The Tibetan Book of the Dead or Bardo Thodol provides a map of the stages of life, which in this case, occurs not in a straight line but in a circle: The Chi-Kha Bardo – this state occurs at the moment of death, when the dying person has the potential to perceive The Clear Light...Read More

According to the ancient Hindu Laws of Manu, there are four stages or “ashramas” of life, each lasting 21 (or 25) years. The first stage – 0-21 (0-25)  years – Brahmacharya/Student – the person lives as a unmarried celibate, studies with a guru; the focus is on education, character development, development of skills The second...Read More

“According to a beautiful legend from the Jewish tradition, the fetus in the womb has a light that shines above his head that sees from one end of the universe to the other.  This light encompasses the unborn’s own deep past and his ultimate destiny.  Just before birth, however, the angel Lailah comes to the...Read More

I’d like to recommend an amazing film entitled Bodysong.  It chronicled the entire human condition through hundreds of video clips taken from many cultures, many historical settings (back to the very beginnings of the history of film), and most importantly, from each stage of the human life cycle.  It begins with images of conception, and then, in...Read More

The stages of life in Native American traditions are sometimes represented through the Medicine Wheel, a cross within a circle that indicates the Four Directions:  East, South, West, and North.  The symbolism that is usually described goes as follows:  East – birth, childhood;  South – youth, growing up;  West – aging, mature adulthood;  North –...Read More