Hollis, James. A Life of Meaning: Relocating your Center of Spiritual Gravity. Sounds True. 2023. Pp. vii + 157. Pbk. $18.99

Having previously read and enjoyed a number of James Hollis's books, I was excited to read his newest work: A Life of Meaning: Relocating your Center of Spiritual Gravity. It provides a rich introduction to his oeuvre, focused here on listening to the wholeness of psyche to know one's authentic self in the second half of life. Hollis offers thought-provoking questions that can guide the journey of self-discovery. I found this book accessible and encouraging. Hollis explains complex ideas in easy-to-understand terms. He acknowledges the role of suffering throughout the human experience, from childhood through old age, while simultaneously providing inspiration for readers to confront the challenge that individuation demands. The last two chapters, focusing specifically on ageing and mortality, are imbued with Hollis's personal energy and a subtle sense of urgency. Writing this book at 82 years old, he is sharing his personal philosophy and life's work with us. Reviewing parts of his journey with personal and professional anecdotes, he offers himself as a role model of the message he is conveying—the transformative value of reflecting on the past, asking questions about what matters, listening to psyche and engaging fully with what each stage of life is asking of us. The author helps the reader connect with the mystery of life's journey in this archetypal quest. His Jungian lens is supplemented by references to spiritual leaders, poets, and philosophers who also have grappled with what it means to live a meaningful life. Hollis shows how the messages of our upbringing shape and impact us throughout life. We need to become conscious of our history to separate from it and advance on our life journey. “Gaining a sense of worth and recovering personal authority thus becomes the single most important task in the second half of life” (p. 10). Psyche orchestrates a mid-life transition to guide us towards the discovery of our transcendent Self, enabling us to live an ever larger, more meaningful life. This journey requires the challenging work of confronting one's shadow so it does not retain its grip on us and express itself unconsciously. The unexamined shadow permits old beliefs stemming from our earliest experiences to control and limit us, leaving us stuck defending against childhood fears. Hollis posits that the most pernicious consequence of such shadow issues is that we live small, adaptive lives and deny psyche's call to live authentically. Integrating our shadow aspects is a necessary part of the path to wholeness. Hollis further explores the concept of shadow through an exploration of “The Seven Deadly Sins Through a Psychological Lens” (Chapter 4). Sin, defined here as missing the mark, is intrinsic to the human condition. Our all too human foibles, be they considered mistakes or sins, may be met with compassion and grace. Hollis offers intriguing amplifications of each of the seven deadly sins: gluttony, lust, wrath (anger), pride, envy, greed and sloth. Each one presents a reaction to a basic need that is out of balance either through excess or deficiency, and consequently becomes pathological. He refers to the experience of being trapped in such an emotional state as “psychological possession”. The notion of psychological possession introduces the concept of complexes. Complexes are manifest when the dynamics and roles of childhood are recreated in intimate relationships in adulthood. Freeing ourselves from the powerful influences of parental complexes is a major project in the second half of life. Hollis poses important questions for us to consider, for example “who am I apart from my history, my roles, my commitments?” (p. 94). Hollis's book builds on Jung's belief that we must “live in relationship to something bigger than ourselves” (p. 104). Lacking a connection with the numinous leaves us feeling empty and adrift. When our ways of coping no longer work and we have yet to discover new ways of navigating our way through the world, we are left stranded in a liminal space and time where various egoistic and materialistic ways through which we try to fulfil our longings fall short of our hopes and expectations. Each person must discover their own inner truth. We have to turn inward and listen to psyche to figure out what is needed. The challenges of ageing and mortality that arise in later life invite us to review our life's journey and acknowledge what is left undone. Even as our bodies decay with age, our spirits persist; learning and growing continues as long as our psyche remains active. Our dreams and memories keep us connected to our past and help us make meaning of it. When longstanding complexes and fears continually arise, we can respond to them with an expanded consciousness. Attending to the unfinished business of our psycho-spiritual development lets us confront our fears and live an ever larger life. Ultimately, the journey is the destination, and the meaning of our life is found in the way we live. Hollis invites us to continue our journey of personal discovery and growth by accepting death as a natural part of life. Mortality makes our need for meaning necessary and facing that fact can foster the freedom to live more authentically. We want to know we matter and that our lives have significance. While living in fear leaves us stuck and small, insight, courage and endurance supports an enlarged life. This is not a book of answers. Rather, it is a book of questions that encourage us to engage with the personal inquiry of “what does psyche want?” If we are willing to accept the challenge of listening to psyche, we will discover the internal support that guides us. The reality of the soul can only be known through personal experience, but the core of this experience remains a mystery. To inquire honestly of what psyche wants is to partake in a humbling journey of self-discovery which can enrich life. I recommend this book to patients and people in the second half of life who are seeking support for their journey of self-discovery as they pursue an ever more meaningful life, regardless of whether or not they are familiar with Jungian thought. I hope James Hollis continues to grace us with his voice.