and
finally the analyses about Demeter was lovely and putting that theory into practice was enlightening.

[Michael Mayer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A discussion of the search for meaning in the "croning years"- those those years between middle age and old age. Explores the myth of Demeer/Hecate the crone goddess. Also examines Carl Jung's term metanoia--a word used "to describe the deep change of attitude that can result from a period of trauma and psychological upheaval."

I recommend reading this after James Hollis' The Middle Passage. To get the most out of this book I also recommend reading Jung's Memories, Dreams, Reflections and Ann and Barry Ulanov's The Witch and the Clown: Two Archetypes of Human Sexuality. (I can't recommend the Ulanov's work enough.)

Cited in this work were a number of books I would like eventually to read:
Murray Stein's In Midlife: A Jungian Perspective
Daryl Sharp's The Survival Papers
Rosemary Gordon's Dying and Creating: a Search for Meaning
Erich Neuman's Art and the Creative Unconsciousness and I would like to revisit The Great Mother: An analysis of te Archetype and Origins and History of Consciousness.
Erik Erikson's Childhood and Society (wherein Erikson describes eight basic stages of human development). These stages are discussed in chapter 4 "Other Voices" of Coming to Age.
Ron Kurtz and Hector Prestera, The Body Reveals: What Your Body Says About You.
Barbara Hannah's Encounters with the Soul: Active Imagination as Developed by C.G. Jung.

The work of the followin Jungian analysists: Joan Chodorow, Anita Greene, Arnold Mindel, and Marion Woodman.

I've read books about C. Jung but not the following:
Laurens Van der Post's Jung and the Story of Our Times and Marie-Louise von Franz's C.G. Jung: His Myth in Our Time

[Luce Cronin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I must confess that i skimmed through this book. I was only interested in certain aspects of its discussion and therefore, only read these. What attracted me to this book was its discussion of Jung's theories, and the sections on the Kundalini's journey through the Chakras. And the book delivered in these areas - it helped me better understand the relationship between the physical body, the saurian animal body, and the subtle body. There were also so very interesting section, esp. the one on transitional passages - for instance: "... women in our societ are not allowed to age normally through their full life cycle, but instead are constrained to create an illusion that their aging stops in their twenties or thirties."