Senior Spirituality: Awakening Your Spiritual Potential

Senior Spirituality: Awakening Your Spiritual Potential. By Harold R. Nelson. St. Louis: Chalice Press, 2004. 166 pages.

Most persons quest for spirituality, especially seniors. Why? Because seniors are at a point in the life span where they are greatly challenged to find meaning in the depths of life changes. Loss, ill health, and death itself stir their need for this spiritual quest. Harold R. Nelson writes from such a lifelong quest, and we are enriched by his insightful reflections. A retired hospital chaplain and grief counselor, the author shares personal life experiences which draw his reader into the rich material of the book.

What is spirit? Nelson writes, "Spirit may be compared to wind...The effects of spirit may be felt in a person who has a radiant countenance; energy and enthusiasm for living; and peace, love, and tranquility. The effects of spirit may also be observed in a person who has a meaning to live for, and a mission to fulfill" (5). Nelson divides this journey of spirituality into three stages: (1) the apprentice, who looks to a disciple or master to teach the ways and skills of spirituality; (2) the disciple, who is firmly committed to follow the spiritual path, has gained many skills and insights, and shares them with others; and (3) the master, who has an intimate relationship with the "Master of Masters" and reflects a radiant spirit (1).

The author describes his book as a "spiritual road map which will guide the reader over a human-divine landscape" (1). There are seven chapters, each one rich in spiritual resources. For example, in chapter 3, titled "Spirituality and Adversity," we find the "Rites of Passage" through adversity. There are three stages: (1) separation, moving from the familiar to the unfamiliar; (2) no-man's land, a wilderness experience; and (3) transformation, maintenance of a vital relationship with the Holy Being, with community, and with oneself. The discussions of pain and stress are most helpful.

In chapter 4, titled "Spirituality, Imagination, and Healing," Nelson deals creatively with the reality of imagination. Developing j the theme, he writes, "It would appear that imagination is the basis of all that we think, do, and plan" (56). Imagery, he goes on, "is one of · the world's oldest and greatest healing resources and it has always i had a profound affect [sic] on health" (59).

We next find descriptions of ten healing modalities. One modality, which Nelson defines as "any practice, treatment, or rite that contributes to the healing of the whole person" (70), is meditation. Nelson uses Lawrence Le Shan's division of this modality into (1) structured meditations and (2) unstructured meditations. Contemplation is one form of a structured meditation, and repetition of a key word or phrase is another. An example of an unstructured mediation is to look for a question and then an answer to that question. For example, How would I be if I were the person I would like to be? As one deals with the answer, one must be aware of the feelings it brings.

Seniors will find chapter 7, titled "Spirituality, Transformation, and Afterlife," especially challenging and comforting. The question presented may well be one of the most important a person can ask during the lifespan: "If mortals die, will they live again?" This reviewer is in the "upper" senior years and has thought of that question throughout life, but in reading this chapter, new dimensions of meaning appeared.

Senior Spirituality is written for persons of all ages, for the themes and experiences of life and from life are not limited to the final stages.

Marcus D. Bryant

Brite Divinity School

Copyright Christian Theological Seminary Summer 2005
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved