Spiritual direction/Companionship
What is Spiritual Direction? How Can It Support Leaders?
A potential client wrote to me today. The subject line said, "Can I hire you? " The body of the letter said, "As my spirtual consultant?" We had just been together in a zoom meeting wtih breakouts and he shared his pain, anger and suffering over the state of the world, and his powerlessness in the face of the unending pile-on of our adult lives.
Sound familiar?
He wrote: "Really grateful that we were in a group together-synchronicity! Your words ring very true for me- incredibly difficult times- and we have to experience the suffering, but not dwell in that place interminably."
I responded:
You speak the universal. Be assured you are not alone in this kind of despair and I see you still holding the small, shy hope in your hands that it could be different, “if only” Be assured that the feelings you have are normal and typical of what is felt "at the threshold" or breakthrough.
The path of healing presents itself by accepting this kind of loss, pain and suffering. A whole new world can open up in a tiny chink in the armored world. A light creeps in. By looking that heaviness in the face and saying , “I see you” “I feel you”, a stabilizing practice emerges. From that place, recovery is possible. As the soul strengthens, it can eventually lead to calm and collected action to save the world.
We save ourselves first.
"Take the hand; Look ahead." Again and again.
It becomes easier, but not easy.
We can return to our practices often, to re-sort the balance of power from suffering to trust.
Being in community with others makes this practice sustainable and the eventual return to it, when we or it falls away, possible.
I am becoming available for monthly or semi-monthly Interfaith Spiritual Direction, to be in and explore spiritual strengthening, on a sliding scale basis. I will complete my training this year and am currently under supervision from faculty at The Chaplaincy Institute, in Berkeley CA where I am also an ordained interfaith minister.
Let me know if this practice is something you feel called to explore.
May natural great peace find you.
My Spiritual Journey
In 20212 I became clear about my lifelong calling to ministry. It was to a ministry that is best suited to someone who has been around awhile and has weathered well-enough the tides of loss and renewal, along with the joys of love and parenting.
It was to Interfatih Chaplaincy and Spiritual Direction.
Yes, it has been the most amazing and spiritual and materially fulfilling journey!
Yes, I had to give up a lot to take this path. My marketing and business career, some health (back now!), some friends and family members who could not bear to see or support me in this new manifestation. I even lost my sense of home.
Now, my spiritual practices have knit back a new life that is strong and more beautiful than I could have even imagined. Out of gratitude, I share this with you.
My book-in-progress called "Answering the Call" is part of that story and I will tell some of it online.
Learn More about my Practice of Spirtual Coaching, based on finding a path forward within the ancient practice of Spiritual Direction
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/13/style/self-care/spiritual-directors-faith-religion.html
Learn More about Chaplaincy - the ministry in secular places to those on the threshold of transcendance
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/03/opinion/coronavirus-hospitals-chaplains.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/26/us/harvard-chaplain-greg-epstein.html
My Practice Now
Look here to check in on what spititual practices I am finding to support me know. No need to do whatt I do, perhaps these are ideas that can support you too.
since I started seminiary in 2017, I have mainatained an almost every day morning practice. In the Anglical and Catholic tradtions, priest would keep a Monring Office.
These days I am participating in the Clubhouse based Miracle Morning practice.. Hosted by Brianna Greenspan and based on the 2012 book by Hal Elrod, this is a secular approach to paying attendtion to what matters daily. The practice is based on "Habit Stacking" the "SAVERS" - Silence, Affirmations, Visualization, Exercise, Reading and Scribing (Journaling)
This is a practice that support any faith or spiritual tradition, or none.