Getting started
Suggestions to help you explore contemplative listening and spiritual direction
01
Time with Mother Earth
While God can and does meet us everywhere (I once felt a nudge when a certain truck passed me in traffic!), we often listen better in nature. We are a part of the natural world; it can act as a spiritual director of sorts when we interact with it. Hikes through the forest are fabulous but, if schedule or mobility prohibit, quiet time on a porch with a view works too.
02
Develop a daily practice
Setting aside time each day comes more easily to some people than others. Consider what resonates most with you: drinking tea while reading a daily devotional in your favorite chair, listening to a podcast during a walk or run, painting or dancing to a curated playlist, writing in a gratitude journal at the close of each day. Give yourself grace when life intervenes.
03
Get away for a retreat
Taking time and space apart from everyday life can deepen listening. Some East Coast sites that offer formal and informal programs—including silent retreats—are Bon Secours Retreat and Conference Center, Dayspring Silent Retreat Center, The Retreat House, and Well for the Journey. You can find more options across the United States here.
04
Find a spiritual director
Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation, Spiritual Directors International, and the Center for Action and Contemplation are all well-established, respected organizations that provide national search directories on their websites. (They also offer short-term classes and other opportunities.)
Free Downloads
from
River + Roots
This packet, created in collaboration with Rev. Richard Jorgensen for a conference presentation, includes over a dozen activities and is free to use under the limited permissions outlined on page two.
2 / Enneagram Basics
Curious about the Enneagram but overwhelmed about where to start? This worksheet shares tips and recommended resources to give you more confidence.
3 / Liturgy for Leaving a Spiritual Home After Harm (coming later this year)
This liturgy is intended to offer a sense of closure to those who have left a spiritual community due to conflict or harm. It includes adaptable elements for people from diverse faith backgrounds. Please honor your own pace—do not pressure yourself or others to participate if it feels re-traumatizing. This ritual is not a substitute for professional therapeutic care.
“The deepest river of feeling is the speaking of the spiritual heart … it is often the still, small voice that is the least noticed of our inner life.”
Beverly Lanzetta