621. Connie Zweig

Connie Zweig, Ph.D., is a retired therapist, co-author of Meeting the Shadow: The Hidden Power of the Dark Side of Human Nature and Romancing the Shadow: A Guide to Soul Work for a Vital, Authentic Life, author of Meeting the Shadow of Spirituality, and a novel, A Moth to the Flame: The Story of the Great Sufi Poet Rumi. Her new book, The Inner Work of Age: Shifting from Role to Soul, extends shadow-work into late life and teaches aging as a spiritual practice. Connie has been doing contemplative practices for 50 years. She is a wife and grandmother and was initiated as an Elder by Sage-ing International in 2017. After investing in all these roles, she is practicing the shift from role to soul.

Website: conniezweig.com

Email: conniezweig@gmail.com

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group.

Summary and Transcript of this interview.

Interview recorded October 22, 2021.

YouTube Video Chapters:

  • 00:00:00 – Introduction and Welcome to Buddha at the Gas Pump
  • 00:03:59 – The Different Stages of My Life
  • 00:07:38 – The Already Enlightened Governors of the Age of Enlightenment
  • 00:10:58 – The Urgency of Enlightenment
  • 00:14:30 – Understanding Enlightenment and Charismatic Teachers
  • 00:17:46 – Spiritual Development at Every Stage of Life
  • 00:21:21 – Transition in Identity
  • 00:25:10 – Late Life Identity Crisis
  • 00:29:38 – The Challenge of Finding Time for Everything
  • 00:33:07 – The Unconscious and the Shadow in Conscious Aging Movement
  • 00:37:25 – Witnessing and Shadow Work
  • 00:40:54 – The Contents of Consciousness Spilled Out
  • 00:44:35 – The Importance of Awareness and Mortality
  • 00:48:43 – Ageism and Shifting Identity
  • 00:52:50 – The Inner Work of Aging
  • 00:56:42 – Unfinished Spiritual Business
  • 01:00:44 – Unfinished Business in the Spiritual Journey
  • 01:05:12 – Finding Guidance in Inner Work
  • 01:08:56 – The Shift from Hero to Elder
  • 01:13:06 – Finding Refuge in Spiritual Practice
  • 01:16:49 – Completing the Ego Story
  • 01:21:17 – The Orientation Towards Life and Death
  • 01:24:32 – The Importance of Discernment on the Spiritual Path
  • 01:28:24 – Cultivating Self-awareness for Contribution to the Common Good
  • 01:32:25 – Improving the Level of Consciousness
  • 01:36:13 – Preventing Mental Decline and Memory Loss
  • 01:40:03 – Astonishing Moments in Deathbed Experiences
  • 01:44:03 – Awakening Practices and Life Completion
  • 01:47:32 – Expanding the Frame of Reference
  • 01:51:05 – The Soul’s Longing for Transcendence
  • 01:54:36 – Farewell to Rick Archer