SDI Encounters

On this brief episode we talk about SDI's upcoming webinar series, The Tao and the Art of Spiritual Companionship. 
 
The Tao and the Art of Spiritual Companionship: Insights for Deep Listening and Spiritual Presence
$79.99
Many spiritual companions are meeting people who feel exhausted, anxious, polarized, spiritually dry, or overwhelmed by uncertainty. In moments like these, techniques often matter less than the quality of our presence.
The Tao Te Ching points us towards flourishing and fulfilling life, without explanation. This ancient Chinese wisdom tradition invites us into a way of living and listening that flows with life. It points us toward something that spiritual directors sense: that the deepest accompaniment happens not when we do more, but when we release into a vital presence.
This three-part series draws from seven essential Taoist themes into conversation with the practice of spiritual direction. Together we’ll explore a fresh framework for deep listening that helps you accompany people with less striving and more trust. We’ll explore not only how we accompany others, but how we inhabit our own inner life.
Each session weaves together reflection, dialogue, and practical application. Rather than simply adding another technique, this series helps cultivate the inner posture from which meaningful spiritual companionship naturally flows.
Anyone can participate in an SDI webinar! If you’re not a member, just contact us at office@sdiworld.org for your pricing.
https://www.sdicompanions.org/product/the-tao-and-the-art-of-spiritual-companionship/
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Scott McRae has been offering spiritual direction and training for over 25 years and continues to provide ongoing educational resources through the Spiritual Direction Learning Lab. An ordained pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, he holds an M.Div. from Yale University. Scott’s professional journey has spanned church and campus ministries, hospital chaplaincy, and leadership roles, all of which have shaped his approach to spiritual guidance. With three decades of experience training chaplains and spiritual directors, he brings deep wisdom and practical insight to his work. Based in Minneapolis, MN, Scott enjoys life with his wife, Melanie, their adult daughter, and their wonderfully quirky rescue dogs. He finds great joy in long walks, meaningful conversations, and fostering spiritual growth in others.

Dear Community,
During these deeply disturbing, harrowing and convulsive times, what are spiritual directors and companions to do?  How can we respond?  Please listen to this episode for a special message I wanted to share with all of you. We need to stand together as a community, faithful to our calling and practice, because spiritual direction and companionship heal, and are needed now more than ever.
Warmly,
Rev SeiFu, and the SDI Team

Cinema Divina is the creative, contemplative practice of media artist and writer M Freeman. M re-imagines the ancient ritual of sacred reading or lectio divina in today’s audiovisual vernacular as Cinema Divina—a contemplative screening process designed to increase access to one’s deeper wisdom, healing, and peace.
SDI is hosting a 2-part webinar with M Freeman, where we will practice Cinema Divina together in an online spiritual companionship setting, offering an inspiring blend of relaxation and spiritual imagination.
In this podcast chat, we have a really wonderful conversation with M on the origins of Cinema Divina, what folks can expect in doing the practice with them, and other fun things that arise when two spiritual companions sit down together and open up about creative life.
You can also visit M's website to learn more about their work in the world.

In this episode hear from Christina Roberts, author of My Spiritual Journey, a new children’s activity book designed to help kids explore wonder, stillness, and the gentle presence of Divine Love. Christina shares the inspiration behind the book, why children are naturally attuned to the sacred, and how simple practices like drawing, gratitude, and quiet reflection can nurture a child’s inner life.
Whether you work with children, care for children, or simply want to reconnect with your own sense of wonder, we hope this new activity book from SDI invites you into a deeper appreciation of the spiritual wisdom children carry and the gentle ways we can help it bloom.

In this episode of SDI Encounters, we’re excited to introduce a powerful new course offering from SDI — an 8-part online series called Somatic Spiritual Companionship: Inner Awareness for Deeper Listening. You’ll hear a bit here on this offering from course facilitator, Cynthia Winton-Henry.
This course invites spiritual directors, companions, and wayfarers into a deeper exploration of the body-soul connection, offering a variety of practices that can enrich and expand your approach to spiritual direction and companionship. By engaging with somatic awareness — through movement, meditation, art, and embodied presence — we open new pathways to support others and ourselves with greater depth and authenticity.
Facilitated by Cynthia Winton-Henry, cofounder of InterPlay and author of The Art of Ensoulment, the series features a diverse lineup of spiritual companions who will guide us in experiential practices and share stories from their own embodied journeys.
Join us for eight live, 90-minute sessions starting Tuesday, September 30, 2025, and learn how to cultivate deeper listening, resilience, and presence — from the inside out.
Learn more and register at: https://www.sdicompanions.org/product/somatic-spiritual-companionship/

What is spiritual direction or companionship really like? In these episodes, Christina Roberts and Matt Whitney offer each other 30 minutes of real-life spiritual direction—something like a “Fishbowl” experience—so you can listen in on the process as it unfolds.
The first episode will have Matt offering spiritual companionship to Christina. The second episode will have Christina offering spiritual companionship to Matt. In the third episode, we reflect together on what one might expect in entering a spiritual direction/companionship session, what we’ve learned in our years of doing this work, and what this practice makes possible.
Whether you're curious about becoming a spiritual director, seeking one yourself, or simply drawn to deep listening and presence, this episode offers a rare, honest glimpse into the heart of spiritual companionship.
Learn more about the work of spiritual direction and companionship on our website, or find a spiritual companion that you can work with today, at www.sdicompanions.org.
Christina's website is thecontemplativelife.net

What is spiritual direction or companionship really like? In these episodes, Christina Roberts and Matt Whitney offer each other 30 minutes of real-life spiritual direction—something like a “Fishbowl” experience—so you can listen in on the process as it unfolds.
The first episode will have Matt offering spiritual companionship to Christina. The second episode will have Christina offering spiritual companionship to Matt. In the third episode, we reflect together on what one might expect in entering a spiritual direction/companionship session, what we’ve learned in our years of doing this work, and what this practice makes possible.
Whether you're curious about becoming a spiritual director, seeking one yourself, or simply drawn to deep listening and presence, this episode offers a rare, honest glimpse into the heart of spiritual companionship.
Learn more about the work of spiritual direction and companionship on our website, or find a spiritual companion that you can work with today, at www.sdicompanions.org.
Christina's website is thecontemplativelife.net

What is spiritual direction or companionship really like? In these episodes, Christina Roberts and Matt Whitney offer each other 30 minutes of real-life spiritual direction—something like a “Fishbowl” experience—so you can listen in on the process as it unfolds.
The first episode will have Matt offering spiritual companionship to Christina. The second episode will have Christina offering spiritual companionship to Matt. In the third episode, we reflect together on what one might expect in entering a spiritual direction/companionship session, what we’ve learned in our years of doing this work, and what this practice makes possible.
Whether you're curious about becoming a spiritual director, seeking one yourself, or simply drawn to deep listening and presence, this episode offers a rare, honest glimpse into the heart of spiritual companionship.
Learn more about the work of spiritual direction and companionship on our website, or find a spiritual companion that you can work with today, at www.sdicompanions.org.
Christina's website is thecontemplativelife.net

“If SDI has done nothing else, and it has done much…but help us to gather together in support of one another, that might have been enough.”
So says SDI Co-Founder Lucy Abbott Tucker, perennial teacher, leader and contributor to the SDI community, and keynote speaker at SDI’s 35th Anniversary Conference to be held in Niagara Falls, May 29th-31st, 2025, and online.
I published a short video of Lucy last week on our YouTube channel, with this being the full conversation we had.
SDI has much to be proud of over its 35-year history, and we look forward to celebrating all those achievements with you, even as we continue to explore areas where we need to keep striving and learning together. And that’s the key, as Lucy tells us: all of us who practice, are dedicated to, or interested in, spiritual direction and companionship can rely on one another for support, discernment, and encouragement
So, please join us for our annual gathering, whether in person, or online. And if cost is a concern, you can apply for a scholarship.

In this 20 minute conversation, SDI Executive Director Rev. SeiFu Singh-Molares and Creative Director Matt Whitney discuss how in challenging times, we can learn how to use these challenges as gateways to deeper awareness, understanding, and spiritual growth. Our work as spiritual directors and companions involves helping others through their own challenges, as well as tending to our own. We believe we can do more than just survive difficult times, we can thrive.
Rev. SeiFu's full written reflection is available in Listen - Reflections on Spiritual Direction and Companionship. It is freely available to all and can be accessed on the SDI website: https://www.sdicompanions.org/media/listen/listen-19-1-january-2025/
Listen is a free outreach publication from SDI that assists spiritual travelers in the search for everyday encounters with the Sacred. It is published in January, May, and September. This simple and inviting publication includes short articles, poetry, and global resource announcements. It is read around the world by more than fifteen-thousand seekers, subscribers, and members of SDI. Become a supporting member of SDI today. Learn more at https://www.sdicompanions.org/become-a-member/