The Five Stages of the Soul

Book excerpt: An exciting exploration of the spiritual passages we go through as we age—from midlife crises to the search for inner purpose—and the rich possibilities they offer for fulfillment in the life journey. Based on twenty years of research, The Five Stages of the Soul is the first book to focus squarely on the spiritual passages that the majority of us go through, offering readers a detailed road map of their quest for meaning and self-discovery. Interweaving psychology, religion, myth, and literature, Harry Moody—in the bestselling tradition of Joseph Campbell, Thomas Moore, and Scott Peck—charts the passages of countless individuals across the country who have journeyed through the five stages of spiritual awakening common to almost all of us: the Call, the Search, the Struggle, the Breakthrough, and finally, the Return. Dr. Moody's insightful and wonderfully affirming narrative reveals the challenges and opportunities offered us by the spiritual stages we go through as we explore the question of meaning in our lives.