“We cannot live the afternoon of life according to the programme of life’s morning.”
— C. G. Jung, “The Stages of Life”
There can come a point when the life we have built no longer feels quite like our own. We may have a successful career, loving relationships and much to appreciate, yet experience a quiet emptiness. Something within us asks: Is this how I want to live the years ahead?
Jung’s image of the afternoon of life helps us understand this experience. The priorities that once guided us may need to change. Midlife can awaken an awareness that there is more to discover about ourselves than our familiar roles allow.
Many centuries before Jung, the Christian mystic Gregory of Nyssa understood spiritual life as an unfolding journey. Because God is infinite, he believed, our capacity to grow in relationship with the divine is never exhausted. Read alongside Jung, Gregory offers a hopeful perspective: we remain capable of transformation throughout life.
The life we have learned to live
Life’s morning often involves establishing ourselves: finding work, forming relationships and learning responsibility. We discover what earns approval and helps us belong.
These achievements matter, but adapting to the world can mean setting parts of ourselves aside. We may become dependable while neglecting our needs, successful at the expense of creativity, or skilled at caring for others while struggling to receive care.
In midlife, these neglected parts may begin to make themselves felt through exhaustion, resentment or an unexplained longing. Gratitude and longing can exist together. We can value our lives while recognising that something needs attention.
Making room for mystery
For me, spirituality is an important dimension of this transition. I believe there is something of the divine within us, although this is a personal understanding rather than a belief I expect others to share.
For some, spirituality includes religious faith. Others encounter it through nature, creativity, meditation, love or stillness. Doubt and painful experiences of religion also deserve room.
In The Life of Moses, Gregory describes encountering God in darkness: a divine mystery beyond what the mind can grasp. This offers a meaningful image for times when our old explanations loosen. We may need space to listen before new understanding emerges.
Becoming more fully ourselves
Jung called the movement towards greater wholeness individuation. Someone who has always kept the peace may discover the value of anger. Someone defined by achievement may begin to acknowledge vulnerability.
This process also involves grief: for people we have lost, paths not taken and the younger person who tried so hard. Spirituality needs room for sorrow, alongside psychological and practical support when needed.
Jung and Gregory belong to different traditions, yet both invite openness to continuing transformation. We can honour what has sustained us while allowing new possibilities to emerge.
The afternoon of life has no prescribed direction. It may unfold through greater honesty, compassion and a willingness to live with unanswered questions.
We might begin by asking: What deserves my attention now?
