It took an experience of mysticism a few years ago for me to understand pluralism—the peaceful co-existence of different religions, theologies and spiritualities. Once, while walking down a tree-lined street on a sunny, warm day in Marin County, I had that mystical experience of “oneness” with the Holy—the kind of experience you cannot bring upon yourself but can only submit to. It came in the midst of a struggle I was having as a seminarian about competing theologies. I didn’t... Read more
I’m resting for a weary world. Most people I know are overextended. Either because they can’t slow down, won’t or don’t know how. I figure in the grand balance of life, I must have been made to take breaks for them, because they sure aren’t taking them for themselves. Life is exhausting when you hold a full-time job, care for children and sometimes elders, cook healthy meals and do a lot of volunteer work. These days it’s hard to even... Read more
As soon as we accept how we really feel , healing and restoration can begin. But for the highly sensitive person (HSP), the amount of time it takes to move through difficult emotions can feel ridiculously long. I know because I am one (HSP) and I constantly look for ways to shorten the healing time. I used to try to bypass the difficult feelings and I have learned the hard way that doing that only ends up deceiving yourself and... Read more
Finding our way vocationally takes time, patience and prayer. Here are 7 steps spiritual directors suggest to to help you discern your life’s call. Pray daily for the path to be revealed. Cultivate a desire to know what God wants for your life. Ask God to help you be open to however God leads you. Use the prayer practice of the Daily Examen to learn, over time, how God moves in your life. This two-part prayer involves noticing daily where you... Read more
Never go to a spiritual director for financial advice. Not only would it be unethical for us to offer it, most of us would be pretty bad at it—it uses a whole different part of the brain. However, it is common for people to come to spiritual direction to discern how God is leading them to use their resources in the world. Here are some discernment principles spiritual directors use to help directees consider money matters in discernment: Steep your whole process... Read more
Spiritual direction is widely known today as one person seeking spiritual guidance from a trained and experienced spiritual director. That has been the traditional mode of spiritual direction for centuries. And while one-to-one direction will continue to be popular, the practice of spiritual direction is evolving with creative spiritual directors bringing the skills and gifts of spiritual direction in many ways to many different settings. Retreats, Workshops and Webinars Beyond the private practice, you find many spiritual directors leading retreats,... Read more
It hurts to be unemployed, underemployed or working at a job that offers few to no essential benefits like health and dental insurance, paid time off and an employer assisted retirement savings plan. I’ve seen too many people crushed by the fatigue of being unable to locate and obtain decent work, by that I mean one job that pays enough to pull their family out of the poverty level. So in support of The Global Goals for Sustainable Development and... Read more
Many people come to spiritual direction with questions about how they are to contribute to the world through their life’s work. How can my particular gifts and skills be used to support myself financially while also contributing to what the world most deeply needs? “Vocational discernment” used to be a term primarily used in Catholic circles to help men and women determine if they were called to religious life. These days the term is used much more broadly. We are... Read more
What drew me to spiritual direction in the 1980’s is what draws many people to it today—recovering from an image of God that feels pinched, harsh and conditional. Coming out of fundamentalism is difficult and calls some of us to study theology from a different point of view. The five books I’m recommending here (in alphabetical order by author) are among the best books available on progressive theology. A Catholic theology of nonviolence The God of Peace by John Dear... Read more
Discernment tops the list of reasons people seek spiritual direction. People who want to do the right thing and those who are committed to a set of values and beliefs in life constantly wonder about the choices in front of them. In spiritual direction, we assist you in exploring those choices so that you make the one or ones that are faithful to your understanding of God. These books may also help. I’ve placed them in three categories because principles... Read more
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