Connections 24.2: August - Spiritual Directors International

Transcription

Connections
The Newsletter of Spiritual Directors International
From the Executive Director:
In New Seeds of Contemplation, Thomas Merton writes,
“Every moment and every event of our life on earth
plants something in our soul. For just as the wind carries
thousands of winged seeds, so each moment brings
with it germs of spiritual vitality
that come to rest imperceptibly
in our minds and wills” (p. 14).
Likewise, each moment and every
event in an organization’s life may
germinate with spiritual vitality.
As we continue to celebrate the
centenary of Thomas Merton’s
birth and the twenty-fifth
anniversary of Spiritual Directors
International, I marvel at the
spiritual vitality that has sprouted
from many amazing seeds planted
and watered in SDI over the years.
Merton’s wisdom is helpful as we prepare the soil for new
seeds that will arrive during SDI’s next twenty-five years:
Most of these unnumbered seeds perish and are lost,
because we are not prepared to receive them: for such
seeds as these cannot spring up anywhere except in the
good soil of freedom, spontaneity, and love .... The mind
that is the prisoner of conventional ideas, and the will that
is the captive of its own desire cannot accept the seeds of
an unfamiliar truth and supernatural desire .... I must learn
therefore to let go of the familiar and the usual and consent
to what is new and unknown to me. I must learn to “leave
myself” in order to find myself by yielding to the love of God.
If I were looking for God, every event and every moment
would sow, in my will, grains of God’s life that would spring
up one day in a tremendous harvest. (pp. 14, 16)
How do we organizationally guard against conventional
ideas and continue to cultivate “the good soil of freedom,
spontaneity, and love” in Spiritual Directors International?
One way to till the soil during this anniversary year
involves asking many people—including you—to reflect
August 2015 Ω Vol. 24.2
on the past harvest and notice future seeds that will help
spiritual direction flourish. Interviewing formation and
training program directors, surveying key interest groups
and members on six continents, and hosting Listening for
Wisdom receptions, help everyone participate in the future
of SDI.
Another way to till the soil includes
reading in this issue of Connections
the personal stories about the
Emerging Wisdom educational
events. Like Merton, read with the
intention to see every moment
and event as “grains of God’s life
among us, springing up one day in
a tremendous harvest.” Hundreds
of volunteers and participants
co-created Emerging Wisdom,
and whether you were present or
not, many seeds of transformation
were planted.
One special event deserves highlighting. Twenty-five past
and present coordinating council members took time out of
their busy schedules to trek to Louisville, Kentucky for a day
of strategic planning (see photograph on page three). They
shared stories about the founding of SDI and reflected on what
they see as compelling world needs that SDI might address.
Repeatedly, the contemplative stance these soil-and-soultending leaders offered for the future of SDI involved trusting
in the wisdom as it emerges in the community, especially
when gathered in a spirit of trusting presence.
As you read Connections, notice if you feel drawn to join SDI
in San Diego, California, USA in April 2016. We will gather
in a spirit of trusting presence to continue cultivating the
organizational good soil of freedom, spontaneity, and love. ❉
Peace be with you,
Liz Budd Ellmann, MDiv
Spiritual Directors International www.sdiworld.org 01-425-455-1565
Page 1
Finding Connections
Susana Isaacson [Virginia, USA]
As a new graduate of the Morei Derekh Jewish Spiritual
Direction program, and a new spiritual director, this was
my first SDI conference. I signed up at the suggestion
of my mentor and friend, Wendie Bernstein Lash, and I
went without expectations and not much enthusiasm. I
have participated in many professional conferences in
my long work life as a teacher and coach. I have always
found them big, impersonal, and not meaningful.
All of those assumptions were challenged the first
evening of the SDI conference when I found myself
seated next to a nun from Wisconsin, USA, with whom
I had a warm conversation, and in whom I found a
sympathetic soul.
The opening ceremony was lovely, and I was moved to
tears several times. Hearing people of different faith
traditions and finding this unique event about spiritual
connections made me feel safe and happy.
I grew up in a post-war community of Holocaust
surviving Jews in Northern Transylvania, Romania,
where there were two thin and tenuous generations of
Jews: mine and my parents. Those who came before us
were killed in concentration camps. I lived there for the
first fifteen years of my life. It has taken the rest of my
years to learn that there are people and places in the
world that do not wish us dead and are safe.
So it took my breath away to arrive at the SDI
conference and discover people of all faiths who were
there to celebrate the power of Spirit, the beauty of
being human, and our capacity to understand and
respect each other not in spite of, but because of, our
God given selves. I came to realize just what we mean
when we say that the human is made in God’s image. I
was moved over and over again by the many beautiful
images of God manifested in the lovely faces and
powerful words of the people at that big, impersonal
hotel in Louisville.
On the opening day of the conference, after listening
to the morning sessions, I told Wendie that for the first
time in my life I wanted people to see me as a Jew, in
public without fear. I was ready to put on a kipah (the
skullcap worn by Jewish men and by an increasing
number of women). I had never put one on even in the
Page 2
safety of my synagogue, and wondered where I could
get one. Rabbi Amy Eilberg overheard my comment,
went to her room, and came back with a beautiful
embroidered kipah. I proudly wore it the whole time I
was at the conference.
I step into this beautiful ministry and service with
the awkward name of spiritual direction, and after
attending my first SDI conference, I feel more hopeful
about our future as humans on the planet. I feel more
connected, less fearful, and ready to experience the
miracle of tapping into the universal language of the
spirit as manifested by the individual and collective
beauty of our many faith voices. I will be back next
year. ❉
Susana Isaacson is a Jewish spiritual
director. In hindsight, her prior work
experiences were a mere preamble
to her current endeavors as a coach,
teacher, friend, mother, and wife.
Twenty-five years of Spiritual Directors International Coordinating Council members.
SDI Coordinating Council Reunion
On 13 April 2015, sponsored by a gracious donation
from Gary and Mary Becker, twenty-five current and
former members of the SDI coordinating council
gathered in Louisville prior to the Emerging Wisdom
educational events. They met to celebrate the silver
anniversary of SDI and contribute their collective
wisdom to the strategic plan for the next twenty-five
years. Participants included Lucy Abbott Tucker; Bobbi
Breitman; Bruce Calvin; LeDare Cox; Ron DelBene;
Tilden Edwards; Miriam Frey; Bob Gardenhire III;
Kristen Hobby; Jinks Hoffmann; Wendie Bernstein
Lash; David Liedl; Sandra Lommasson; Carol Ludwig;
Kathleen McAlpin, RSM; Christopher McCauley; Jack
Mostyn, CFC; Cathy Murtha, DW; Joann Nesser; Jung
Eun Sophia Park, SNJM; John Pollard; Donald Schell;
Sally Taylor; Therese Taylor-Stinson; Ravi Verma; and
Liz Ellmann. ❉
Page 3
October 30 - November 1, 2015
John Phillip Newell
“The Rebirthing of God”
Come explore, “the
new thing that is trying
to emerge from deep
within us….”
The Alcyon Center
a spiritual life center on Mount Desert Island, Maine
April 29 - May 1, 2016
Norman Wirzba
“participate in the divine hospitality that
first brought creation into being…”
For those who yearn for the deepening and centering
that silence and nature provide, we set aside
two weeks each month for Individual Retreats.
The cove offers a gentle and spacious hospitality.
In addition, Programs for Contemplative Deepening
are offered year round with inspiring teachers.
Visit our website for full details, or email us.
We look forward to hearing from you.
167 Neck Road, Madison, CT 06443
203.245.0401
www.mercybythesea.org
Joan Jordan Grant and Kathryn Booth, Directors
P.O. Box 40, Seal Cove, ME 04674 | 207 244-1060
[email protected] | www.alcyoncenter.org
The Alcyon Center is a 501 (c)(3) charitable organization.
Men’s Institute: Men,
Grief, and Solitude
Karl Ruttan
[Kentucky, USA]
The 2015 Men’s Institute in
Louisville, Kentucky provided
a rich opportunity for men to
come together to connect, tell
stories, and learn about the
distinctive ways that men grieve.
Seventeen men from around
the world participated in this
one-day event held immediately
before the opening of the SDI
Emerging Wisdom conference.
The Rev. Daniel R. Duggan,
hospital chaplain and author,
who recently published a book,
Men’s Institute participant Alfred DePew and Men’s Institute chair Bruce Calvin, MDiv,
connect and create community together.
Men, Grief, and Solitude: A
Different Perspective, presented
connections through learning and sharing before the
this year’s topic: Facing Grief, Awakening to Wholeness.
start of the annual conference. It helped men reflect
His experience as chaplain and many years of listening
on the importance of encouraging other men in their
to men’s stories has given him an understanding of
spiritual formation and to offer support to other men
the male grieving process. In the morning session, he
who are actively engaged in the work of spiritual
shared his perspective and insights about men and
direction.
grief. His experiences indicate that men often face loss
in ways that are quite distinctive from women. Many of Later in the week during the conference, we had a
the traditional understandings of grief do not focus on breakfast for men. This provided an opportunity to
the unique needs of men and their expression of grief. reflect on how SDI can best serve the needs of men.
This has often left men feeling that their ways were There was interest in another Men’s Institute and a
inadequate.
planning group is being constituted. Look for details
Duggan concludes that men often grieve through
seeking solitude. Women often grieve through
expressing their grief in emotions, connecting with
others, and sharing feelings. Men tend to prefer to
grieve through inward focus, storytelling, or through
doing and providing.
The morning presentation provided a thoughtful
analysis that touched the lives of many participants. In
small group discussions, men were able to share their
reactions and feelings. The material was evocative
and elicited deep sharing. The opportunity for men to
share on a personal level was welcomed. Additionally,
during the lunch hour, informal conversations helped
all the participants process the information.
in September.
If you would like to learn about grief from Dan
Duggan, he recently offered an SDI Webinar on the
topic of men and grief. The recording is available in
the SDI store. Webinars are one way that Spiritual
Directors International makes conference programs
available to everyone as on-going education for
spiritual directors and others involved in spiritual
care. CEUs are available. ❉
Karl Ruttan is an Episcopal priest,
spiritual director, and retreat leader
from Louisville, Kentucky. He
particularly enjoys offering workshops
and retreats on male spirituality.
As with previous Men’s Institutes, this year’s gathering
provided an opportunity for men to develop
Page 5
Emerging Wisdom
educational events
14–22 April 2015
Page 6
EMERGING WISDOM
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, USA | 7–10 APRIL 2016
Border issues abound in San Diego. Come explore how spiritual direction
can influence—and be influenced by—borders.
Together, we will seek wisdom in borders encountered in spiritual companionship.
Cultural, socio-economic,
and racial diversity.
Immigrants and
people in exile.
Inner mysticism and
outward service.
Father
Gregory Boyle, SJ
Homeboy Industries
California, USA
Mary Jo Leddy
Romero House for Refugees
Ontario, Canada
Rabbi
Arthur Green
Hebrew College
Massachusetts, USA
EVERYONE SEEKING WISDOM IS WELCOME
www.sdiworld.org
2015 New Contemplatives cohort. Left to right: Alan Haras, Ashley Plotnick, Avi Craimer, Tessi Rickabaugh,
Lacy Ellman, Rhonda Miska, Niesha Steinke, and Lauren Burdette (facilitator)
“For your soul senses the world that
awaits you:” reflections from a 2015
New Contemplative
Rhonda Miska [Wisconsin, USA]
As my fellow 2015 New Contemplatives—Alan, Ashley,
Avi, Lacy, Niesha, Tessi, and our facilitator Lauren—
reflected on our presentation at the April conference,
we all found resonance in Irish poet John O’Donohue’s
poem, “For a New Beginning.” His lyrical words about
stepping forward in faith, trusting the promise of an
opening, finding ease in risk, and holding nothing back
spoke to each of us.
For us, becoming New Contemplatives in the fourth SDI
cohort is a “new beginning.” The seven of us join the
larger dynamic and diverse community that includes
the past three cohorts; twenty-six trained spiritual
directors in our twenties and thirties from around the
world and of different faiths. It is sometimes a lonely
road as a “first-half-of-lifer” in ministry, and we feel
gratitude for our New Contemplative peers.
We formed community with ease because we share many
experiences: being the youngest person (by far) among
colleagues; navigating the blessings and challenges of
being “digital natives” committed to spiritual practice;
juggling the financial and family obligations common
to post-graduate young adults, but not often shared
by older spiritual directors; and seeking out mentors to
further our contemplative formation after completing
training in spiritual direction.
We ask similar questions, holding dynamic tension
with “both/ands,” each in our own contexts. How
do we both embrace hope and remain willing to
stand in darkness? How do we balance both action
for justice and the cultivation of the inner life? How
do we both ground ourselves in ancient traditions
and stand firmly in the postmodern world? How do
we value both the inner wisdom born of personal
experience and the wisdom of timeless teachings?
These are some of the questions we tackled during
our days together in Louisville—days filled with
powerful ritual, thought-provoking presentations,
soul-stirring music, and rich silence. At our plenary
session tables, over meals, and at the Merton
marker on Fourth St. and Walnut (where we took
group photos pun-fully dubbed “true selfies”), we
deepened the connections begun via conference
calls, Facebook, and e-mail.
New Contemplatives “true selfie” at the Merton marker
Page 8
The most powerful moment for me was receiving a
blessing from the gathered community after presenting
the O’Donohue poem and our reflections. The words
of the priestly blessing were chanted in Hebrew and
repeated in English. I stood with my hands open and
felt the warm weight of the blessing envelope me. One
New Contemplative spoke of that moment as a coming
of age. We all sensed it as a powerful commissioning,
a claiming of us as a part of the larger Spiritual
Directors International community, and a palpable
grace anointing us in our lives and ministries.
each day when I sit in prayer with the wisdom rock we
received in the closing ritual. As a New Contemplative,
I am grateful for the companion souls who journey
with mine in “sensing the world that awaits” us. I look
forward to the companion circle
expanding as New Contemplatives
cohorts are added each year. ❉
Rhonda Miska is a Roman Catholic
minister, retreat leader, poet, and
freelance writer.
Though now dispersed, I remember this community
SDI Multi-Faith Pilgrimage: The Wisdom in Receiving Hospitality
The 2015 Emerging Wisdom pilgrimage was a journey to discover the beauty of being guests at diverse centers
of spirituality in Louisville. Pilgrims learned from local spiritual guides at the Earth and Spirit Center in the
Passionist Monastery, The Thomas Merton Center at Bellarmine University, the Tibetan Buddhist Institute of
Louisville, and the Hindu Temple of Louisville. The entire day was a spiritual exercise in receiving hospitality and
learning to live as a guest of the earth and its varied religious communities. ❉
Entrance of Tibetan Buddhist Institute of
Louisville
Thomas Merton Center at Bellarmine University
Inside Tibetan Buddhist Institute of Louisville
Page 9
Spiritual Direction
Training Program
Starting Fall 2016
Application Due Aug. 1, 2016
FOUNDATIONAL UNDERSTANDING:
Our program is based in the Franciscan tradition which exults in the abundance and goodness of God and creation. The dignity and importance of
each human person is the basis of the sacred listening involved in Franciscan Spiritual Direction. The program begins with the on-going conversion
of each person, developing a sense of their own call and gifts, and understanding the importance of story, in themselves and in others.
A 2–year spiritual direction training program that focuses on deep
listening in a Franciscan environment.
Program Director:
Sr. Mary Jo Chaves, OSF
Franciscan Spiritual Center
2512 SE Monroe St
Milwaukie, Oregon 97222
Ph: 503-794-8542
www.FrancisSpCtr.com
[email protected]
Contact us for a
brochure and
more
information!!!
Coming Home Again: Giving Thanks
for the Contemplative Retreat
Nina Frost and Robert Close [Virginia, USA]
To be contemplative does not mean to be curious
about the world or to collect information, but to be
quiet before the world and recollect oneself.
—Marv Hiles
We are still savoring the contemplative retreat that
followed this year’s SDI conference. Distilled, expansive,
and different for each person, this retreat offered up
gifts that each of us—anywhere and anytime—could
be nourished by.
Some of the gifts offered were sacred space, deep
hospitality, vibrant community, and the sweet rhythm
of retreat hours. We experienced time apart; time to
learn; time to share; and time to listen to music, poetry,
each other, the word of God, and the blossom on the
tree.
The retreat began at the Abbey of Gethsemani walking
the path Thomas Merton walked to his hermitage,
where we simply took in the space. One of the monks
who had been a novice under him spoke of his
memories. The profound memory that sticks with us is
the hush in the room; the time spent just sitting by his
fireplace, seeing his altar room, feeling the palpable
dedication of the space to prayer, to listening for God.
It was a well-loved space; you could tell it held him well.
The sheer gift of a contemplative home ground made
itself clear.
That sense of a supportive “home” expanded in
charming ways at the Nazareth Retreat Center, run by
the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth. We enjoyed lovely
grounds for strolling, warm and welcoming sisters to
share meals with, and very comfortable rooms. The
unique touches like wine with our welcome dinner
and an ice cream sundae bar at lunch set the tone for
delight.
Delight. Savor. Stop long enough to notice. Speak what
Har vesting Your Autumn
A Retreat for Listening to Your Life
A Creative Contemplative Retreat October 9 – 12, 2015
As summer shifts into the energy of fall,
come rest, listen, and explore what this time
of the year holds for you and your directees.
This retreat blends
thought-provoking
presentations,
inviting art projects,
poetry, meditation,
free time,
optional workshops,
& the beauty of
Southern Midcoast Maine.
Full or partial weekend options available.
http://CreativeContemplatives.com
Page 11
you notice, and give thanks for it. Hear a word—maybe
just one word—that God has for you at this time. The
very fine presentations by Jonathan Montaldo, noted
Merton scholar and author, gave each of us a way to
enter into the hermitages of our own hearts and see
what was stirring.
The first evening he shared, “We are most alive when
we allow all things in the world to have a word with us.”
A contemplative retreat brings us ways to let the world
have a word with us, ways we have forgotten or been
too busy for; new ways we hear from someone else, or
that arise in prayer, or in song. Jonathan played, “The
Deer’s Cry,” a song that lodged in many a heart.
Poetry
Jonathan brought passions old and new together. He
has studied Merton since he was thirteen, but he was
in his sixties when he discovered the poetry of Mary
Oliver. He artfully blended these two creative souls,
dancing with and between them, sharing many gems
Anamchara
Antoinette Voûte Roeder
[Alberta, Canada]
When I sit with you
like, “Let me keep my mind on what matters, which is
my work, which is mostly standing still and learning to
be astonished…”
On the last day, words from German theologian,
philosopher, and mystic, Meister Eckhart in a breviary
found us and echoed the call to astonishment.
What is that sweetness that is accustomed to
touch me from time to time and affects me so
strangely and deliciously that I begin in a way to be
completely taken out of myself, and to be carried
away I know not where? All at once I am renewed
and entirely changed; I begin to feel well in a way
that lies beyond description.
May your coming days gift you with a wellness beyond
description. ❉
Nina Frost and Robert
Close are spiritual directors,
retreat leaders, and authors
currently living in Purcellville,
Virginia, USA. Nina works
in Virginia and New York
City. For almost fifty years,
Robert pastored churches
in Virginia and New York. quiet and open

nothing remains but
a clean threshing floor
fundament
bedrock.
Pour what you will
into this space.
It will hold
and hold fast.
It isn’t my doing
It’s not my space.
I only hold it.
Grace.
Labyrinth at Nazareth Retreat Center
Page 12
aea
CORN RIPENING
Fall equinox meditation retreat
Good Shepherd Mission
1 Kit Carson Dr
Fort Defiance, AZ 86504
Navajo Nation
September 16 – 20, 2015
$320 retreat house/meals
$400 pvt lodging/meals
ARIZONA ENN AG
Presents
Presents
ASSOCIATION
T: 928-729-2322
[email protected]
Connections
Publisher: Spiritual Directors International
Executive Director: Liz Budd Ellmann, MDiv
Editor: Katherine Hampton
Production Supervisor: Tobias Becker
Submissions: [email protected]
Advertising: www.sdiworld.org
THE ENNEAGRAM OF EMERGENCE: EXPLORING THE HIGHER ASPECTS
Connections is published three times a year (May, August,
November). The names Spiritual Directors International®,
SDIWorld®, and SDI® and its logo are trademarks of
Spiritual Directors International, Inc., all rights reserved.
Opinions and programs represented in this publication
are of the authors and advertisers and may not represent
the opinions of Spiritual Directors International, the
Coordinating Council, or the editors.
WHEN:
Saturday and Sunday | October 31-November 1, 2015 | 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Introductory Tour of the Types| Friday, October, 30th| 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
WHERE:
Paradise Valley United Methodist Church
4455 E. Lincoln Drive, Paradise Valley, AZ 85253
FEE:
$250.00- AEA Membership discounts apply- Includes lunches.
REGISTER: www.arizonaenneagram.org or contact Diane Shevlin at 480-367-1998
Reserve your spot today!
Multi-faith Pilgrimage to Iona
4 – 11 J U N E 2016
LISTENING
Publisher of Presence: An International Journal of Spiritual Direction
www.sdiworld.org
to the Wisdom of the Island
PILGRIM GUIDES: SALLY TAYLOR,
ANDREW AND WENDY RUDD
F O R I N F O R M AT I O N A N D R E G I S T R AT I O N
www.sdiworld.org
Page 13

Connections 24.2: August - Spiritual Directors International

Transcription

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