Conscious Aging Digital Bookshelf
The Conscious Aging Bookshelf, created by Bolton Anthony, Ed.D., is a collection of books, articles, and movies that explore the idea of aging with an ethic of mindfulness, service, and community.
Bolton (1944-2020) was passionate about the emergence of a new paradigm of aging that he believed would create new models for service and community in later life. He founded the nonprofit Second Journey to advance this new paradigm and created an online presence through years of publishing the quarterly journal Itineraries. We are deeply grateful to Bolton’s wife, Lisa, who wished for Bolton’s work to live on in the Partnerships in Aging Program.
We encourage you to use the tabs below to explore the entire collection of articles by topic:
Aging Intentionally
- Artistic Creativity as Renewal in Eldering by Richard Matzkin
- Bird Wisdom by Margaret Owen Thorpe
- Celebration of Age: A Wise Woman Ceremony by Berta Parrish
- Claiming Our Elderhood: Growing Elder and Not Just Older by Ron Pevny
- Creativity in Later Life by Janice Blanchard
- December Reflections by Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi
- Elder Wisdom: Walking the Path of Poetry by Rhoda Neshama Waller
- Elder Wisdom by Caroline Bassett
- Epiphany of a Corporate Warrior by Ken Pyburn
- Excavations in Three Parts by Bolton Anthony
- Extraordinary in the Ordinary by Linda and Jim Henry
- Fierce With Age by Carol Orsborn
- Friendships in Later Life by John G. Sullivan
- Going with the Flow by Cecile Andrews
- Healing the World by Judith Helburn
- Honoring the Cycles of Our Inner Seasons by Deborah Windrum
- Hoping for Hope by Linda Albert
- Inner Life and Inner Retirement by Wolfe Zucker
- Isn’t This Where We Started? Irony and Remembering in Late Life by Philip Stafford
- Journey to Becoming an Elder by Fred Lanphear
- Keeping the Little Things Little… by John Sullivan
- Kindling the Flames of Joy by Joan Englander
- Knowing When to Resist, When to Accept by Jim Vanden Bosch
- Legacies of the Heart by Meg Newhouse
- Life Planning for the Third Age by Meg Newhouse
- Living Life at 60 by Deena Berke
- Living Mindfully Through All the Hours of Our Days by John G. Sullivan
- Markers in the Stream by John G. Sullivan
- Passionate Pursuit of Purpose by Helen Harkness
- Paying it Forward by Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi
- Peace Through Peaceful Means by Betsy Crites
- Portals to Conscious Elderhood by Ron Pevny
- Pursuing the Classics: A Personal Journey and Beyond by Ann Kirkland
- Recognition Rites for Elders by Tom Pinkson
- Seeking an Elder Culture by Connie Goldman
- Spring’s Stirrings: The Art of Being a Beginner by John G. Sullivan
- Stepping Toward the Sunrise by Trebbe Johnson
- The Dance of Spirit in Later Life by Bolton Anthony
- The Importance of Being Silly by Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi
- The Inner Work of Eldering by Ron Pevny
- The InternShop by Julie Lopp
- The Tao of Longevity by Drew Leder
- The Tapestry of Your Life by Nora Zylstra-Savage
- Vision and Creating the Future You Most Want by Bruce Elkin
- Wake Up, Show Up, Lighten Up: The Three Ups to Aging Well by Trish Herbert
- Walking Like Lions by Trebbe Johnson
- Want a Good Bedtime Story? by Pat Samples
- What are the BIG Questions? by Mira Steinbrecher
- Work in the Third Age of Life by John G. Sullivan
- Writing Your Way: A Guide to Writing and Aging with Spirit by Ellen S. Jaffe
Featured Articles
Community
- Aging Better Together by Anne P. Glass
- An Artist Colony Where You Never have to Go Home by Tim Carpenter
- Awakening to Community: Beyond the Veil of Separateness by John G. Sullivan
- CBS Came and Filmed My Community! by Gaya Erlandson
- Celebrate Our Connections with Others by Sue Ronnenkamp
- Celebrating Community — Deeper Connections by Gaya Erlandson
- Choosing a Community: One Couple’s Odyssey by John Cronin and Jonelle Soeling
- Citywide Community: A Living Legacy by Gaya Erlandson
- Connected to the Community: Current Aging-in-Place Choices by Susan Poor
- Convening Circles of Elders by Lynne Iser
- Creating and Sustaining Community by Emily Headley
- Creating a “Compassionate Society” by Bolton Anthony
- Creating Community in Later Life by Bolton Anthony
- Dreaming Becomes Doing by Marianne Kilkenny
- Dynamic Governance: Key to a Nurturing Community by Larilee Suiter
- Dynamic Governance and Sharing Lives by Gaya Erlandson
- Embracing Elders and Living Well by Gaya Erlandson and Paul Kervick
- Embracing Generations and the Larger Community by Dorit Fromm
- Five Innovative Community Concepts by Gaya Erlandson
- Four Models of Later Life by Gaya Erlandson
- Intentional Elder-Friendly Communities by Alex Mawhinney
- Life at Beacon Hill Village by Susan McWhinney-Morse
- Life in Takoma Village Cohousing by Ann Zabaldo
- Moving Beyond Place by Bill Thomas
- Not My Father’s Retirement by J. Alexander Mawhinney
- Online Surveys Engage Older Adults in Community Planning by Mia Oberlink
- Pocket Communities by Ross Chapin
- Proactive Aging: “Circles of Aging” by Cynthia Trenshaw
- Quiddler & Tap-dancing Clowns by Cynthia Trenshaw
- Reading Roszak in Des Moines by Cecile Andrews
- Reflections of a Movement Communitarian by Laird Schaub
- Reweaving the Social Fabric of Our Communities by Janice Blanchard
- Seeds of Collaborative Community by Gaya Erlandson
- Summer’s Fullness by John G. Sullivan
- The Gift in the Story by Chris Belding
- The Making of an Elder Culture by Theodore Roszak
- The Not So Big Community by Sarah Susanka
- The Sharing Solution by Gaya Erlandson and Janelle Orsi
- The Ties that Bind by Tobi A. Abramson
- Touching the Soul of Community by Roger Harrison, Ph.D.
- What I Learned in an Ecovillage by Françoise Ducroz
- When the Oil Gives Out by Theodore Roszak
- Writing in Groups by Paula Papky
Featured Articles
Service
- Answering Our Call From the Future by Paul J. Severance
- A Woman Who Saw Hunger and Tried to End It by Sara Pines
- “Gathering to a Greatness:” Elders Transforming the World by Bolton Anthony
- How Can YOU Help? by Robert C. Atchley
- Jock Brandis: Championing Stone Age Technology by Pat and Steve Taylor
- Making a Public Difference by Jim Scheibel
- Opening Doors for Encore Careers by Phyllis Segal
- Paying it Forward by Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi
- Pentecost with Andrew Harvey: Thoughts on Sacred Activism by Claudia Moore
- Resources for Following Your Heart by Emily Kimball
- Service as Spiritual Practice by Roger Walsh
- Service Through Life’s Season by John G. Sullivan
- Serving From Spirit by Claudia Moore
- Serving From Spirit by Robert C. Atchley
- Spirituality and Service in the Third Age by John G. Sullivan
- The “Burning Soul” Behind ElderSpirit by Jan McGilliard
- What Are You Waiting For? by Darcy Ottey
Featured Articles
Earth Elders and Conservation
- Asking the Question Differently by Fred Lanphear
- Becoming a Force for Change by Barbara Kammerlohr
- Earth Corps Councils by Eric Utne
- Earth Elder Initiation by Randy Morris
- Earth Elders: An Invitation by Fred Lanphear
- Elders and the Earth: Return to the Future by John G. Sullivan
- Elders and the Practice of Hope by Henry C. Simmons
- Honoring Our Elders: Fred’s Amazing Journey by Randy Morris
- “Is That Your Father?” Thomas Berry as Mentor by Ted Purcell
- My Story, Our Story: A Journey of Healing by Rich Henry
- Rites of Passage into Elderhood by Guest Editor Randy Morris
- Speaking for the Earth: A Tribute to Connie Mahoney by Nina Tepedino
- The Earth as a Sacred Garden by David Wann
- The Earth Elder Initiation of Fred Lanphear by Craig Ragland
- Tribute by Jim Clark
- What I Learned in an Ecovillage by Françoise Ducroz
Featured Articles
Spirituality
- An Elder Vision Quest by Helen Kolff
- Autumn’s Way: Releasing and Simplifying by John G. Sullivan
- Discharging Your Loyal Soldier: Shadow Work For Elders by Richard Rohr
- Dreams and Elder Initiations by Harry R. Moody
- Elderhood Initiation: A Personal Story by Larry Hobbs
- Everyday Mysticism by Carol Cober
- Extended Consciousness by Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi
- Healing the World by Judith Helburn
- Honoring Our Elders: The Sprite of Elder Spirit by Drew Leder
- Honoring Our Elders | Reb Zalman: Living from the Light by Robert C. Atchley
- Inner Life and Inner Retirement by Wolfe Zucker
- Living Mindfully Through All the Hours of Our Days by John G. Sullivan
- Mindfulness and Mindlessness by Ellen Langer
- Pentecost with Andrew Harvey: Thoughts on Sacred Activism by Claudia Moore
- Plunging Inward for the Giving Words by Ellen B. Ryan
- Portals to Conscious Elderhood by Ron Pevny
- Re-Entry by Margaret Bendet
- Releasing the Past by Ron Pevny
- Remembrance as a Spiritual Practice by John G. Sullivan
- Service as Spiritual Practice by Roger Walsh
- Serving From Spirit by Claudia Moore
- Spiritual Activism and Liberation Spirituality by Horwitz and Vega-Frey
- Spirituality and Service in the Third Age by John G. Sullivan
- Spring’s Stirrings: The Art of Being a Beginner by John G. Sullivan
- Summer’s Fullness by John G. Sullivan
- The Gifts of Winter by John G. Sullivan
- The Hidden Work of Eldering by John G. Sullivan
- The Indian Bard and the Beloved: Tagore—Poet, Mystic, and Reformer by Linda George
- The Purpose Choice: Keeping the Flame Alive by Richard Leider
- The Tao of Longevity by Drew Leder
- The Yellow Brick Road of Not Knowing by Jane F. Gilgun
- Two Halves Becoming Whole by John G. Sullivan
- Writings as a Spiritual Practice by Ellen B. Ryan
Featured Articles
Housing
- Books of Interest: Two Books on Senior Retirement Communities Reviewed by Barabara Kammerlohr
- Housing in Response to the Human Life Cycle by Shirley Tomita
- Intentional Elder-Friendly Communities by Alex Mawhinney
- Lessons of an Accidental Developer by Dene Peterson
- Living in Champlain Valley Cohousing by Debbie Ramsdell
- Pocket Communities by Ross Chapin
- Senior Cohousing: The First Three Years, an interview with Chuck Durrett
- The Skinny on Cooperative Householding: Review by Marilyn Hartman
- What I Learned in an Ecovillage by Françoise Ducroz
Featured Articles
Travel
- Change by the Way by Jan Phillips
- Each Life, A Journey, Each Journey, A Way to Deepen Life by John G. Sullivan
- Embarkation by Tony Whedon
- from The Captain’s Table by Colin Stuart
- How Far Must We Go? by Frances Wood
- One Man’s Search for Joy… or at Least a Guinness by Tom Trimbath
- Pursuing the Classics: A Personal Journey and Beyond by Ann Kirkland
- Re-Entry by Margaret Bendet
- Selected Poems by Linda L. Beeman
- Solo Journey in a Coupled World by Molly Brewer
- The Art of Pilgrimage: Meeting Ancient Wisdom in Copper Canyon by Ron Pevny
- The Circumference of Home by Kurt Hoelting
- The Dogs of Bhutan by Dianne Shiner
- The Long Journey Home: The Odyssey as a Parable of Male Aging by John C. Robinson
- The Mirror of Travel: Seeing Myself in The Face of Morocco by Kendall Dudley
- We Are the Ones — Working Together by Jan Hively and Moira Allan
- Writing Exercises to Engage the Spirit of Travel by Ellen B. Ryan
Featured Articles
Miscellaneous Topics: Love, Dying, Stories, Reflections, and the Likes
- 50 Films for the Second Half of Life by Bolton Anthony
- Back to the Garden: Woodstock Nation Values Re-emerge by Janet Stambolian and Janice Blanchard
- Can New Orleans Save America?
- Celebrating Poets Over 70 by Marianna Vespry
- Films as Guidance for Positive Aging by Harry R. Moody
- Grandma’s Teacups: The Legacy of Words by Christina Baldwin
- How to Watch a Movie by Bolton Anthony
- Love in Later Life by Bolton Anthony
- Motorcycle Granny by Bolton Anthony
- No Longer at Ease: Reflections on Hurricane Katrina by Bolton Anthony
- Pushing Through Solid Rock by Wesley Burwell, D. Min.
- Remembering Christopher by Bolton Anthony
- Romance and New Relationships in Later Life by Connie Goldman
- Terry Schiavo’s Legacy For Us by Martha L. Henderson, MSN, DMin.
- The Gunfighter Grows Old by Steve Taylor
- We All Share the Same Sky by Teddi Shattuck
- What a Long, Strange Trip It’s Been: Finishing Our Generation’s Work by Edith Kusnic
Featured Articles
Book Reviews
- Becoming a Force for Change by Barbara Kammerlohr
- Book Reviews: Old & New Classics
- Book Reviews: Whidbey Island Writers
- Books of Interest: Aging Through Disparate Lenses by Barbara Kammerlohr
- Books of Interest: Barbara Kammerlohr reviews a trio of books on work in later life
- Books of Interest: Books from Authors on a Second Journey
- Books of Interest: For Happiness in Old Age—Discover and Live Your Purpose by Barbara Kammerlohr
- Books of Interest: In Search of Wisdom, review by Barbara Kammerlohr
- Books of Interest: Life Gets Better! review by Barbara Kammerlohr
- Books of Interest: Metaphor and the Aging Process by Barbara Kammerlohr
- Books of Interest: The Abundant Community, a review by Gaya Erlandson
- Books of Interest: The Quest for the Beloved by Barbara Kammerlohr
- Books of Interest: Two Books by Eckhart Tolle Reviewed by Barbara Kammerlohr
- Books of Interest: Two Books on Senior Retirement Communities Reviewed by Barabara Kammerlohr
- Books of Interest: Two Women’s Reflections by Barbara Kammerlohr
- Books of Interest: Walking Our Talk, reviews by Bolton Anthony
- Review: Senior Cohousing by Charles Durrett reviewed by Lisa Bolton
- Two Bestsellers About Eating in America by Barbara Kammerlohr
The physical copies of Itineraries, the publication housing the articles in the Conscious Aging Digital Bookshelf, are available at the Orange County Department on Aging. You can also access the full issues online:
2005: Spring | Summer | Fall
2006: Winter | Spring | Fall
2007: Winter | Spring | Summer | Fall
2008: Winter | Spring | Summer | Fall
2009: Winter | Spring | Summer | Fall
2011: Winter | Spring | Summer | Fall
2012: Winter | Spring | Summer | Fall | Special Issue
2013: One | Two | Three