The Ten Spiritual Developmental Tasks of the Illumination Years (Ages 66+)

 Aging well doesn’t happen on its own.  Age alone does not automatically confer competence in “performing” this process we call aging well. Aging requires work; and this work needs to be quite intentional.  So what are the competencies of aging well.  If aging does have purpose then we, as practitioners of aging, can address and embrace the process the aging with varying degrees of competence, and “perform” the overarching act of aging well.           

There are building blocks to health on all levels.  Optimal physical health requires nutritious diet, generous exercise, no tobacco or other toxins, adequate sleep, moderate (or no) alcohol use, and the like.  Optimal psychological and emotional health requires stress reduction, stimulation of mind, healthy relationship connections, a positive outlook on life, clear thinking, being “in touch” with our feelings, making considered choices, and taking forthright action.  So too, healthy soul or spiritual living requires certain building blocks to achieve optimal soul health and spiritual thriving.  My hope for you is that you will age well. 

My research, concentrated observation of the human condition, and long hours studying, listening to and interacting with literally thousands of counseling patients has informed me to identify ten spiritual life building blocks, or “tasks” that lead to optimal spiritual health in what I call the Illumination Years, ages 66 and beyond.  I’d like to introduce these ten to you. 

The Ten Necessary Tasks for Spiritual Health in the Illumination Years 

1. Transformation vs. Powerlessness
2. Living Mystery vs. Self-Reliance
3. Physical Diminishment vs. Denying Reality
4. Confronting Self vs. Self-Absorption
5. Mentorship vs. Becoming a Critic
6. Becoming Involved vs. Falling into Alienation
7. Wisdom vs. Confusion
8. Innocence vs. Irritability
9. Taking Stock vs. Dependency
10. Creative Completion vs. Infantilization 

These ten represent the spiritual “work” that we are called to pursue, and achieve at some level in our illumination years in order to find essential spiritual happiness.  As such these ten can be seen as requirements of the soul.  Together they form the foundation and the framework upon which we build a solid life where can radiate a glow of vitality, maximize our inherent gifts and strengths, optimize our physical and mental capacities, find purpose in life, and experience that internal sense of fulfillment we call “meaning.”  These ten offer a global overview of what life can be in the illumination years. 

Johnson Institute Course 110 gives you a comprehensive and illuminating “deep dive” into the 10 spiritual developmental tasks of the later years – a gifted time, given to us by God, when we are called to see, with new eyes, the breadth, scope, and grand magnitude of Christ’s presence in us, and all around us.  Course 110 is an experience of the soul that all of us in the Illumination Years need to discover new meaning and new direction in later life….it is positive, uplifting and spiritually invigorating.