Falling Upward

In Falling Upward, Fr. Richard Rohr seeks to help readers understand the tasks of the two halves of life and to show them that those who have fallen, failed, or "gone down" are the only ones who understand "up." The Companion Journal helps those who have (and those who have not) read Falling Upward to engage more deeply with the questions the book raises. Using a blend of quotes, questions for individual and group reflection, stories, and suggestions for spiritual practices, it provides a wise guide for deepening the spiritual journey. . . at any time of life.

• Explains why the second half of life can and should be full of spiritual richness
• Offers tools for spiritual growth and greater understanding of the ideas in Falling Upward
• Richard Rohr is a regular contributing writer for Sojourners and Tikkun magazines

This important companion to Falling Upward is an excellent tool for exploring the counterintuitive messages of how we grow spiritually.

Introduction vii

1 The Two Halves of Life 1

2 The Hero and the Heroine’s Journey 15

3 The First Half of Life 29

4 The Tragic Sense of Life 41

5 Stumbling over the Stumbling Stone 55

6 Necessary Suffering 69

7 Home and Homesickness 85

8 Amnesia and the Big Picture 101

9 A Second Simplicity 115

10 A Bright Sadness 127

11 The Shadowlands 139

12 New Problems and New Directions 153

13 Falling Upward 167

The Author 181

THE AUTHOR
Fr. Richard Rohr is a Franciscan priest of the New Mexico Province. He founded the Center for Action and Contemplation in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in 1986, where he presently serves as founding director. Fr. Rohr is the author of more than twenty books, an internationally known speaker, and a regular contributing writer for Sojourners and Tikkun magazines and the CAC’s quarterly journal, Radical Grace.

In his bestselling book Falling Upward, Father Richard Rohr offers a new paradigm for understanding one of the most profound of life’s mysteries: how our failings can be the foundation for our ongoing spiritual growth. Throughout the book, he draws on the wisdom from time-honored myths, heroic poems, great thinkers, and sacred religious texts to demonstrate that we grow spiritually more by doing it wrong than by doing it right.

This Companion Journal helps those who have (and those who have not) read Falling Upward to engage more deeply with the questions the book raises. Its inspiring blend of resources for readers includes:

• QUOTATIONS FOR REFLECTION
  Passages from Falling Upward give readers an opportunity to let their meaning spur thoughts about experiences or feelings. In groups, the passages (and reflections about them) are great conversation starters.
• JOURNALING QUESTIONS
  Writing in response to these questions is meant to help readers dig deeper into the concepts in the book. The questions can also be used to open discussion in groups.
• EXPERIENTIAL EXERCISES
  Because spiritual practice is an important part of growth and insight, these experiential exercises are designed to help readers take their writing and discussions further. In groups, the exercises can be used as the basis for discussion and learning together.