BOOK REVIEW : Falling Upward - A spirituality for the two halves of life by Richard Rohr

I have written this book review for the February 2018 edition of our Parish Magazine, which has a series of articles on the theme of 'journey'. 

As we begin to move through Lent to Easter, our thoughts might turn to our own spiritual journey; perhaps through prayer, or by reading an improving book or attending a Lent Study Group (or maybe all three!) John Clarke has kindly shared a glimpse of his own journey elsewhere in this edition of The Spire.

I have just read Falling Upward, first published in 2012, in which Fr Richard Rohr describes our spiritual journey in terms of two stages (perhaps this simplicity appealed to me?!) He illustrates this idea using the imagery of forming and then filling a container. In the first stage of life we spend our time building up our container (our identity or ‘self’ – when clear boundaries, structure, routine and ‘dualistic’ black/white thinking is dominant). In the second stage we begin to fill the container; not with objects (hoarding, possessing and impressing are ‘first life’ characteristics) but with inner brightness. Our concern in 'second life' is not to have what we love but to love what we have. It is in this process of fulfilment that we find our deepest and truest self, through developing an ever-closer relationship with the world and each other and so, with God.

I particularly appreciated the subtleties of the imagery; the author seems to be someone who is writing from the ‘second stage’ of life; he doesn’t seek to judge or label (common traits, he says, of those at the first stage) – in fact, he explains that building up a strong container in the first stage of life is essential in order to “hold the contents and contradictions of later life.” (you need a strong ego to let go of your own ego – or as the Dalai Lama says, you've got to know the rules to know how to break them!)

This isn’t a traditional “self help” book with self-analytical exercises to undertake or a roadmap (like those multiple choice personality quizzes in magazines) to help you jump a few steps along the way, but it is full of thoughtful and intelligent analysis both from Richard Rohr, a Franciscan priest, and other spiritual writers. He explains the difference between the first and second stages of life by reflecting on a comparison between the Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes. As well as the beautiful imagery in the book I found the clear analysis of biblical passages (particularly the more complicated ones!) – enlightening. Richard Rohr says that spiritual wholeness is always paradoxical – never excluding the problem from the solution, always holding both the dark and light side of things together (as we do ourselves). Rohr says first half of life people see things as they are and in second half of life as they are. Jesus, he says, was a second stage of life teacher addressing a first stage of life audience.

The title of the book refers to Fr Richard’s definition of the trigger for moving from the first stage to the second stage of life. This ‘fall’ may be sudden and one-off or a gradual process of twists and turns; he quotes Julian of Norwich;

"First there is the fall, and then we recover from the fall. Both are the mercy of God."

Richard Rohr explains that almost always, this ‘fall’ launches us onto a journey away from our comfort zone. He draws parallels with the story of the exodus – a narrative which connects Jews, Christians and Muslims. I was interested in the idea of connectedness between our lives and scripture – that the themes in the Bible can be seen as a narrative for our journey (from Creation, to Exodus through the books of the Old and New testament to the narrative of a new Creation).

Fr Richard suggests that breaking out of our self-created order (our rigid container) is vital, because the reality is that the universe is “more disorder than order, more multiplicity than uniformity, with the greatest disorder being death itself." He equates scientific discoveries arising from analysis of exceptions or "outliers" to the norm with Jesus's ministry with outsiders and those on the edge. We learn more about the world - and so ourselves - by confronting chaos.

He suggests that the imperative to leave the comfort of home is one way of interpreting this passage (Luke 14:26);

"Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple."

Not setting out on this journey – and instead opting to continue to reinforce our “first life” container - is ultimately self-defeating. Not leaving home can mean you never find it (we are sent and drawn by the same force within us - the Holy Spirit). Fr Richard says the lessons learnt through the pain (or “necessary suffering”) whilst on the journey; especially recognising and learning to live with our ‘shadow’ are not the “loss” of self, but the “quiet workings of grace.” I thought "shadow" was a much better way of describing our emotional baggage – because our shadow is ‘us’ shaped. He explains that while coming to terms with our ‘shadow’ is often challenging and depressing, the most depressed people are those “who have never taken any risks, never moved outside their comfort zone, never faced necessary suffering and so their unconscious knows that they have never lived - or loved."

Fr Richard suggests that letting go of ego is one of the most ignored messages in all religions, especially Christianity. With this in mind, this text (Mark 8:34-35), becomes much clearer;

He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, ‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. 

Whilst for the most part he avoids pinning "second life" to any particular age or decade - recognising that each of us are at different points on our journey - eventually he suggests that the transition can take place anywhere from the age of 35 to 55 or beyond; although even when doing he seems to be reluctant to quote any figures. 

He ends by continuing to describe the paradox of life - how in our "second life" we usually embrace that which we have avoided in the first: "doers" become thinkers, "feelers" become doers. "Visionaries" become practical. 

Rather than focusing on aches and pains, the loss of mobility or cognitive functions, the idea of growing in "inner brightness" as we grow older and the excitement of embracing change seems such a positive - and revolutionary idea!

Fr Richard explains that ultimately we find ourselves through one another's eyes - and as our own perspective changes I wonder if, like many good books, whether Falling Upward will speak differently to us on each re-reading?