Spiritual Guidance

WHAT IS SPIRITUAL GUIDANCE AND COMPANIONSHIP?

Spiritual guidance and companionship is an ongoing process of listening and attuning to a more gentle, subtle dimension of life. It is highly intuitive and rooted in knowing you have a deep internal wisdom that can be accessed as you learn to PAUSE and listen to the many aspects of your being: mental, emotional, physical, spiritual and energetic.

In a culture where we feel an endless push to self-improvement (which is not always a bad thing), this process transforms in a deeper way as you learn to carefully listen to all your internal voices as a catalyst for cultivating qualities such as acceptance, compassion, serenity, meaning, humility, forgiveness and letting go. Together, we mine the wisdom of these qualities as you integrate them into your current reality.

MY ROLE

My role is one of a caring guide and companion who knows the inner terrain well. I have no agenda but to support you. I highlight patterns, invite self-awareness, bring perspective, teach practices, share resources and invite you to gently turn towards and be with the tender places inside of you that the exterior culture would often have you fight, avoid or ignore. This may include the fear, anger, shame, disappointment and sadness.

Paradoxically, as we gently turn towards these more difficult emotions, we open up space for deeper peace, ease and confidence. I’ve been told people feel safe and accepted in my presence and we gently turn towards these parts of ourselves with the open heart of compassion.

Your whole inner cast of characters are welcome (even the ones you’d prefer remain in hiding or go away. Sometimes the embarrassing, unruly characters have a boatload of insight). I will help you bring that elusive quality called presence into your mind, your heart and your physical sensations.

YOUR ROLE

I work best with people ready to step into their inner lives with a quality of intention, a desire for awareness and a steady commitment to practicing and walking the talk.

A willingness to open your tender heart goes a long way. This is not about sentimentality. Rather, it’s a willingness to be compassionate with yourself and others even when it gets hard while also allowing yourself to be surprised by joy and peace.

THE TOOLS

We use tools such as the Enneagram, body awareness, contemplative practice, the Pause, meditative breathing and Cynthia Bourgault’s Four Voices of Discernment.

INCORPORATED INTO YOUR DAILY LIFE

The beauty of this process is it is innately practical as it doesn’t require you leave your life to go meditate on a mountaintop or live in a hermitage. It’s woven into the fabric of your work life, your friendships and family. I understand this as I have a full life of family, work, travel and friendships. I don’t pretend to live an idealized spiritual life. We work within these contemporary realities “on the ground” where you live.

Yes, you may choose to let go of things which no longer serve your growing inner life or you may find yourself craving more time alone or on retreat. But these counterpoints are calibrated with care and awareness of the limits of your time, energy, relationships and inner and outer resources.

Many who work with me have shared they’ve a greater sense of meaning, personal sovereignty and compassion as they embark on this path. Part of this has to do with learning what you can and cannot change which leaves you with more energy to creatively attend to what matters. You grow and develop a more solid sense of how to relate to others who have a different worldview. You learn that we see from where we stand and we each stand in a unique place. At the same time, we reflect on how you show up in relationships and ways relationships can provide a useful, and sometimes challenging mirror of our inner lives.

My clients live far away as South America, Ireland and Switzerland and as close to a mile from my office. For out of town clients, we do our work over Zoom.