Falling Upward: A Spirituality For The Two Halves Of Life
Ebook
Overview
We grow more spiritually by doing it wrong than by doing it right
In Falling Upward, Fr Richard Rohr offers a new understanding of one of life’s most profound mysteries: how our failing can be the foundation for our ongoing spiritual growth. Drawing on the wisdom from time-honoured myths, heroic poems, great thinkers and scared religious texts, the author explores the two halves of life to show that those who have fallen, failed, or ‘gone down’ are the only ones who understand ‘up’. The heartbreaks, disappointments and first loves of life are actually stepping stones to the spiritual joys that the second half has in store for us.
‘I thank God for Richard Rohr’s sage-like presence in our culture: I honestly don’t know where I’d be without it.’
Brian Draper
‘Richard Rohr at his vintage best: prophetic, pastoral, practical.’
Cynthia Bourgeault
‘A voyage into the mystery and beauty of healthy spiritual maturity.’
Mehmet Oz, MD, host of the Dr Oz Show
Reissued with a new cover, Falling Upward has sold well over 100,000 copies worldwide
The Invitation to a Further Journey vii
Introduction xiii
1 The Two Halves of Life 1
2 The Hero and Heroine’s Journey 17
3 The First Half of Life 25
4 The Tragic Sense of Life 53
5 Stumbling over the Stumbling Stone 65
6 Necessary Suffering 73
7 Home and Homesickness 87
8 Amnesia and the Big Picture 97
9 A Second Simplicity 105
10 A Bright Sadness 117
11 The Shadowlands 127
12 New Problems and New Directions 137
13 Falling Upward 153
Coda 161
Notes 169
Bibliography 177
The Author 183
Index 185
- Title: Falling Upward: A Spirituality For The Two Halves Of Life
- Author: Richard Rohr
- Publisher: SPCK Publishing
- Print Publication Date: 2013
- Logos Release Date: 2022
- Pages: 208
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Ebook
- ISBNs: 9780281080915, 9780281068913, 0281068917, 0281080917
- Resource ID: LLS:9780281080915
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2025-11-12T14:05:02Z
Richard Rohr is a globally recognized Franciscan friar and ecumenical teacher whose work bears witness to the deep wisdom of Christian mysticism. He is the founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation in Albuquerque, New Mexico, an educational nonprofit that introduces spiritual seekers to the Christian contemplative path of transformation. He is the author of many books, including the New York Times bestseller The Universal Christ, Falling Upward, and Breathing Under Water. His work has been featured on Oprah’s SuperSoul Sunday, Krista Tippett’s On Being, and in The New Yorker and Harper’s Magazine.
