Reflections

Kenosis and the Grace of Humility

March 2024
Nancy Arko, Spiritual Director
SDCO Guiding Circle Member

I’m doing some spring cleaning. A friend helped me sort through my long neglected and cluttered closet. We worked to identify those pieces no longer useful and began emptying out. When we finished getting those items to potential new owners, the closet felt more spacious, and I felt lighter! Cleanup in the garden is next.

What happens as we do spring cleaning? What spiritual significance is there in the process of clearing and letting go?

Kenosis is derived from the Greek meaning to empty out. Jesus’ kenotic path is central to Christianity and illustrated in the following passage:  

Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself (ekenōsen heauton), taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross. Therefore, God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name...

— Philippians 2:5-9   

Kenosis seems a paradox since "emptying oneself” filled Jesus with divine grace and was key to his union with God. What did he empty himself of? Well, Christian doctrines says that although divine, he voluntarily humbled himself to assume his full humanity. Jesus' life is a model of humility, yielding to the will of God even unto his own death.

In Jungian psychology, recognition of the shadow is reason enough for humility. Although humility is sometimes viewed as a weakness, Jung viewed it as the acceptance of the shadow and necessary for healing in the process of individuation.

Through humility we empty ourselves, shed our false selves, and become open to divine grace. What are the shadow elements in our spiritual closets that we need to air out? When we empty ourselves, we acknowledge our flawed humanity, letting go of our incessant opinions and realize we don't have all the answers. It is then that we can breathe, making space to become who we are really meant to be in our divine fullness, patient, kind, and compassionate.  Perhaps humility is the most important virtue because it makes it possible to embody all the others.

Humility brings us face to face with our own self-centeredness. When we can recognize it with awareness, and yet realistically appreciate our strengths and talents, it is then that our divine potential can emerge.

What shadow elements have you found within your spiritual closet?

What divine grace has come to you as a result of that work?

Transforming Our Relationship with the Natural World

March 2024
Nancy Arko, Spiritual Director
SDCO Guiding Circle Member

As the climate changes, I too am changing. I am more in awe of the beauty and abundance of nature and find myself cherishing even more what I sense is shifting. As I see wildfires burning on the not-so-distant horizon and recall memories of a beautiful retreat center suddenly covered by mudslides, I realize that the beauty and sustainability of nature I once took for granted is now uncertain. Bee and butterfly populations are decreasing, ocean temperatures rising, and earth’s soil becoming seriously depleted. Is the earth now like an aging parent, fragile and finding its days numbered before a future cataclysm?

As I visit with people about how they are noticing the environmental changes taking place, I do not feel alone in my concerns. As spiritual guides many of us are called by a realization that spirituality and nature are not separate, and our love of nature mirrors our love of God.

The well-known passage in The Book of Genesis presents a puzzling dilemma:

Genesis 1:28 New King James Version “God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 

A Hebrew scholar friend of mine, says there is no real way to soften the meaning of this directive, where “subdue” Kavash means literally to “conquer, dominate, and control.”  Even if we interpret this passage as careful stewardship, humans are still in charge.

 The Genesis passage now seems archaic, better for another time. But consider how long this more authoritarian relationship with nature has been in our consciousness. Most of the great religions are anthropocentric, concerned with human salvation, our relationship with nature secondary. The Native American honoring of earth and our interdependence with her is a notable exception. Today we understand better that earth’s wellbeing is our own. 

Victoria Loortz’s book, Church of the Wild, offers this new direction. In it she goes beyond humans being good stewards of earth, as she advocates for a new way of being present with nature as a vital component of how we honor nature as sacred presence. In this model humans are not separate, but integral to the earth community where all belong. Reverent encounters with nature and sustainable practices are vital to restoring our deep and reciprocal relationship with earth and with the creator.

 In the words of Catholic priest and evolutionary theologian Thomas Berry “the divine communicates with us primarily through the language of the natural world.” And…

“We are between stories. The old story is no longer effective. Yet we have not learned the new story. We are talking only to ourselves. We are not listening to the wind and the stars. We have broken the great conversation. By breaking the conversation, we have shattered the universe. The layers of crisis we face will not be solved with technological, political, or economic strategies alone. A deeper transformation of heart is needed to welcome in a new story.”

INTERSPIRITUALITY

February 2024

Nancy Arko, Spiritual Director
SDCO Guiding Circle Member

When I was growing up in the fifties, my Catholic school cautioned us against attending Protestant services. Along with the many rules and rituals of growing up Catholic, was the notion that the Catholic Church was “the one true church” implying that other religions had been led astray or did not know the true God or the correct ways to worship.

But with The Second Vatican Council in the early 1960s changes were taking place. The Catholic Church ended its long-held schism with the Greek Orthodox Church and officially abandoned its “one true church” position. It began ecumenical conversations with other Christian churches, taking part in the World Council of Churches and adopted an ecumenical spirit, accommodating diversity as it began to identify several core elements the churches had in common.

Steps to improve relations with non-Christian churches were also ushered in by Vatican II. The document Nostra Aetate, “In Our Era” recognized the legitimacy of Judaism and condemned antisemitism. Further, it was groundbreaking when Pope John Paul II prayed at a synagogue and at a mosque in Jerusalem.

Even predating Vatican II, Thomas Merton’s study of Eastern Religions and contemplative practices led him to see common truth in the world’s religions. He was a pioneer of Buddhist-Christian dialogue and became a keen proponent of interfaith understanding.

In 1999 Brother Wayne Teasdale coined the term “interspirituality” in his groundbreaking book “The Mystic Heart: Discovering a Universal Spirituality in the World Religions.” In it he describes a spiritual perspective, where beneath the diversity of theological beliefs, rites and observances lies a deeper unity of mystical experience that is our shared heritage.

In 1984 Thomas Keating, one of Teasdale’s mentors convened The Snowmass Interspiritual Conference, ushering in a new level of communication and exchange among many of the world’s spiritual and contemplative traditions. The group’s fifteen members, each a teacher representing a different religious tradition met regularly for 20 years and through these conversations drafted "The Guidelines for Interreligious Understanding" outlining eight core mystical truths that lie at the heart of all world religions, which Teasdale explores in The Mystic Heart.

What began as an interfaith dialogue became interspiritual, the emphasis less on formal theology, religious law, or rituals, and more on the mystical experiences emerging from the heart, a movement carried largely by monastics.

Teasdale notes, “The spiritual awakening of humankind will be the task of the Interspiritual Age. The necessary shifts in consciousness require a new approach to spirituality that transcends past religious cultures of fragmentation and isolation.”

“In this new age all forms of spirituality are accessible to us, allowing creative crossover and borrowing among members of the world’s religions.” Teasdale's book is a gem, in that it explores little understood religions for their common ground and the central mystical character traits common to the world's great traditions.

Interspirituality is not about eliminating the world’s rich diversity of religious expression. It is not about rejecting these traditions for a homogenous "super spirituality". It is not an attempt to create a new form of spiritual culture. Rather, it is an attempt to make available to everyone all the forms the spiritual journey assumes. It is what the Dalai Lama calls “our universal responsibility to the global community of the earth, a responsibility that is both individual and collective.”

The latter half of the 20th century was ripe with change and transformation in spiritual thought which continues today. Contemporaries of Merton, Keating and Teasdale, Cynthia Bourgeault, Mathew Fox, and Thomas Berry were also casting a universal net and are hugely significant in the interspiritual movement. Fox's book "One River, Many Wells: Wisdom Springing from Global Faiths" seeks common ground from numerous faiths around the world.

It might be thought of as a “Oneness” state of mind, that of non-duality and unity consciousness challenging us toward a future that is less divisive, more globally conscious, and tolerant. Still the rituals and rootedness of each of our religious traditions remains important and the way we understood and worshipped God in childhood can be resistant to change.

As Joan Borysenko summarizes “While different faiths developed through specific prisms of culture and contexts in space and time, there are universal spiritual principles which are foundational to all of them. Interspirituality is the common ground, where the wisdom traditions meet. Interspirituality is committed to finding the spirituality both within and beyond religion. What ties us together is a shared desire to connect with the Ground of Being in a way that fully respects our differences. The challenge is to embody what is most true and real for us without seeking to convince or convert others.”

Where Will We Find Him?

January 2024

Calvin Wulf, Spiritual Director
SDCO Guiding Circle

Three Magi arrived from the East with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. They were sages who believed in the supernatural, served as priestly advisors, and were known as healers, somewhat akin to spiritual directors. These mystical sages were well aware of the healing power in frankincense and myrrh. 

Guided by a star, they encountered an infant king who would become a priest and a healer. After all, the oracle of Balaam son of Beor saw a vision: 

I see him, but not now;
I behold him, but not near.
A star will come out of Jacob;
a scepter will rise out of Israel

They gave gifts of gold to honor this king, a baby they found in a cave teaming with livestock. Such are the images we summon up during our celebration of The Epiphany when Magi came to worship Jesus.

Why not experience your own Epiphany this year? Contemplate on ways you experience Jesus as a king, as a priest or pastor, and as a healer. You will find him in the caverns of your heart.

A Prayer for The Epiphany

O God, by the leading of a star you manifested your only Son to the peoples of the earth: Lead us, who know you now by faith, to your presence, where we may see your glory face to face; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. 

Signs, Wonders, and Waiting

December 2023

 Calvin Wulf, SDCO Guiding Circle 

A Reading from the Gospel of Mark 

The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. Then everyone will see the Son of Man arriving in the clouds with great power and glory. But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven nor the Son, but only the Father. Be careful! Watch and pray. You do not know when it will happen.

 The Season of Advent invites us to step into a sacred time in God’s purpose, holy time, and wait for the Second Advent of Christ. 

 All time is now in eternity. Now we watch, we wait, and we pray for Christ to establish the Kingdom of Heaven on earth and in our hearts. 

 What practices will you take up to anticipate the culmination of this cosmic promise of the Father? How will you interpret the signs and wonders of this season? 

 A most significant season is upon us. We are all invited to enter into this time of holy anticipation. The time is now. Don’t let the Advent of Christ pass you by.

Wonder and Awe

November 2023
Calvin Wulf, SDCO Guiding Circle Member

The wonderer enters a congregation of singing trees in a cathedral adorned with snowcapped spires. A humble rock offers a place to kneel and pray.

In this veiled space, Christ is everywhere, active in all things, and sustaining creation because of love. Here, a wonderer may lie prostrate in reverent silence, comprehending the divine and eternal one.

God caresses with a breeze, whispers in the aspen, and inspires the heart with the winged and four-legged ones. Spirit speaks to all our senses.

Within such living cathedrals, we are free to inquire of God with awe and wonder on matters of the heart. We become grounded in nature and Spirit. A true sanctuary.

Who I am.

October 2023
Calvin Wulf, SDCO Guiding Circle Member

Look deep inside yourself until you find the image of God as it was gifted to you.

 Now, this may take some decluttering to remove accessories you have accumulated, hoping to improve that image.

It is like rummaging through a junk drawer until you find that special thing.

Our material side desires to acquire whatever will make us look good or feel good. But our spiritual side seeks the needful things. It only desires the bread needed for today.

The image of God we carry inside is way more attractive when clearly exposed than covered by any material accessory.

Go to the mirror. Look into your eyes until you see the beauty of God inside.

Experiment with the contemplative practices to help you look inside until you see God, who I am.

Then, letting go might come more easily.

The Joy of New Beginnings

September 2023
Catharyn Baird, SDCO Guiding Circle Member

As an educator and student I’ve always loved September and the season of back-to-school. The grades from the semester before have faded into dim memory. The learning persisted. And we get to start over. New supplies, new clothes, new challenges. 

As we journey together on a spiritual path we often forget the power of starting over. As we acknowledge where we did not live into our agreements or when we did not behave in a way that was filled with love, if we are not careful, we carry the memory of those transgressions forward instead of releasing them in prayer.

Several years ago I came across Ho’oponopono—the Hawaiian Prayer for Forgiveness. The mantra is simple: I’m sorry, please forgive me, thank-you, I love you. This particular practice was used by the Hawaiians to restore harmony in the community. From time to time, the members of the community would gather and chant this mantra. The singing would be broken as various members of the community acknowledged their wrongs to each other, asked forgiveness, and then rested in the grace and love of the community.

This practice can also be used for self-healing and reflection. I have found the member of the community to which I am accountable is my Higher Self, the Being of Light which sustains and guides me through life. As I sit in meditation in the morning, I reflect on the previous day, acknowledge where I have broken relationship or agreements, and ask forgiveness of my Higher Self.  

With the grace of forgiveness and love I am ready to start again—to begin my day in mindfulness, committing to live into the best person I can be as I carry on with my tasks of the day. I’m able to leave the transgressions behind, knowing I am forgiven. Every day I can start over. What a gift!

King Lear and the Tasks of Old Age

August 2023

Nancy Arko, SDCO Guiding Circle Member

Recently I attended the Shakespeare festival on the Boulder campus to see one of my favorite plays, King Lear.

In this iconic story it is time for Lear, the aging king of Britain, to step down from the throne and divide his kingdom among his three daughters. First, however, he puts them through a test, asking each to tell him how much she loves him. Regan and Goneril excessively and falsely praise their father but Cordelia, his most true daughter refuses to flatter him, which fills Lear with rage.

Acting on his rage, the King divides his kingdom between Regan and Goneril according to the degree of love they profess, while he swiftly diminishes and disinherits Cordelia. As the play proceeds it becomes clear that Reagan and Goneril have been false and will take advantage of the situation to King Lear’s and the family’s great detriment.  Their attitude about old age is conveyed in the following lines:

Goneril to King Lear: “O, sir, you are old. Nature in you stands on the very verge of her confine: you should be ruled and led By some discretion, that discerns your state better than you yourself.

Goneril to Regan “…how full of change his age is, that he showed poor judgment casting off Cordelia…in these infirm and choleric years…it’s the infirmity of his age yet he hath ever but slenderly known himself.” 

Unable to believe that his daughters are betraying him Lear is slowly driven mad. But it is Lear himself who has judged wrongly and chosen poorly leading to a dramatic depiction of unsuccessful aging.  

As the Fool says to Lear toward the end of Act 1: “Thou shouldst not have been old till thou hadst been wise.”

 There is no doubt that old age is challenging in the best of circumstances. Successful aging calls for a great deal of self knowledge, good judgement and the wisdom to gracefully let go of ego’s transitory gifts. We need to be able to relinquish our worldly power and possessions, while maintaining our integrity. According to how we integrate our years of knowledge, experience and sound judgment with these tasks of old age, we need wisdom to choose right action.

 Lear is a tragic hero whose plight is the result of his faulty judgment and arrogant pride.

In his suffering, he learns how fragile and fleeting his power was and in the play's falling action this insight allows him to understand the depth of Cordelia’s love, its importance and his own capacity for love shortly before he has to mourn her death. He no longer demands that his daughter treat him like a king. His suffering shows him that he would be content solely to love and be loved.

 Question to ponder:

What is your process for maintaining integrity and gracefully letting go of ego’s transitory gifts as you age? What gifts or blessings appear to take their place?

The Blessed Community

July 2023

Nancy Arko, SDCO Guiding Circle Member

Recent studies reported by the US Surgeon General point out that there is an epidemic of loneliness, isolation and lack of connection in our country. Even before the COVID-19 epidemic about half of adults reported loneliness and isolation which have a significant effect on our mental and emotional well-being and longevity.  

In our SDCO focus groups last fall, there was a theme repeated time and again: “I am looking for community” and “what I want from this organization is a sense of community.” 

I am reminded of the Quaker mystic Thomas Kelly who, in his 1941 little gem of a book “Testament of Devotion”, wrote passionately about the the Quaker fellowship of friends and the “blessed community:”

“Yet still more astonishing is the holy fellowship, the blessed community to those who are within it. Yet can one be surprised at being at home? In wonder and awe we find ourselves already interknit within

 unofficial groups of kindred souls. A chance conversation comes, and in a few moments we know that we have found, and have been found by another member of the blessed community. Sometimes we are thus knit together in the bonds of a love far faster than those of many years acquaintance”.

Let’s Build Blessed Community Together!

The Paradise Garden

June 2023

Nancy Arko, SDCO Guiding Circle Member

This spring I’ve been visited by a pair of mallard ducks and their solitary egg laid discreetly between the base of a Ponderosa and a bed of lily of the valley. The mom-to-be sat on her egg, barely moving for hours, sometimes resting her beak on the flat, cool rock beside her. There she seemed to meditate, nurturing new life yet to unfold beneath her. This mallard possessed an instinctive trust in her nature, her task, and her place in the world, as life continued to busy itself around her. Such is the beauty of what happens in the garden as we take time to observe and be with it.

Spring is a time of greening and there is no more glorious place to be than in the garden. Here we can breathe in the fragrance of lilacs and the peace and contentment our souls crave as we listen to the comforting sounds of birds or crickets, never tiring of their unique song. The garden is alive with restorative energy!

 Are you old enough to remember the Joni Mitchell song “Woodstock” and its iconic lyrics?

“I came upon a child of God
He was walking along the road
And I asked him, "Where are you going?"
And this he told me:

"I'm going on down to Yasgur's farm
I'm gonna join in a rock 'n' roll band
I'm gonna camp out on the land
I'm gonna try an' get my soul free."

We are stardust
We are golden
And we've got to get ourselves
Back to the garden.

"Then can I walk beside you?
I have come here to lose the smog
And I feel to be a cog in something turning….”

Symbolism of the garden is present in all religious traditions. And, after all, isn’t everything in the garden life-giving and connected? Can you feel how the trees reliably shade and shelter you, as you notice the bees, butterflies and flowers interacting, and how the sun’s blessing kisses the plants alive with color? It truly is our paradise on earth.

In Islamic culture, “The Paradise Garden” is a place of spiritual fulfillment. The Qur’an describes it as green, the color of spring and rebirth, symbolic of hope and renewal.

The word paradise from the Persian “pairidaeza” means enclosed by walls, an inner tranquil haven separated from the harsh desert environment. Our own gardens, if we are fortunate enough to have or live near one, are a sanctuary where we can retreat from the noise, and distraction of city life.

 Water and shade are essential to the Islamic Paradise Garden. It typically has a four- fold design and four rivulets that run through it; water, milk, honey and wine. This image of the garden contains order, harmony and peace.

 The Paradise Garden mirrors the inner space that lives within the heart of each of us. The enclosed, or Secret Garden, is akin to our internal home, our place of quiet contemplation where we are safe and free to be exactly who we are. Where is your paradise garden and what is growing there?

“The real gardens and flowers are within, they are in man’s heart and not outside.” Rumi

Mary Ponders

May 2023

Nancy Arko, SDCO Guiding Circle Member

Mary was a big part of my youth. Our Catholic community passed a statue of Our Lady of Fatima to successive homes throughout the year, each family getting to host Mary for a week. Each May, Mary would be crowned Queen of Heaven. The iconic Mother of God stays with me, especially in the month of May. and I have always loved this particular passage from Luke’s gospel:

“But Mary treasured all these things, and pondered them in her heart.”

The statement occurs after Mary and Joseph find Jesus after he, as a young boy, has remained behind at the temple without their knowledge. His parents have been searching and when they find him after a number of days, they are relieved, and also a bit irritated and perplexed at his behavior.

“After three days of searching, they finally found Jesus in the Temple. He was sitting in the midst of the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions, and all who heard him were astounded at his understanding and his answers.

“Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety,” Mary said.

“Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” Jesus answered.

Jesus obediently returned to Nazareth with Mary and Joseph, and Mary kept all that had happened in her heart.”

When something unusual or unsettling happens or when we have a strong reaction, it is tempting to vent our feelings and say what we think. Perhaps we want to respond with an argument, express and opinion, or air our frustration. At times we come to conclusions before things have really gelled or revealed themselves. Or worse we pass on information that is not ours to divulge.

Mary is teaching us about another way. Here she is a model of contemplation, without reacting. She seems to pause and suspend judgement and refrains from responding.  

Deep contemplation, the act of holding mystery is an activity that can look like doing nothing. In  individual spiritual direction sessions it is sometimes tempting to respond to a client with a conclusion, or “direction”, rather than to hold and reflect on what has been offered. Realizing this I am learning to integrate periods of silence into the session, even when I may want to offer an insight, suggest an intervention or answer a question. In our full and busy time, spaces can be refreshing and are vital to reach a deeper knowing.

Our work as spiritual companions requires this deep listening, taking time to really appreciate the nuances, and possibilities before we respond. Perhaps it takes the act of “pondering”. We know that it is in these spaces of silence and contemplation that spirit lives and speaks its most vital wisdom in her own time.

“…Mary, Mother of the Word made flesh

Teach me to be a true contemplative,

Let me leave my scattered thoughts behind

And enter the secret refuge of my soul.

Let me carry the Prince of Peace in my own womb,

Giving birth to truth with every word I utter.”

From the book “Mother of God Similar to Fire” by Mirabai Starr

• What does it mean to ponder things in the heart?

• How do you experience the act of “pondering”

• What difference can this make in our lives and in our practice as Spiritual Directors?

Anticipation

April 2023

Catharyn Baird, SDCO Guiding Circle

April! Anticipation! Still waiting for my daffodils to come up. My FB feed reminded me that three years ago the bulbs were in full bloom. This year—I’m barely seeing buds. 

April! Anticipation! For many religious traditions, April is a month of waiting. Those in the Christian tradition wait for Pentecost, 50 days after Easter when the Holy Spirit comes. Those in the Jewish tradition wait for Shavuot, 50 days after Passover when Moses brings the Torah down from Sinai. Those in the Islamic tradition wait for Eid al-Fitr, the celebration breaking the fast at the conclusion of Ramadan. Those in the Wiccan and Celtic spirituality traditions wait for Beltane, the beginning of the summer season. 

The period of waiting is not, however, a period of no action. Those of us who garden pore over catalogs as we imagine what will bloom as the summer unfolds. We plan our gardens and containers, clean up the winter detritus, and sow our seeds, preparing for that magical frost-free date in May when we can safely plant.

Those of us tending our spiritual gardens can use the time of anticipation for planning and preparation as well. As we turn the spiral of another year, what habit might we want to weed out and eradicate? What gifts of the Spirit might we want to cultivate—perhaps gratitude, respect, or resilience? What practices might we want to take on, trying that 30 day proving ground needed to make a good idea a habit?  

Once we choose what we will cultivate, the next question becomes what support we need to bring that dream to reality. At this point in the planning, identifying what I call an accountability partner is useful. Spiritual directors often fulfill that role, reminding us of what we said we wanted and helping us during the ensuing months of nurturing the new spiritual growth into full bloom. Those who are spiritual directors can hone their own skills of listening, reflecting back what they hear to those they are companioning, and sharing wisdom as they continue to learn how to be ever more effective in their practice.

April! Anticipation! As we enter the sacred space of waiting, may we open ourselves to the rustling of the new leaves in the wind, the scurry of small animals in our yards, and the gentle whispers of Spirit inviting us into the next segment of our journey. And may we all remember that faith is the assurance of things hoped for and not seen. We have faith the daffodils will bloom. We have faith our souls will be nurtured and comforted as together we continue our journey for another year.

Sabbath

March 2023

Nancy Arko, SDCO Guiding Circle

Solitude, according to the Renaissance poet/philosopher Petrarch rehabilitates the soul, corrects morals, renews affections, erases blemishes, purges faults, [and] reconciles God and man.

The Sabbath poems of Wendell Berry lend themselves to the observance of this late winter season, because they evoke a turning inward to savor the silent waiting, the lengthening days of Lent until spring bursts forth. Time spent in the dessert of our own solitude offers time to rest and reflect, to allow our busyness to pause, to know more deeply the longing we feel for the coming of spring and rebirth. During this season there are seven Sabbath days to observe. Whether you observe your day of rest and renewal on Saturday or Sunday, make it special and regenerative.  

Tips for honoring your Sabbath: 

Disconnect from technology

Avoid buying and selling

Cultivate an attitude of reverence

Turn off media and allow Silence

Venture outside and connect with the Natural World

Make or enjoy music

Light candles during reflective or meditation time

Connect with loved ones

Engage in beautiful conversation

Make time for contemplation, journaling

Express gratitude

Soothe yourself into an early bedtime

I Go among Trees

 I go among trees and sit still.

All my stirring becomes quiet

around me like circles on water.

My tasks lie in their places

where I left them, asleep like cattle.

Then what is afraid of me comes

and lives a while in my sight.

What it fears in me leaves me,

and the fear of me leaves it.

It sings, and I hear its song.

Then what I am afraid of comes.

I live for a while in its sight.

What I fear in it leaves it,

and the fear of it leaves me.

It sings, and I hear its song.

After days of labor,

mute in my consternations,

I hear my song at last,

and I sing it. As we sing,

the day turns, the trees move.

·    - Wendell Berry 

A Celebration of Thresholds

February 2023

Nancy Arko, SDCO Guiding Circle

February 1 is the feast of St Bridget of Kildare, who shares her name with the Celtic goddess. Her day is the midpoint between the winter solstice and the Spring Equinox, or Imbolc, when the hag of winter journeys to the well of eternal youth to be transformed into spring, scattering crocuses and snowdrops, and bearing the energy of resurrection.

 Bridget of Kildare lived from 451-523 AD. Her father was said to be a Druid, meaning bearer of Oak wisdom. Irish legend has it that she was born in the liminal space just before dawn at the threshold of the house. She can be thought to represent the bridge between Pre-Christian and Christian eras, between darkness and light. She is the patroness of thresholds, those mid-way transition points of great change that we observe in our lives.  

John Phillip Newell states that Bridget grants food, drink, and hospitality to all, inviting us to do things without permission. Legend has it that Bridget helped to midwife and nurse the Christ child. 

According to the legend, Saint Bridget was transported miraculously to Bethlehem to attend the nativity as the midwife of Christ. This is depicted here in John Duncan’s painting, where two angels carry the white robed saint across the sea. Notice scenes of the nativity on the angel’s dresses. The seascape reflects Duncan's fascination with the outer Hebrides and the Isle of Iona. A seal is also present in the water. Seals are often depicted as selkies, a kind of mermaid figure who is half fish, and half-human. In the water, they are seals, but on land, they can shed their skin and take on human form. Bridget can be thought to embody the bridge between creatures and humans, the depths of the sea and the angelic realm.  

John O’Donohue, To Bless the Space Between Us (2008)

 Looking back along life’s journey you come to see how each of the central phases of your life began at a decisive threshold, where you left one way of being and entered another. Often a threshold becomes clearly visible only once you have crossed it. Crossing can often mean the total loss of all you’ve enjoyed, while on the other side it becomes a dividing line between the past and the future. More often than not, the reason you cannot return to where you were is that you have changed, you are no longer the one who crossed over.

 It is interesting to note that when Jesus cured the blind man he instructed him not to go back into the village. Having crossed the threshold into vision, his life was not to be lived in the constricted mode of blindness. New vision meant new pastures.

 The word threshold is related to the word thresh, the separation of the grain from the husk. To cross a threshold is to leave behind the husk and arrive at the grain.

 What threshold are you crossing in your life at this time?  

What are you leaving behind, and what is struggling to be born within?

January 2023

Nancy Arko, SDCO Guiding Circle

As 2023 unfolds, you may be looking for a practice to deepen your contemplative life or seeking to enrich a practice that you already have.

 More than 400 years ago Ignatius of Loyola encouraged a practice of mindfulness which has come to be known as the Daily Examen. The Examen is a practice of prayerful reflection at the end of the day, or at sunset, to help us align with divine presence and discern direction. Consider lighting a candle as you reflect about what was most life giving in your day. The Examen outlines roughly this kind of structure, but you can adopt whatever structure or form of inquiry works best for you in your end of day contemplation:

 1)      Become aware of the presence of Spirit to accompany you through your day’s recall.

2)      Review the day with gratitude, by noticing the sacred in even small things.

3)      Pay attention to your feelings throughout the day and how they changed.

4)      Ask forgiveness where you have erred, protection and help for the challenges you face.

5)      Look toward tomorrow in mindful observance of its challenges and potential.  

“Whatever you are doing, that which makes you feel most alive,  that is where God is.”  

Ignatius of Loyola

September 2021

As I found myself on a rough patch of life’s road this summer, I realized how grateful I am for those who are called to the ministry of Spiritual Companion. As those of us who are perplexed knock on your door and show up in various states of spiritual disarray, having someone to lovingly put us back together and send us back into the fray is an amazing gift.

I find that by the time I think to call someone for a bit of guidance, I’ve worked myself into a bit of a tizzy, am sure that life is treating me badly, and come to the conversation with every defense in the world at my ready. And, my thoughtful friends are able to disarm me. The most effective method is reminding me of my love for what I am doing as I live into my mission in life to both grow spiritually and to serve others. Because upset is generally caused by a deep misunderstanding—a thwarted intention, an unfulfilled expectation, or undelivered communication—taking me back before the upset, to the place where I remember being called to love and being loved, makes me more open to thoughtful listening.

The other gift is being able to both validate the upset as well as remind the wanderer of their role in the situation. As I teach about values and culture in organizational life, I remind people that every situation is a dance with two or more partners. If we want to change the dance, we can just change the dance step. That, as all who are Spiritual Directors know, is more than a notion. Those who show up for guidance often want others to change the dance step—not to learn new ways of dancing through life.

Today I’m most grateful for a Spirit led Companion who invited me to change the step even as my pain and upset was acknowledged. May I be able to return that gift of open listening and becoming vulnerable in love as I help some other wayfarer dust themselves off to continue the journey. Thanks to all the members of SDCO who have taken on that work. 

Catharyn Baird

SDCO Leadership Committee

August 2021

On August 13 of this year eleven people gathered at Cathedral Ridge Retreat Center for the first in-person event Spiritual Direction Colorado has sponsored since 2019.  The retreat was titled Spiritual Living in Times of Transition and was led by Dr. Dee Jaquet and myself.  During the weekend we explored Internal Family Systems and the Enneagram and how they can be used as tools for transformation.  The gorgeous setting and the wonderful weather were made better by the fellowship of those present.  Our hosts at Cathedral Ridge pampered us Saturday evening with a campfire to make Some Mores. 

The need for human contact and conversation and sharing was very evident in our gathered space.  There was a hunger to tell our stories and to be present to one another in a way we had not been since the spring of 2020.  Curiosity and playfulness and exploration were hallmarks of the weekend.  There was an invitation to enjoy the pleasant days and explore the ground, either interior or exterior ground, we found ourselves on.  Dee began the retreat by inviting us to choose 4 cards from Caroline Myss’ Archetype Cards which peaked our curiosity about ourselves and began our journey with transformation. 

It was very apparent to me from this weekend the need for human contact and networking all of us need and have missed since the pandemic has been with us.  How can Spiritual Direction Colorado support this need?  The Leadership Team has been working with a group of community members that we call the Think Tank to invite deeper connections among our members.  Our hope is to increase networking among our members and support the need for human connections.  We will be offering a few online groups and encouraging, when it is safe to do so, more in-person gatherings later in the fall. 

Until next time enjoy the wonderful fall weather, 

By Charlotte Shepic
Spiritual DIrection Colorado Chair

July 2021

More Than I Can Say

As I sit and reflect on my life (Pre and Post-Covid), words cannot fully express how I feel or what I think. There was a time when I could and would readily articulate how I felt or what was on my mind, I mean, I am supposedly a public person: a preacher, teacher, and counselor. I used to want to be seen “out there in the mix.” However, since about 2014, not so much. Some may call it maturity or “getting wise with old age.” I am not sure. I just cannot seem to find the words to express it. Moreover, it is not that anything is necessarily wrong.

One of the blessings I embraced on the first day of enrollment in the Benedictine Spiritual Formation Program (BSFP) in 2012 was silence.  Prior to entering the program, I had never seen ‘silence’ as a spiritual practice. Mindfulness is another concept I had not seriously pondered until after 2012.

Wow! To think that before that time I thought I knew so much. Now, not so much. Back then, I had so much to tell the world! Now, how I feel or what I think is much more than I can say.

By Tony Hill
SDCO Leadership Committee

June 2021

Sacred spaces are some of the clearest examples we have of humanity’s active involvement in cultivating the Sacred. Within sacred spaces, the lines between “what is ‘just people’ and “what is ‘purely divine,'” are, blessedly, blurred to indistinction.

For example, when humans build temples, they often believe that holy presence resides within it. However, there is no delusion that the temple was not built by human hands. That reality is in fact celebrated! Within sacred space we are free to relish in our participation, or co-creation, of divine presence in our world. This power we possess does not detract from the mystery of sacred space, but is something to cherish. If we have the power to construct and nurture sacred space, that says a lot about our standing in the universe.

So, what constitutes a sacred space? The answer could include many possibilities: perhaps you have a favorite quiet spot in your place of worship or out in nature. Maybe you grew up with a shrine or altar in the home, or you may be seeking to curate and maintain a space for yourself. The space may be hidden away where only you can access it, or out in the open where you spend most of your day. There may be objects that represent deities, loved ones, prayers or intentions present. It could be a clear, clean space, empty of clutter, where the mind and spirit feel free to declutter as well. Your sacred space may simply be your own body. While the size and structure of a personal sacred space may vary, the core is the same: a place that has been set aside for contemplation or communion with the divine. The beauty of a sacred space, like many facets of spiritual life, derives from the meaning it carries for those who create and interact with it.

By Rachel A. Parsons, MA and Caroline Crook

April 2021

Last year at this time I was participating in a Learning Community in Menlo Park, California just a couple of weeks before the new lifestyle went in to effect.  Soon afterwards the following words from Kitty O’Meara began to circulate. 

“And the people stayed home.  And read books, and listened, and rested, and exercised, and made art, and played games, and learned new ways of being, and were still.  And listened more deeply.  Some meditated, some prayed, some danced.  Some met their shadows. And the people began to think differently. 

“And the people healed.  And, in the absence of people living in ignorant, dangerous, mindless, and heartless ways, the earth began to heal. 

“And when the danger passed, and the people joined together again, they grieved their losses, and made new choices, and dreamed new images, and created new ways to live and heal the earth fully, as they had been healed.” 

What struck me as I rewrote those words was, “they grieved their losses.” Recently, I had encountered the term ambiguous loss and found it was about unresolved grief.  Examples of ambiguous loss include but are not limited to divorces, Alzheimer’s or memory loss, physical abilities, children who have been taken from their parents, miscarriages, military families when one parent is absent, and the list continues.  The losses we have experienced during COVID-19 can be added to this list. 

COVID-19 changed what we considered to be normal and safe.  In addition we are grieving in isolation.  Patients in hospitals are dying in isolation and group mourning rituals have been suspended.  We humans grieve with each other to expression our emotions and help our brains to realize the finality of the situation which allows us to begin the grieving process.  When we aren’t able to grieve publicly it can create hyper vigilance, anxiety, anxious attachment, chronic sorrow or depressive symptoms.  Ambiguous loss defies resolution, creates confusion, and freezes the process of grieving. 

This information prompted me to begin thinking about my life and what ambiguous losses had I experienced.  In August 2019 I experienced a broken tibia plateau in two places with some of the fracture going into the knee cap.  For three months I was in a wheelchair slowly progressing to a walker and then a cane.  My ability to drive came in late January 2020 just before COVID came along and put us all into isolation.  I was never fully aware of my losses from this injury until this past winter.   

Slowly, I become aware of the scope of my physical losses and apparently how age complicates healing.  First of all I had to come to terms with “I CAN’T be that old.”  Mobility, age, and injury ambiguous losses.  No wonder for the past three months I have felt lethargic and in emotional pain.  In February this year I joined a group study for Lent and my fellow group mates helped me to realize I needed their support to help me move through my grief. What a gift they were to me!  AND how lucky I was to find them! 

What ambiguous losses have you felt this past year or perhaps in your lifetime?  Has your grief process been frozen?  The first resource I can offer to you is Ambiguous Loss: Learning to Live with Unresolved Grief by Pauline Boss.  The second resource is Spiritual Direction Colorado’s Reflection on an Extraordinary Year:  A Journaling Experience an expressive writing 5 week program for spiritual directors and others on a contemplative journey.  Checked it out and if it right for you sign up as there are a limited number of spaces available.

By Charlotte Shepic
SDCO Leadership Committee

October 2020

Everyone is funny.

It's one of my favorite things about people. We may not all be stand-up comedians, but everyone can crack a smile at a joke. Sense of humor is more than just a trait. To some, namely Aristotle, it's a virtue.

As a virtue, it may not have the airtime of things like patience or temperance, but I think we all know how important it is. Especially in "These Trying Times™," the ability to find humor in any situation is an act of service to everyone around us. It is a manifestation of peace and joy on the behalf of the jokester, and it can bring love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control to others. When used well, humor can provide a way to understand difficulty more clearly—not just escape it. 

I remember hearing a comedy writer say in a documentary, "I've never met a spiritual, well adjusted person who was funny."

I found that hilarious, because on some level, I know exactly what he's talking about. If comedy = tragedy + time, you may be hard-pressed to find a funny, enlightened being. I hope that's not true, because I'm not terribly interested in a humorless, sanctified world. 

I sincerely hope you're finding reasons to laugh (even if you have to shut the windows to keep the smoke out of your lungs). As we watch the changing of the seasons, may we cultivate an attitude of joy, peace, and humor.

By Rachel A. Parsons, MA

Fratres Dei Spiritual Direction and Ministries

www.fratresdei.com

April 2020

It's cliché at this point to talk about how "we're all in this together," but that has been such a theme in my spiritual direction sessions lately. Our experiences have so much overlap that I can't not talk about it. It's fascinating to see how people from widely varying spiritual, religious, political, and economic backgrounds are all experiencing this pandemic in similar ways.

Certainly the effects of the virus are not hitting us equally. Not even close. However, as we go through the stages of this point in history, much like the stages of grief, directees are sharing many of the same nuanced feelings that each week brings. I don't say this to imply that I find the repetition boring--much the opposite! What I mean is that while we are facing separation, we are nowhere near alone in our experiences.

We may feel an obligation to "make the most of" our time in isolation. While this attitude can be helpful for some, it may merely heap on extra unnecessary stress for others. 

I'll be honest. 

I've mainly been watching a lot of Veronica Mars. As it turns out, I've also been enjoying a gentle, unforced union with the Divine. I don't buy it that now is a time when we have to get caught up on housework, crafting, reading, exercise, etc., though I've enjoyed doing each of those things as well. I think that now, just like any point in human history, the Divine is happy to just be with us. In a time when we feel like all we can really do is "just be," maybe that's enough.

Spiritual direction for me has never been about "getting closer to God," but rather about finding ways to luxuriate in the abundant, ripe and ready closeness of the Divine that is already here. At this point, that has never felt truer.

By Rachel A. Parsons, MA
SDCO Leadership Committee
Fratres Dei Spiritual Direction & Ministries

February 2020

Serving, Growing, Deepening with SDCO   

My time serving the Spiritual Direction community has come to an end and I will miss this gathering of these
faithful. Those of us serving you on the guiding Committee are a mixed group, coming from variety of spiritual traditions. That variety has enriched my own spirituality. 

Our monthly gatherings to plan and widen opportunities have introduced me to points of view new to me. And that’s a good thing in my book. As with so many organizations we work together, we plan together, we pray
with a wide variety of inspiration, sharing responsibilities over time. It’s been good, very good for me. I hope you’ll make time to share who you are and serve our Colorado Spiritual Direction community as you are able.

By Vickie Bailey

January 2020

Last August as I lay in the emergency room of a small hospital in Colorado with a mind influenced by strong drugs someone said to me, “I am going to cut off your pants.”  My immediate response was “these are my favorite pants.  Please don’t cut them off.”  The next time I heard these words was in the next emergency room in a little bit bigger hospital.  Someone said to me, “I need to cut off your jacket.”  My immediate response was, “Not my jacket, it is my favorite.”  Three weeks later as I was getting ready to leave the rehab unit I found all my favorite camping clothes cut into pieces never to be used again.

From those first few minutes in the emergency room I have been learning how to let go.  Let go of being able to take a shower by myself, or go to the bathroom by myself, or even to get out of bed by myself.  Depending upon my family to get me to places I need to go like doctor appointments or physical therapy appointments.  Others have cooked most of my meals.  And now I am learning to let go of what I think is “normal” for Spiritual Direction Colorado.

The past 5 or so years we have lost money on the conferences we have had in January/February.  So many great speakers and plenty of time to make new connections or renew connections.  I enjoyed the atmosphere, the vendors as an attendee and as a Committee member I really loved the sense of community that was part of the Committee working together to do something really special.

Every year less people were attending the conferences.  It was evident to the Committee that people were telling us a conference was not what they wanted. And this year we tried a workshop format and found that less people liked that idea.   What we think we are hearing is people liked the two to three hours events we sponsored this year as they were well attended.  People supported our efforts with our Women’s Rest and Renewal Retreat.  A goal  that is now getting some traction is our Community Connections efforts. The goal is to be available to any group who wants to have conversations about spirituality,  and Spiritual Direction/Companioning not only in the Front Range but throughout Colorado.

Spiritual Direction Colorado has to be a financially sound organization and we have to move into the 21st Century.  We are striving to come into a new time of information and communication.  Our website has a new look.  This year we will be offering retreat days and webinars.  We have paying memberships and we want YOU to WANT to be a member of Spiritual Direction Colorado.  We WANT to give  you our members a reason to be a member. We have lots of work to do!  There was a consensus in our conversation a few days ago to cancel our Silver Service February Conference and to continue working diligently on letting go, “of the way things use to be” and embracing the opportunities that could be.

By Charlotte Shepic
Chair, Spiritual Direction Colorado

November 2019

What even IS "Spirituality"?

Yadav was born and raised in Tamil Nadu, India. He had a Hindu upbringing, but when he moved to the United States to study he started to separate himself from his family’s belief system. He was comfortable not having specific religious involvement. He didn't feel a trite religion-shaped hole in his heart. He wasn't a subplot in God's Not Dead 5.

Running had always been one of his favorite ways to spend some time alone, but he started to feel as though something peculiar was happening when he ran. He couldn't think of anything that was different physically or mentally within him, so he tried to ignore the feeling. He did not succeed. He decided to see a spiritual director.

The spiritual director encouraged him to simply uncritically notice the thoughts that came to him and his physical state the next time he went on a run, however insignificant the details may seem. Over the course of subsequent meetings, the director helped Yadav discern and articulate that the muscle memory expressed in his legs coupled with the endorphins released as he ran made him feel strongly connected to his animal self. Running outdoors with this awareness also heightened his acknowledgement of his place within an ecological system. This perspective brought him a profound sense of harmony within himself and a sense of deep belonging within the world around him. This sense of belonging was especially helpful after leaving the familiarity of his home country—something he did not think was having any effect on him.

The spiritual director used the bare bones of Yadav’s lived experience to help him see for himself that something as mundane as daily exercise had the potential to amount to more. In this example we see the ways in which spiritual health interacts with the other dimensions of wellness. But what is “spiritual health"?

The 8 generally agreed upon dimensions of wellness are:

Physical
Occupational
Spiritual
Environmental
Financial
Social
Intellectual
Emotional

The spiritual dimension of health is the glue that holds the other dimensions together. It asks the question of why we even bother tending to the other dimensions in the first place.
In Yadav’s case, the spiritual practice of awareness encouraged thoughtful scientific analysis of his body, and this was beneficial to his intellectual and physical health. A stronger sense of connection to his surroundings called to mind the state of his environmental and social health, and the whole experience contributed to his overall emotional health. Yadav’s spiritual exploration also brought to mind some of the difficulties he had been facing regarding his lost sense of cultural identity. Up until that point, these suppressed feelings had invisibly inhibited his occupational health.

Spirituality has been defined and redefined throughout human history, and it is now my intention to shout yet another definition to the abyss:

spir·it·u·al·i·ty /spiriCHo͞oˈalədē/ n.:
 the practice of deriving any amount of meaning from any event, thought, or activity

Sound vague? It’s because it is.

We can meet with any amount of people from militant atheists to militant fundamentalists, and the same question can be found at the tip of their tongues: What meaning can I derive from my life, experience, and surroundings? Even if their answer is “none,” they’ve still asked the question. For some reason the human mind deeply craves context. It is not enough for us to simply survive. We need to know we are a part of something greater, even if that “something greater” is simply our ecosystem, our families, or even, paradoxically, the understanding that we are a part of nothing greater.

So what is spirituality? Everything, and beyond. 

By Rachel A. Parsons, MA

October 2019

A Creative Memorial

Recently, I officiated at the memorial service for a man named Bill.  Bill was a vibrant, devoted, and laughter-filled man whose absence left a chasm in the lives of those who loved him.  Bill and his wife shared a love that was beyond words; indeed, the couple decided that the only phrase that came close to illustrating the immensity of their love for one another was Buzz Lightyear’s motto from the movie Toy Story: “To infinity and beyond!”  That infinite love, a love that blessed all those connected with Bill, was what his wife wanted to honor through this memorial service.

Bill’s family and friends form a diverse group, one that does not share one common religious tradition or a set of established spiritual practices that might make the format of a memorial service straightforward.  They hold different beliefs, and some do not believe in a higher power at all.  Bill’s wife requested a memorial service that would ensure everyone felt comfortable and welcome, and for her that meant that we refrained from sharing scripture or prayers specific to any one tradition.

Without the container of a comfortable religious framework, we were called to be creative, to open ourselves up to fresh, new ways to honor both Bill and all the family members and friends gathered to celebrate his life.

We focused on the four main qualities that Bill consistently exemplified throughout his life:  love, generosity, strength, and humor.  Friends and family members told stories illustrating the ways Bill shared these attributes with everyone in his life.  And, in between these stories, we worked together to feel, to hold, and to emanate these qualities ourselves.  Together we became love, generosity, strength, and humor, sending those essences out into the world.  And I offered this blessing: 

May you each receive, experience, and share love wherever you go.

May you be generous with your spirit, with your gifts, and with your time so others’ lives are made better through contact with you.

May you be strengthened during each of your days to do the work and serve the purpose you are here to do.

May you all know laughter that bubbles up from deep in your soul and showers joy on all beings everywhere.

By sharing Bill’s greatest gifts with one another and with our world, may you not only honor but extend the life of this wonderful man.

And in turn may our world – a world so desperately in need – be blessed by each of you.

We ended the service with a toast to Bill, using his favorite beverage, Michelob beer.  As the participants raised their glasses, we affirmed that the unique beauty of this one life would be reverberate, “To infinity and beyond!”

Imagine this:  next week is your memorial service.

What four attributes of yours would we attempt to carry forth into the world after you leave?

What words of blessing would be said?

What beverage would we use to toast you?

By Amy Agape

August 2019

Submission - Transforming Work

Submission!  What arises in your heart and spirit when you hear that word?  Resistance.  Rebellion.  Loss of power.  It may conjure up visions of being a doormat or a weak, brainwashed follower.  Yet, Godly submission is based in the goodness and loving intentions of God for each of us. It grows from the firm conviction that each one of us is a beloved child of God; blessed, loved and forgiven.

My personal journey of submission, began when a long-term prayer and dream to have my adult daughter, her husband and three young grandchildren move from California to Colorado Springs was answered. I wanted to be an involved ‘Nana’ in their everyday lives, leaving a legacy of love for them and my faith. One year later through employment circumstances, they moved to the other side of the world, South Africa. I was spinning in shock, disappointment and grief. My belief in God’s best for me and my grandchildren was in question.  What was to be an 18-month move is now an absence of seven years.

Early in the process of submission, relinquishment and grief, I prayed for understanding and for new insights into God’s plan for me.   Often, I allow myself to really immerse myself in the pain, the ache of what I have missed, the agony of a lost dream – never to be recovered.  Although the dream was crushed, I tried to cling to God’s love for, to consciously decide to trust what I couldn’t understand and to surrender control of the situation.  My anchors during this time were dear friends, a loving husband who listened to my rantings and, especially, my spiritual director.   

This passage has not been a steady one; there have been moments of a tentative peace and acceptance; then out of nowhere, I’ll sink into sadness, anger and doubt. For me surrender is an ongoing resolution to trust God in these and all circumstances. Through submission and relinquishment I’m making heart space to let go of the life I had planned and live into the life I have been given.

By Gail Chamley

June2019

Enneagram

Last Saturday I learned the Enneagram is a fad among 20 and 30 somethings.  Is the present time we are living in calling people to a deeper understanding of themselves?  The Enneagram has been passed from generation to generation and now the time is right  for a new generation to understand themselves in a deeper more wholistic way.  One of the ways the Enneagram is changing and transforming lives is through the Enneagram Prison Project (EPP).  Susan Olesek was asked to teach the Enneagram in a prison in Texas and shortly thereafter realized people in prison were hungry for this knowledge.  For the past 10 years EPP has been teaching the Enneagram in the prison system in the San Francisco Bay Area of California.   

In February of 2016 when I began my studies of the Enneagram in California with The Narrative Enneagram (Helen Palmer’s school) there were men and women in my classes who had been in prison and who were furthering their knowledge of the Enneagram on the outside.  This was the first I heard of EPP and the amazing work they are doing.  Three years later I applied to EPP to complete the Guide training, which I did in March and April of this year. 

In my experience of the Enneagram this training was the first I had experienced where the Enneagram is used as a tool for transformation.  I had enough knowledge about the Enneagram and I had certifications to help me qualify for the EPP training.  However, I wasn’t quite prepared to experience in action the Enneagram’s healing powers of transformation.   

The training was hard work.  In the practicum I actually taught classes, with the help of others in the training process, in San Mateo County Jail and in San Quentin.  This experience was transformative for me.  The testimonies from the those incarcerated were truly amazing.  The night we were at San Quentin men stood at the door waiting to be a part of the class because of its reputation around the yard.  Sixty men in one room sharing stories of their past sent chills of appreciation over me. 

Yes, one has to know the Enneagram; yes, one has to be a certified teacher but the yeast in all of this is a person’s willingness to open their being, to love others unconditionally, and to do the work with those in a physical prison as we all live in prisons of our own making.

By Charlotte Shepic

April 2019

Inspiration

Walking where Jesus walked was a trip of a lifetime. Yes, this trip was over 2000 years later but it was the time I could experience this wonder.

It was so incredible to be present to the places whose names are familiar from scripture. I guess it made it all just that more real to me, tangible. To be there where Jesus walked, where the faithful have worshiped for so many hundreds of years really was an inspiration. Dare I say that touching the 2nd Temple, walking the Via Delarosa where Jesus walked, feeling the splash from the river Jordan, being on a boat on the Sea of Galilee brought the reality of that time…into my time, my life.

A challenge was being present to the moment… which is different than just taking photos Being present to today, the blessings of THIS day, here and now is the challenge today, with memories and work to do, now.

By Vickie Bailey

February 2019

Reflections on 2019 SDCO Conference

The 2019 SDCO Conference featuring Dr. Barbara Holmes lifted the theme, “Revive My Soul Again: Deep Connections in the Times of Crisis.” The conference began with a Cherokee morning song, Wen’ De Ya Ho, led by Clifford Berrien, a renowned drummer, who weaved contemplative offerings throughout the conference, both formally and informally.  “Dr. B” as she liked to be called began the conference with a few questions, what does it mean to be revived personally and communally? How do we work through our troubles creatively, contemplatively, and with congruency? These were just a few of the questions participants would ponder as we sat in silence, chanted, performed group exercises, and eventually rose to our feet dancing (?) Yup, dancing!

By day two, an answer was offered, “there is a balm in Gilead!” This scriptural response was embedded within the context of black embodied racial history. Dr. Holmes showed how different creative mediums such as the theater of the oppressed and oral traditions can transform and bear witness as the application of healing balm to the various painful, yet seemingly unavoidable conversations about race needed across our nation. Dr. Holmes offered radical hope in an unseen future as she led participants in these kinds of conversations and activities that gave us practical ways to journey together on the contemplative path. 

By Rev. Anthony C. Hill

January 2019

Winter's Icy Beauty

Even the winter’s icy fingers have beauty to offer. These glistening branches are testimony to our God’s many gracious gifts, even in the midst of a barren landscape. Sometimes I lose that wider perspective. There are times when all I can see is the lack of what is right in front of me. There is that part of me that wants the spring and summer seasons of my life to last…and last…and last. And then I’m confronted with reality, life changes. While it takes cultivation of some new skills of appreciation, there are blessings to be found wherever I look, reminders…like these sparkling, barren, branches.

  Among the lessons of scripture, I am encouraged by God’s constancy. I count on that in my life also, sparkling reminders of beauty when I take time to really look…to see with the eyes of my heart. In these otherwise barren months I am offered gifts, given from God’s generous heart. With the gift of quiet I can sense God’s invitation into silence. With this new year, with Holy Silence, I return each day to my disciple reading the scripture of the day, meditation, contemplative prayer, my quiet time. Disciplines I know that nurture my spirituality that can get lost in the season of many celebrations. I love celebrations. I also know that just as my body doesn’t do well with only celebration meals of cake, my spirit needs nourishment also. For me that nourishment includes worship in community, monthly time with my spiritual director, scripture reading and study each day and an occasional spiritual boost of a special day or two of encouragement. I do count on the promise that God’s Spirit will meet me “in returning and rest”, my spiritual nourishment, day by day.

By Vickie Bailey 

December 2018

Walking into 2019 with a New Perspective

On January 16, 2018, I fell on black ice in my backyard and I did a lot of damage to my body; the worst damage was to the calf area on my leg.  As I stood, I assumed I had just twisted my leg and therefore bruised the muscles, but on January 19th I couldn’t take the pain anymore.  I drove myself to the neighborhood ER and hobbled in asking for help.  The X-rays showed I had a broken fibula; I was given a boot and sent home. On January 26th, I went back to the ER and found that I had a blood clot that was moving from the break in my calf all the way up to my heart.  The doctors in the room began moving very quickly and prepping me for surgery as this was a very dangerous situation and they needed to immediately treat this clot. Over the next few months, I incurred many more health issues due to the break and blood clot, but if you looked at me, you may have only noticed that I walked slower.  The fibula is a non-weight bearing bone, so you do not need to have a cast.  The boot that I had been wearing contributed to the clot, so I now wore nothing on the break.

Finally, in October (10 months later), I was released from all doctor supervision. I was told to go off the blood thinner medication and that my fibula had “healed”, but I still had pain shoot through my leg when I walked or pain later in the evening from “overdoing it”.  I didn’t feel healed, so I made a new mantra to avoid pain: “walk slowly, take care of yourself”. Another coping strategy was thinking it was just a “bad year” for my health so I also told myself that once 2019 came, I would be out of the “bad year”.  Well, in just a few weeks it will be 2019 and finally I can say goodbye to this year of bad health. 

This morning, as I do every year in December, I began to prayerfully reflect on what goals I would like to set for the next year.  This year however, my reflecting on 2018 led me down a different path; I realized that next year didn’t have to be about fixing me.  I realized that instead of looking at what I do wrong, I could look at what I learned from 2018 and take that lesson in to 2019.  I like thinking that I don’t have to look at 2018 as a year to fix or leave.  I like that I can look at 2018 and ask “what did I learn from 2018?” By looking at 2018 with a different perspective, one that is kinder, I can walk into 2019 whole, not broken. 

What I learned from 2018 is the best lesson I could have asked for: walk slowly and take care of yourself.  For me it is just one thing but a truly big thing that impacts everything I do, the way I listen to people, the way I spend time with my family, the way I drive, eat, and finally… walk. 

What did you learn about yourself in 2018?  What things do you want to bring with you from 2018 and is there anything you would like to leave in 2018?  Can you go into a new year without goals? 

By Megan Nagel

November 2018

Silence and our San Luis Pilgrimage

There was anticipation as we all gathered in St Thomas Episcopal Church in Alamosa! We had never taken this kind of step before – a Pilgrimage to San Luis to walk the Stations of the Cross in this sacred area of Colorado. We weren’t really sure what all would take place, but we were ready for what God had for us. 

I had recently been feeling a bit of depletion in both my spiritual and physical life. In reading Scripture, I always found that Jesus frequently put his schedule on pause to restore and rejuvenate his spirit and soul. This is where I was, and I think all of us, as we sat around the tables at St Thomas. 

After sharing around the circle of pilgrims, we seemed to all have a common theme – we wanted to glean from a pilgrimage/retreat experience what God had in store for us in restoration. Christian George writes in his book, Sacred Travels: Recovering the Ancient Practice of Pilgrimage, “Pilgrimage is a spiritual practice that reminds us of our sacred purpose – to grow closer to God.” I believe that is where we were, and we were about to take steps to grow closer to God. 

Walking the beautiful and mystical almost life-size statues that Huberto Meastas had created, it didn’t take long for us to begin feeling God was talking to us through this experience. Our conversations grew quiet as we climbed the hill to the final stations that were located on top by the chapel. In the silence of our walks, God was drawing us into conversations that we had not noticed before. This journey was incredible. 

Our final gathering at lunch 2 days later reflected this journey together. The responses around the table were ones of blessing, learning, hearing, inner challenge and change, and of fellowship with other pilgrims. Once you have taken this step to deliberately invest in a pilgrimage, you are not the same. God uses this kind of experience to draw you closer to God. 

We also had the great privilege of meeting with 2 students who took us on a walk around San Luis – the oldest city in Colorado. We learned a lot from them about San Luis, and the surrounding area, as well as the sacredness of the land. This helped us in knowing why this area was chosen for the Stations. 

I, as well as the rest of the group, went away refreshed and renewed to listen more intently and consistently to God speaking to me in my everyday walk of life.

By Mickey Cox

October 2018

What is a Pilgrimage?

This fall Spiritual Direction Colorado is venturing into new territory by offering a pilgrimage to visit the Stations of the Cross in San Luis, Colorado.  What is a pilgrimage?  Phil Cousineau in his book The Art of Pilgrimage says, “To people the world over, pilgrimage is a spiritual exercise, an act of devotion to find a source of healing, or even to perform a penance.  Always, it is a journey of risk and renewal.  For a journey without challenge has no meaning; one without purpose has no soul.”

What will we find in San Luis and Southern Colorado?  San Luis is the oldest town in Colorado and is predominately Hispanic, with strong ties to Spain’s religious, cultural, and artistic traditions.  The adobe architecture and layout of the town are influenced by these historical and cultures traditions that shaped early communities of Southern Colorado.

We will also find The Stations of the Cross Shrine in San Luis built by the Sangre de Cristo Parish who wanted a place where members of all faiths could find consolation and peace in their lives.  If you have ever been to Southern Colorado you know spiritual traditions have deep roots.  The first settled of this area brought with them Spanish and Mexican traditions of communal ownership of land and water, a strong allegiance to their language and customs, and intense religious faith.

For a few days we will be immersed in this Spanish/Mexican influence as we learn about the culture, visit the workshop of the sculptor, and immerse ourselves in The Stations of the Cross.  This will be a quieter, simpler way of being as we journey to this town that closes its shop doors and rolls up its sidewalks early in the evening.

How will our focus deepen?  How will our attention to the path be altered?  How will our journey be transformed from a most ordinary journey into a sacred journey, a pilgrimage?  Each of us who journey to this most sacred spot will come away with different answers, with a different focus, with a different newness of spirit.  The most common greetings on Spain’s Camino de Santiago is “Buen Camino” (Good Way/Road).  I wish those taking this journey “Buen Camino!”

By Charlotte Shepic