About Spiritual Direction
Spiritual Direction is a practice of focused listening for God's* Invitation and for the Longings of One's Own Heart. It is a practice of spiritual care for Self, and is not confined to a particular religious tradition or belief system. My approach is grounded in companionable curiosity and reverent wonder. Can you imagine an hour with someone totally invested in listening to your Soul's longings and making sure you hear them too?
*God is one word I use to name the Holy. I look forward to hearing the words that you use.
What is Spiritual Direction?
(I’ve heard it called Soul Coaching, Spiritual Companioning, and Anam Cara Care.)
It is NOT counseling, therapy, or life coaching. While the larger conversation MIGHT include problem solving, changing behaviors, creating accountability and goal setting, this is not that. A large part of my work is helping clients shift perspective, hear the wisdom in their own words, listen for their soul’s longing and for God’s response. Very often, clients are in the process of discerning a right next step, grieving a loss, or looking for new sources of light and delight.
Who Benefits from Spiritual Direction?
People in transition, either inwardly or outwardly. People who serve in leadership or public roles and need an encouraging, compassionate and non-judging companion, people experiencing grief and needing to find a “new normal,” people who are religious, people who are spiritual but not religious.
I will meet you where you are.
What Will We Do?
Usually a session begins with a brief check-in and then we enter into the silence. From there, you lead where the Spirit nudges, and I follow with reflections, guided meditation, questions, and whatever other tools in my kit rise to the occasion.
Is Spiritual Direction for Someone Like Me?
Yes...
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If your well of spiritual resources seems to have run dry… things that used to work aren’t working anymore…
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If you want to explore new approaches to spiritual self-care and need encouragement…
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If you are experiencing a nudge toward new ways of being and you want to explore where you are being led…
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If you are in transition or approaching transition, and you want to connect with the deep places in you that remind you of the nearness of the Holy…
I want to try this, what next?
For more details about the practice of spiritual direction and my approach, please review the Disclosure & Covenant).
About Dreamwork
Dreams are an often forgotten or dismissed source of wisdom.
They speak their messages in the disappearing languages of symbol and metaphor, often with some humor thrown in. The art and science of dreamwork are alive and well in pockets across the world, and I aspire to widen the network of dreamers and those dreamworking in community.
While so much separates us from our Selves, one another, and from God, dreams offer re-connection that goes below and beyond mere linear thought. And it's fun to have an Ah-Ha moment! I have led dream groups in faith communities, living rooms and public libraries, and now in Zoom Rooms! In workshops, I teach about working with symbols, discovering narrative threads, seeding dreams, improving recall and re-entering dreams while awake. In private sessions, we tend to use one or two exercises to work with a specific dream, and over multiple sessions we may begin to identify personal mythology and recurring themes. Dreamwork is grounded in a personal spiritual practice of intending to dream, writing down your dreams and engaging them as if they matter. When you bring a dream into a session with me, you bring your willingness to be engaged and surprised by your unconscious, and it is my honor to witness and support you in this soul work.
