Volume 27, Number 3
September 2021
In This Issue
“Often in supervision, both parties want to present their most polished selves ... perhaps for self-protection or approval from the other. In truth, all aspects of the self are present in the supervisor relationship, some more visible than others. For supervision to offer a truly welcoming relationship and process for the spiritual companion/supervisee, it is incumbent on supervisors to continue their own learning and growth.”
Articles
When I was nine years old, my Hebrew school friend Joanne and I confided in each other that we wanted to become rabbis. We shared a feeling of deep knowing about this vocational calling, and we sat down with the senior rabbi to seek his counsel and guidance. We were unaware that women rabbis were not yet a reality in the United States in 1971. He told us with unrestrained condescension that we could not be rabbis because we were girls, but that perhaps one day we could marry a rabbi. I left his office feeling bereft. How could I feel so sure about this calling, only to hear that my gender was seen as unholy, unworthy, and incongruous with being a rabbi?
Focus
In the more than two decades that I’ve been editing this journal, I have encountered many discussions about the “director” part of being a spiritual director. Some of us are not so comfortable directing and would rather guide, accompany, companion, friend, or travel with spiritual seekers.
More Articles
Cover Artist Spotlight
Web-Exclusive Interview with Allyson Darakjian
Reviews
by Christine Valters Paintner
Reviewed by Kathryn Madden, rc
by Richard Rohr and Patrick Boland
Reviewed by Greg Richardson
by Kabir Helminski
Reviewed by Monique CM Keffer
by Brian McLaren
Reviewed by Donna Erickson Couch
by Cynthia Bourgeault
Reviewed by Amelia Stratton-Smith
by Pádraig Ó Tuama and Glenn Jordan
Reviewed by Pegge Erkeneff
by Beverly Lanzetta
Reviewed by Linda Douty
Publisher: Spiritual Directors International
Executive Director: Rev. Seifu Anil Singh-Molares, MTS
Editor: Nick Wagner
Media Review Editor: Pegge Erkeneff
Art Editor: Matt Whitney
Web Designer: Ann Lancaster
Graphic Designer: Tobias Becker
Founding Editor: Susan S. Jorgensen, MA
Poetry Editor: Jennifer (Jinks) Hoffmann
Presence: An International Journal of Spiritual Direction is published in March, June, September, and December. Presence offers a forum among diverse people and spiritual traditions for the exploration of present and future trends in the art and ministry of spiritual direction. Presence is grounded in the belief that our deepest calling is to be present to one another as we share the gift of ourselves. Presence strives to articulate the essential elements of contemplative practices, formation, and training; to encourage accountability; and to develop clear ethical guidelines. Presence supports a global contemplative dialog of spiritual care and compassion for others, ourselves, and the whole cosmos. ISSN 1081-7662.
Opinions expressed in this journal are the opinions of the authors and advertisers and may not represent the opinions of Spiritual Directors International, the coordinating council, or the editors. All biblical quotations are from the NRSV unless otherwise noted.
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