Falling Upward: Spirituality in the Second Half of Life

Falling Upward: Spirituality in the Second Half of Life
June 9-12, 2026
Facilitator: Christine Hiester

“As we grow older, mirrors become windows”
— Ansel Adams

In his book, “Falling Upward”, Richard Rohr offers us one model of what he calls the two halves of life, inviting us to consider that the downward path of surrender, letting go, and looking within is experienced as a paradoxical movement “upward”, not a loss but somehow a gain. We can witness this movement in the spiritual expansion of those
elders who truly embody this reality, who have let their “mirrors become windows,” so to speak.

Join us for this opportunity to explore how the spiritual journey changes during the second half of life, to share your own experiences and questions with others, and hold theirs in turn. We will engage contemplative and creative practices, allow ourselves to be guided by the liturgical framework of daily prayer and meditation, and use Fr. Rohr’s book as inspiration to enter into our own story and the wonder of what God is inviting.

Note: Participants are asked to read “Falling Upward” prior to attending this retreat for a grounding in the concepts we will hold together in community, but it is not a requirement.

Spiritual companion and retreat facilitator, Christine Hiester, enters into retreat with curiosity and reverence. As someone native to silence and contemplative practice, she knows the power of the deeply-pondered question, and leads gatherings without a need for answers. Christine has guided retreats for fifteen years, and loves to include creative practices to surprise us into places we might not otherwise find ourselves, trusting the Spirit who is the foundation for our living and moving and being.

Christine is a graduate of the Wellstreams Program on the Art of Spiritual Direction, with interspiritual and interfaith training through the Spiritual Guidance Training Institute. She has a rewarding spiritual direction and supervision practice, and is also a classically- trained musician, serving as Director of Traditional Music and Worship at Linworth United Methodist Church in her hometown of Columbus, Ohio.

Christine can be found online at her website, www.shapingtheriver.com.