Up: [[Be Amazed MOC]] Created: 2026-02-25 Updated: 2026-03-01 > [!Orbit] [[C. G. Jung]] in *Collected Works 18* > In the youthful expansion of our life we think of it as ever-increasing river, and this conviction accompanies us often far beyond the noonday of our existence. But if we listen to the quieter voices of our deeper nature we become aware of the fact that soon after the middle of our life the soul begins its secret work, getting ready for the departure. [[Angeles Arrien]] was a cultural anthropologist who examined the wisdom traditions of many societies to develop this framework of eight archetypal gates we must enter if we want to consciously participate in the soul’s work of life’s second half. I love Arrien’s framework for many reasons, not least of which is that it maps a path for developing wisdom, integrity, and spiritual maturity that represents the best of what being an elder can mean. In this, it stands in marked contrast to the prevailing view of [[aging]] as a time of decreasing capacity and increasing despair. #### Gates and Thresholds Gates mark the places where there is a threshold. The threshold is the place where transformational work occurs, but before we arrive there, we must open the gate. In Arrien’s framework, the gates are places of initiation where we are met with challenges that require us to let go of the familiar and be willing to embrace the new and the unknown. We have choice as to whether or not we open a gate. We can choose to deepen our lives and develop our character… or not. However, once we open the gate and are at the threshold, we are obligated to do the work of transformation. There’s no going back to the way things used to be. #### Why These Gates Now We have all experienced some of the gates at earlier points in our lives. The purpose here is > [!Orbit] [[Angeles Arrien]] in *The Second Half of Life* > … in your later years, opening to these eight gates of wisdom prepares you to integrate, harvest, and mend your life before your final departure into the ultimate mystery — your death and immortality. (p.25) The silver gate stands on its own but is also part of every other gate. The clay gate is the only one that changes over time. Angeles is giving us a framework, not a developmental arc so there is no set order to the gates #### Note Structure The notes for each of the eight gates follow the same structure: - the task - the challenge - a practice or more - the gift — that comes with our work at the threshold; in other words, the promised transformation - prompts to consider These notes are the skeleton I’ve taken from Arrien’s book, *The Second Half of Life: Opening the Eight Gates of Wisdom*. Page references are given wherever I’ve used her exact words. Most often these are in the selections I’ve made for “prompts to consider.” #### Future Plans Arrien’s book was published in 2005 and again in 2007 as the transformation of a Sounds True audio lecture series into a book proposal. I haven’t heard the audiotapes, but it’s a small book for such a large scope of work, only 152 pages, so I suspect there were fairly minimal additions made to the audio text and there wasn’t opportunity to add more. Arrien died April 2014, age 73, of pneumonia. I purchased the book at the end of 2017 and was immediately captivated by Arrien’s framework and the symbolism she employs throughout. I was aware then that I wanted to add meat to the bones of this work, but I didn’t know how to do that until I began a Jungian analysis in late 2019 and, as significantly, discovered Obsidian and Nick Milo’s work with [Linking Your Thinking](https://www.linkingyourthinking.com/) in 2022. My intention is to use Arrien’s gates as one of the paths that can be followed through this vault. Each gate note will become a very extensive map of notes, actions and reflections. More can be learned about this effort in [[Lasair - My Third Act Passion]]. [[Silver Gate - New Eyes]] ![[Gate - Silver.webp|300]] [[White Picket Gate - True Face]] ![[Gate - White Picket.webp|200]] [[Clay Gate - Body Care]] ![[Gate - Clay.webp|300]] [[Black and White Gate - Relationship Mirrors]] ![[Gate - Black and White.webp|200]] [[Rustic Gate - Generative Creativity]] ![[Gate - Rustic.webp|300]] [[Bone Gate - Integrity]] ![[Gate - Bone.webp|200]] [[Natural Gate - Inner Sanctuary]] ![[Gate - Natural.webp|200]] [[Gold Gate - Befriend Death]] ![[Gate - Gold.webp|300]]