I am now officially certified as a spiritual director by the Haden Institute. I have completed two years of
training. As Allen Proctor said at our graduation, we attended six four day retreats (five on zoom, one in person), read 19 books and written responses, written five or six papers, including a final project which you are looking at now.
The community of the Haden Institute and my cohort was a life-saver in this time of pestilence. Every month, I met "in the squares" with my seven fellow seekers and our fantastic mentor. These seven women and one man were my brother and sisters as we reached further into ourselves than we ever thought possible.
The thing is, life doesn't stop when you enter a program like this. Each of us lost people in our lives. We struggled with our own illnesses and aches and traumas. We washed dishes and went to work. I don't know how we did it. We did it together.
And now it is time to hang up a shingle. To dare to call myself a Spiritual Director and to sit with people on their spiritual journey. I'm terrified.
A few years ago, I vowed to do scary things. Today, I am stepping beyond my ego and doing the scary thing of offering my gifts and talents and ears and shoulders and heart and mind to others. I'll be continuing my journey. I'll be helping other people on their journey. Here we go!