In broad brush strokes, the basic first half of life transition takes one
                    from (Youth / Student) to (Adult / Householder)

                    This is seen in numerous rites of initiation and is sometimes referred to as the passage through fire.

        The basic second half of life transition takes one
                    from (Adult / Householder) to (Elder / Forest-dweller)

                    This is also a rite of initiation and is sometimes referred to as the passage through water or the night sea journey.

    Allan Chinen has explored fairy tles and folk tales on these themes The contrast below owes much to Allan Chinen's remarks in his book Once Upon a Midlife (Los Angeles: Jeremy P. Tacher, 1992).  See especially pages 206-207

In the first half of life                                    In the seond half of life

Youth-to-Householder                            Householder-to-Elder
            Transition                                             Transition

Youth tales begin when                            In settling down, we give up
as heroes or heroines, we                         (or give over) the magic of youth.
leave home (voluntarily                             We exchange an innocent idealism
or to escape).                                            for more pragmatic work.
 

On the journey, we, as                            In the midlife reversal, we leave the
hero or heroines, seek                              reassurances and restrictions of society.
true love or great treasure,                      Men are cast down; women cast off
and, in the process, dis-                         oppression.  The aim is to come to
cover our true gift and                             terms with opposites:
place in the greater world.                       power/helplessness, triumph/suffering,
                                                               autonomy/relatedness.  (Reclaiming shadow.)

As heroes and heroines, we                   The confrontation is with
fight with witches or evil                         death, evil, fate, tragedy.
dragons and ultimately                            We are heroes and villains;
defeat our opponents.                             we are not just victims.
(Evil is outside us and                              We cannot abandon our posts
 much blaming can occur.)                         yet we have fewer illusions.
 

Through the struggle, a                           Confession, forgiveness, and
strong will and secure sense                    a particular kind of humor
of self emerges.                                       emerge.

In the tales, perhaps a                              In the tales, perhaps a
helper appears.  (An                                 helper appears.  (An
anticipation of the elder?)                          anticipation of the sage?)

Even if young men and women                 When we have dealt with issues
invest much in rebelling                             neglected in youth and early
against society, their                                 adulthood, we gain the
ultimate aim is still to                                 practical wisdom to become
take a place there.                                    healers and mentors.
 
The archetypal image of arrival is:               The archtypal image of  arrival
            is                                                                        is
Parents in Family Household                       Grandparental Forestdweller,
     or King/Queen                                            or Healer/Mentor
 in Household of the Realm.                        with an earth connection.

Yet something further beckons;                Yet something further beckons;
another forest lies ahead.                            the tree of life lies ahead.