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  • A Life of Meaning

  • Exploring Our Deepest Questions and Motivations
  • Written by: James Hollis PhD
  • Narrated by: James Hollis PhD
  • Length: 8 hrs and 17 mins
  • 4.9 out of 5 stars (51 ratings)

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A Life of Meaning

Written by: James Hollis PhD
Narrated by: James Hollis PhD
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Publisher's Summary

A masterful author and Jungian analyst examines the qualities that bring meaning to our human journey

What is it that brings meaning to your life? Our culture tells us to seek wealth, power, prestige, or even enrollment in someone else’s idea of a worthy cause - yet where do we turn when these myths fail to fulfill our need for purpose? “When the old stories and beliefs that once defined us have played out and grown exhausted”, teaches Dr. James Hollis, “our task is to access our inner compass, the promptings of the psyche that help us find our way through the complex thickets of choice”. 

Investigate the mystery of your existence through the portal of depth psychology

A Life of Meaning is a profound audio exploration of the nature of meaning and how we can orient toward it or away from it with the choices we make. Through examination of myth, literature, historical figures, and the wisdom of depth psychology, Hollis provides penetrating insight into the search for purpose. Here you’ll explore:  

  • How our story-seeking mind forms our sense of meaning from early experience 
  • Why these early stories inevitably fail as we are called to our own path 
  • Skillfully accessing the inner oracle of your dreams 
  • Shadow work - where we fear to tread, yet where our greatest treasures may be found 
  • Missing the mark - examining the archetype of the Seven Deadly Sins through a psychological lens 
  • Dispelling the “ghosts” that haunt our memories and possess our psyche 
  • Finding personal resilience in times of internal and external change 
  • Living more fully in the presence of our mortality 
  • Guidance for coming into alignment with your soul’s abiding quest for meaning at any stage of your life 

Nobody else can provide you with a sense of meaning. Anyone who tries is attempting to enroll you in their own version. In A Life of Meaning, James Hollis offers no easy answers or feel-good certainties - instead, he shares his most valuable questions and reflections to help you find the courage, persistence, and inspiration to navigate your own odyssey. “It’s humbling work, this process of getting our lives back”, he teaches. “Yet I submit to you that's worth the price of the ticket, for in the journey our lives become ever more luminous”.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2020 James Hollis, PhD (P)2020 Sounds True

What listeners say about A Life of Meaning

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Deep and insightful, inspiring

Beautiful, and so connected to the reality of my existence.
I will have to listen to it again.
Highly recommend.

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insightful and easy to follow

loved the narrator. loved the content. enjoyable. one that can be read over and over with benefits each time.

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Life changing and entertaining!

This book presents life changing wisdom with deep insights, engaging stories, compassion and humour. I would recommend it to just about anyone, but it would be particularly helpful to those in midlife or older, or those undergoing a “dark night of the soul” or meaning crisis.
It is well written, well narrated, and the author brings resources from not just psychology but history, literature, poetry, mythology, and spirituality to inform his thesis.
It was insightful, informative, helpful, and entertaining as well.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

hard to listen to

hard to listen to the narrative. I'm sure sure I like it, I'm only in part way but so far I wanna send back

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A wonderful journey with James Hollis

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to James Hollis and his amazing calming, soothing and insightful words. I can’t wait listen to more of his books!

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An excellent book on Our journey of life.

I found this book an excellent book on answering my many questions of my life.
It gives peace of mind as to why I look to my past some of which I so want to forget and the importance of getting on with what really matters no matter how old you are . But I hope for the young just setting out on their journey will listen to this book.

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A deep dive

This book was well written and well read. It’s a deep dive into the psyche in search of meaning.
The last two chapters really resonated and gave me good insights into aging.
I really enjoyed this book.

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  • EdgarFriendly88
  • 2020-12-24

My Favorite Jungian

Another great lecture series from James Hollis. Hollis simplifies Jung's concepts, and makes them accessible to a layman like myself. I've read and listened to most of his work, and I feel that this audio book is my favorite. Further Recommendations are: What Matters Most, Swamplands of the Soul, and On This Journey We Call Our Life.

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  • Henry Strickler
  • 2021-06-23

The clearest explanation of Jungian psychology

I have read a lot of James Hollis' books and other books about Jungian psychology. These lectures are the clearest, most interesting explanations of Jungian concepts and depth psychology I have ever heard. if you have never read or listened to one word of psychology, this recording will speak to your life. James Hollis is the most amazing interpreter of the modern human condition in psychological terms.

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  • Harrison S. Barritt
  • 2021-11-17

Meaningful and relevant and extremely well read

this book was more than a book it felt like a wise conversation with someone capable and caring and extremely knowledgeable the expansive
view of the author into the psyche was made even more beneficial by his references to great literature and poems ultimately this book has to be listened to several times in my opinion even with a pen in your hand taking notes because this man at this stage of his life has so much to offer most everyone

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  • Nic Spaull
  • 2021-08-21

Profound wisdom for life

🥰 James Hollis has a way of speaking the truth in a way we can understand it.

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  • Johnny
  • 2021-04-22

Great Book

This book is a great source of wisdom and insights about life. I highly recommend this book.

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  • Michele Aucock
  • 2021-02-16

Deeply moving, deeply profound,

James Hollis at his most meaningful, very personal and totally relational at the same time.

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  • Carter A. Baldwin
  • 2021-11-22

Excellent

Hollis digs at existential questions with dexterity sharpened by wisdom and experience. Authentic and resonate.

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  • Stephen Walker
  • 2021-02-14

Insightful, thought provoking, and relevant

This is the second audiobook from Dr. Hollis in my collection, the other which is Through the Dark Wood which I have listened to many many times over the years. I really enjoy hearing him speak, his eloquent use of words and way of framing concepts which touch on the mysteries of life. Every time I listen I find inspiration and learn something new, and this lecture is no exception.

Being now in my mid forties I find Dr. Hollis' sage view points relevant to my own life, as well as reaffirming to my choices thus far and revealing areas I still have to grow. While someone younger could certainly gain wisdom and insight from listening to this, I have found in my own experience that I relate to his words more the older I get. I do not think that Through the Dark Wood, although powerful when I listened to it 10 years ago, landed as much as it did hearing it again recently. And I have a notion that A Life of Meaning may still yet reveal new significance to me in the years to come.

Regardless of age, I recommend this for anyone with an open mind that has a disposition for thoughtful reflection. Dr. Hollis does not provide the answers, but certainly asks meaningful questions with insightful anecdotes and brings light whereby one may find their own path. I'm sure I'll be listening to this one again.

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  • MOR Denver
  • 2021-01-01

Deep and Moving

James Hollis is a brilliant man, erudite, educated, compassionate, uniquely capable of guiding a person through the difficult landscapes of the psyche and beyond. His understanding of human psychology is grounded you Jung to be sure, but he calls upon poetry, mythology, world religions, literature and more to gorgeously illustrate the points he makes in each chapter of this book. There is much here to consider and this will be a book that one can return to often for support and insights.

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  • Lois Michelle Green
  • 2023-07-07

Enjoyable Wisdom

Well-paced reading. Easy to understand concepts. I’m a student of Carl Jung. This book takes you deeper and gets you thinking about your second half of your life. Looking forward to it!

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  • Veronica H.
  • 2022-06-05

My goal to a meaningful is possible

Firstly I thoroughly appreciated the style of which this was read by James Hollis. There something reassuring about his voice. Thank for writing this book it will serve me as one of guides to my goal of self transformation.

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