By Dr. Jeanette Banashak Keep a green tree in your heart, and perhaps the singing bird will come. I must share with you a story about a particularly barren time in my life when I used a tree for a spiritual director. I learned so much that year because I listened in silence…Because it was […]
Trees As Spiritual Directors/Companions Read More »
By Angela Marie Gage This is the story of the moment – or moments – I felt the call to spiritual companioning and how heeding that call has changed my life. In my early 50’s, I was invited to attend a personal and silent retreat at a men’s monastery. I gladly accepted as it had
“Coming Home” – Hearing the Call of Deep Listening Read More »
By Joan Alexander It is early morning and the hotel room is dark. I pause for a moment at the window. The curtains are closed and the only sound I hear is the air conditioner as it blows cool air on me. Slightly disoriented – yesterday had been a long day of driving – and
Windows Across Canada – One Spiritual Director’s Journey Read More »
In our schools and in our homes, let’s teach our children how to listen and converse with new people to make them feel welcome. Let’s teach our kids how to ask others for their stories and how to receive them warmly and nonjudgmentally. Let’s start a paradigm where all new relationships seek the compassionate knowledge
Listening to the Stranger – A Radical Proposal to End Divisiveness Read More »
Editor’s note: We are grateful to Eric Zimmer and his podcast – “The One You Feed” for giving us permission to share a transcript from a part of his session with Rev. SeiFu Anil Singh-Molares, executive director of SDI. Eric is himself a trained spiritual director as well as a behavior coach and a talented
When I was a freshman at university, I felt deep-down that learning itself was a calling. But my ego refused to accept this and pushed me to use learning as a lever to achieve other objectives that were easier to equate with recognition and money. It has taken me this long – I’m now 62
Why Spiritual Direction? An Open Letter to Anyone Curious about Spiritual Companionship Read More »
Editor’s Note – SDI is offering a free Town Hall February 26th called “Caring for the Caregivers – Spiritual Companionship for Health and Hospice Care Workers.” You can register here. In this SDI Story, we are blessed to offer the reflections of a health care worker in Australia who provides “strategic management as well as
By Matt Whitney, SDI Creative Director & SDI Encounters Podcast Host Thank you to everybody who has supported the SDI Encounters Podcast, by listening, sharing with a friend, writing a review, or by being a guest. At SDI, we see the podcast as a vital part of our outreach to the public on the merits,
Hidden Gems – Inspiration from the First 2 Years of SDI Podcasts Read More »
Editor’s note: This is a gift from a spiritual companion new to the SDI Community, Eileen Dunn. We are grateful for her generosity and heart. Sociologists estimate that each COVID-19 death will touch 9 close relatives. (At the time of this writing, that is more than 2.7 million people in the U.S. alone. So, this
My Sacred Goodbye Ritual – a Free 36-page PDF for Grieving During the Pandemic Read More »
By Darlene Carlson Washing our hands has taken on new meaning because of the pandemic. What once was a quick, mindless cleansing has become an act of private and public safety. Yet, water has always had significant meaning for humankind. It is life-giving. It symbolizes power, grace, purity and transformation. In the following practice, please
Washing Hands as a Spiritual Practice Read More »
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