The breadth and depth of today’s challenges and questions in this threshold moment highlights the need for those who are trained for generous-active listening as soul companions. Spiritual direction instruction forms those who wish to accompany others desiring an intimate friendship and experience of God. As a listening and healing presence, spiritual directors assist others to recognize their inner movements toward greater freedom and wholeness to encourage active responses of love and goodness for the sake of the world.    

 

The art of sacred listening in spiritual direction nurtures and sustains soul-tending and is different from problem-focused pastoral counseling, goal-making in coaching or mentoring, and teaching through discipleship. We live in a time when our souls are easily ignored, languishing in the ambiguities and paradoxes of being human. We experience both our greatness and our fragility and underneath those tensions, we may notice fear and uncertainty, busyness and achievement, shame and isolation. Taking the time to intently listen to our inner life readies and sustains our personal encounter with Christ and prepares us to engage our outer world with compassion, grace, and new insight. Here we find for ourselves and for the sake of others space and time for the soul to thrive.

 

Join us as we embark on a  21-month formational training program. Our program is designed for a cohort to journey together in learning the art of spiritual direction while growing deeper in self-awareness.  By carefully pacing our program to allow for deep formation through intentional community, compassionate mentoring, and integrative practices, our rhythm for meeting honors summer breaks and holidays. The sessions dates for each year run from August through May:

 

• In-Person Retreat Dates: October 11-14, 2021 and October, 2022 

• Weekly Online Sessions starting Fall 2021

• Breaks and holidays are observed  (dates -12/13/21-1/9/21 with other dates TBA)

• Program completion date: May 2023

 

Our Spiritual Direction Mentors and Spiritual Formation instructors include authors, teachers, seasoned spiritual directors, and supervisors who are deeply committed to the formation of Spiritual Directors. They place particular emphasis on:

 

• Attention to foundational components which include theory and robust practical experience. 

• Understanding the practical application of spiritual formation tools and concepts. 

• Exploring psychological and social underpinnings.

• Christian contemplative traditions that engender a capacity to host those of other faiths or no faith. 

• Contemplative approach that fosters

  • Listening silence

  • Encountering Presence   

  • Generous compassionate justice 

  • Forming for companioning self and the world 

  • Discernment that leads toward freedom

  • Embodied listening awareness  

  • Collaborative learning and relational focus

• Spiritual Formation Topics that include

  • Rhythm of Life

  • Shadow work through the Enneagram  

  • Shame and Resiliency  

  • Discovering Our Lens - becoming aware of our conscious and unconscious understandings that influence the way we experience God, ourselves, and others.

  • Images of God - developing awareness of one's own and others’ understanding of God.

  • Spiritual Mysticism - reading writings of those who have experienced the Divine, allowing an awareness of other ways of relating to God. 

 

Who should apply: We are welcoming Spiritual Seekers and Spiritual Leaders who have a capacity to listen to and articulate their own spiritual experience and are drawn to deep authentic and vulnerable conversations. Applicants should have experience in an ongoing relationship receiving spiritual direction or less formal spiritual accompaniment. A recommendation from that person will be required as part of the application process. Those who do not currently have a formal spiritual direction relationship will need to engage one. We have a list available of spiritual directors who offer the same contemplative flow of what we are teaching. 

 

Expected workload: Students can expect to spend 8-10 hours per week in reading, reflection, online cohort discussions, and praxis sessions. 

 

Cohort size: Due to our high praxis and relational approach we are limiting each cohort to 8-16 participants. With three trained praxis mentors, the student to mentor ratio is five to one. 

 

Why would I join? As we journey together over these 21-months, you will receive content with guided praxis to develop listening skills to hold space for others without having to fix them. Our program is heavily weighted with listening and spiritual direction praxis, while you are accompanied by trained supervisory praxis mentors who desire to help you learn to openly listen with compassion, offering a judgment-free space. In addition to spiritual direction content, we include seven spiritual formation courses to help define your own way of understanding yourself, God, and those around you. 

 

The cost for each year of the two-year program—exclusive of transportation, personal spiritual direction, books, and supplies—is $3,500. A deposit of $1000 is due by July 1st each year once a student is accepted. The remaining $2500 is due by September 1st of each of the two years or through an 18-month payment plan of $350 per month after the first deposit.

 

More Questions: Email Kathi Gatlin at kathi@companioningcenter.org