SDI Encounters

EP121 - Roslyn G. Weiner - A Process for Group Spiritual Direction - New Book from SDI Press

With over 18 years of experience facilitating groups in spiritual direction, Dr. Roslyn Weiner brings a creative and practical approach to one of the key aspects of our contemplative calling. She is the author of SDI’s newest book and resource for spiritual directors and spiritual companions, titled – Seeking in the Company of Others – The Wisdom of Group Spiritual Direction. She explains her process of group spiritual direction and her motivations for writing the book in this interview with SDI Chief Operating Officer Rory Briski. Learn more about the book, as well as the companion 3-part webinar on Group Spiritual Direction starting soon, at sdicompanions.org.
 
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Dr. Roslyn G. Weiner is a seasoned spiritual director and psychologist, rooted in listening for the sacred whispering within her soul and the souls of those who invite her to witness their seeking. She earned a PhD in psychology from Yale University and an STM degree from the School of Theology at Boston University.
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Engage 2022 is SDI’s first “hybrid” annual conference. That means it will be experienced in-person in Santa Fe as well as digitally, through live apps and recordings. Engage 2022 is about deep listening and the lasting change it can create, it is about engaging with our shadow to find light, and it is about bridge building in the service of love– fostering engagement. Keynote Presenters include Dr. Cornel West, Valarie Kaur, Father Greg Boyle, and more. Register now for SDI’s 2022 Annual Conference, at sdicompanions.org.

EP 120: Finding God In All I See, Finding God in You and Me - Writing a Children‘s Book - MaryEllen Weber

MaryEllen Weber is an SDI Member and a spiritual director, and she has written a children’s book which was recently published by Growing Awake Books. It’s called “Finding God in All I See, Finding God in You and Me". MaryEllen and I had a conversation about the inspiration for this book, and what it was like to write and publish it.
For us grownups, MaryEllen asks us this - When you were a child, what did you think about God? Where did you think God lived? What did you think God was like? Where did you think you could find God? Chances are, you experienced God in many ways without realizing it, because the places you were taught to look for God were limited. What if someone in your life had taught you to find God everywhere and in everyone, including yourself?
MaryEllen Weber has an MA in Transforming Spirituality from Seattle University School of Theology and Ministry. As a spiritual director, she accompanies people with their inner work of transformation through spiritual growth groups, labyrinth and SoulCollage® workshops, retreats and individual spiritual direction. MaryEllen lives near Seattle with her husband, Jim, and Grandmother Willow.
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Engage 2022 is SDI’s first “hybrid” annual conference. That means it will be experienced in-person in Santa Fe as well as digitally, through live apps and recordings. Engage 2022 is about deep listening and the lasting change it can create, it is about engaging with our shadow to find light, and it is about bridge building in the service of love– fostering engagement. Keynote Presenters include Dr. Cornel West, Valarie Kaur, Father Greg Boyle, and more. Register now for SDI’s 2022 Annual Conference, at sdicompanions.org.
 
 

EP119 - ”Engage” - Our 2022 SDI Conference Theme

In this week's episode, SDI Creative Director Matt Whitney speaks with SDI Executive Director Rev. SeiFu about our 2022 conference theme, Engage: Companionship to Heal our Fractured World.
From now until October 5th, those who register for Engage 2022 can save $200 with our Super Early Bird special. This offer is valid for both in-person and online conference experiences, and anyone who signs up now will be amongst the first in line to secure their spots in our most popular workshop offerings.
To learn more and register for Engage 2022, visit our website sdicompanions.org.
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Till the darknessLike life-giving earth.Engage with your own dark nights of the soul, And those of your brothers and sisters.Community is seeded  and flourishes  with patient, present, active companionship. This is the way we heal.This is the way to wholeness. This is the way love stands strong. No matter what we face,Fear not. Listen.Join us -
Engage 2022 

EP118 - Karen Erlichman - A Contemporary Approach to Spiritual Direction Supervision

In this episode, Matt Whitney and Karen Erlichman discuss the supervision process for spiritual directors and companions.
Karen writes, "Supervision is a client-centered, covenanted relationship that empowers the supervisee’s spiritual and vocational life by exploring the interior movements that arise while companioning others. Different faith traditions use their own terminology to describe the personal (internal) experience of God. In Judaism, the word Shechinah refers to the in-dwelling of God, as well as the Divine Feminine. At its best, supervision provides the freedom and trust to listen to the felt sense of knowing, what Quaker educator and mentor Parker Palmer calls the “inner teacher” (Palmer, 25–26). Spiritual directors (and other practitioners) need the freedom and safety in supervision to discuss their vulnerabilities and successes, mistakes and gifts, and to grow personally and professionally from open disclosure. Supervision serves the spiritual formation of the spiritual director, directee and supervisor."
The video for this conversation is available to SDI Members on our website, which you can access here.
Our current issue of Presence Journal is available online at https://www.sdicompanions.org/media/presence/
Presence Journal is a resource for SDI Members. If you're not a member, why not become one? SDI Membership supports our work and advocacy for spiritual direction and spiritual companionship, includes deep discounts on all our educational offerings, and offers a public profile on our Find a Spiritual Director or Companion Guide. Learn more about SDI Membership here.
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Karen Erlichman DMin, LCSW, provides psychotherapy, spiritual direction, supervision, and So(U)L coaching in San Francisco, California, USA. She is a consultant to The Dinner Party, and she also serves on the Professional Advisory Group for the University of California, San Francisco, Medical Center Spiritual Care Services Department. www.karenerlichman.com

EP117 - Carl McColman - Christian Mystics and Spiritual Companionship

In this week's episode, SDI's Director of Content & Communities, Steven Crandell, chats with contemplative author and mystic Carl McColman about their upcoming webinar series Christian Mystics and Spiritual Companionship – Wisdom Teaching for Those Who Hold Space. This 4-part series begins on September 9 and runs through September 30, 2021. For all the details and to sign up, visit our website at sdicompanions.org.
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Carl McColman is the author of books like The Big Book of Christian Mysticism, Answering the Contemplative Call and An Invitation to Celtic Wisdom. He also writes a blog on contemplation and mysticism at anamchara.com. In addition to his work as a writer, blogger and podcaster, Carl leads retreats and maintains a busy spiritual direction practice.
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ON SEPTEMBER 30TH YOU’RE INVITED TO JOIN THE UPPER ROOM IN REFLCETING ON THE PAST 18 MONTHS OF INDIVIDUAL AND COLLECTIVE TRAUMA. THE THREE-DAY ONLINE EVENT, RESILIENCE | HEALING PRACTICES FOR MIND, BODY, AND SPIRIT, WILL INCLUDE STORYTELLING, TIME FOR PERSONAL REFLECTION AND CONVERSATION, GUIDED SPIRITUAL PRACTICE, AND WORSHIP. TO REGISTER, VISIT UPPERROOM.ORG/RESILIENCE. DON’T MISS EARLY REGISTRATION, WHICH ENDS ON AUGUST 30TH.

EP116 - Teresa Blythe - Awakening While Anchoring the Radio News

In this week's episode, SDI Creative Director Matt Whitney speaks with spiritual director Teresa Blythe, on her extraordinary journey following her calling from radio news anchor to full time spiritual director. SDI members can read about her experience in the article "Feeling the Call of Deep Listening - 3 Stories" in the August 2021 issue of Connections.
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Teresa Blythe is a spiritual director, educator and author. She founded the Phoenix Center for Spiritual Direction, housed at First UCC church in downtown Phoenix. For 14 years she was the Director of the Hesychia School of Spiritual Direction. She’s now training spiritual directors online at Apprentice Spiritual Direction Training.
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ON SEPTEMBER 30TH YOU’RE INVITED TO JOIN THE UPPER ROOM IN REFLCETING ON THE PAST 18 MONTHS OF INDIVIDUAL AND COLLECTIVE TRAUMA. THE THREE-DAY ONLINE EVENT, RESILIENCE | HEALING PRACTICES FOR MIND, BODY, AND SPIRIT, WILL INCLUDE STORYTELLING, TIME FOR PERSONAL REFLECTION AND CONVERSATION, GUIDED SPIRITUAL PRACTICE, AND WORSHIP. TO REGISTER, VISIT UPPERROOM.ORG/RESILIENCE. DON’T MISS EARLY REGISTRATION, WHICH ENDS ON AUGUST 30TH.

EP115 - Evan Miller - Leadership and Spirituality

In this week's episode, SDI Creative Director Matt Whitney speaks with Evan J. Miller, on the topic of Leadership and Spirituality. His article entitled Leaning into Letting Go: Leadership as a Path on the Spiritual Journey can be found in the June 2021 issue of Presence Journal. A video version of this podcast is included as a bonus on the enhanced web version, which is available to all SDI members.
For further reading: Coaching or Companionship – What’s the Difference? 
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Evan Miller is a spiritual director and retired business leader. Evan is especially interested in the intersections of spirituality, leadership, and organizational governance. His mission is to help leaders grow spiritually and bring their whole, maturing selves to their leadership role.
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ON SEPTEMBER 30TH YOU’RE INVITED TO JOIN THE UPPER ROOM IN REFLCETING ON THE PAST 18 MONTHS OF INDIVIDUAL AND COLLECTIVE TRAUMA. THE THREE-DAY ONLINE EVENT, RESILIENCE | HEALING PRACTICES FOR MIND, BODY, AND SPIRIT, WILL INCLUDE STORYTELLING, TIME FOR PERSONAL REFLECTION AND CONVERSATION, GUIDED SPIRITUAL PRACTICE, AND WORSHIP. TO REGISTER, VISIT UPPERROOM.ORG/RESILIENCE. DON’T MISS EARLY REGISTRATION, WHICH ENDS ON AUGUST 30TH.

EP114 - My Boss is a Zen Priest - How to Sit

In today's episode, Creative Director Matt Whitney continues his podcast series entitled "My Boss is a Zen Priest". Matt speaks with SDI Executive Director Reverend SeiFu about the Zen Buddhist practice of Zazen. 
Zazen, or seated meditation, is a contemplative practice used to still our mind, ground ourselves, and allow ourselves to connect deeply and mindfully with everything surrounding us. 
 
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Rev. SeiFu Anil Singh-Molares is the Executive Director of SDI and an ordained Zen Buddhist priest, as well as a practicing spiritual director/companion and motivational speaker. He is a veteran of numerous interfaith and interspiritual efforts over the years, including Seeds of Compassion in Seattle in 2008, where he was one of the chairs, and as founder and executive director of the Compassionate Action Network. He has a Master’s in Theological Studies from Harvard University.
Rev. Seifu is an accomplished speaker and university lecturer and is a key contributor for the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation. In a previous life, he was also an executive at Microsoft, where he successfully grew international groups and divisions and provided leadership to multi-cultural teams around the world.

EP113 - Taste of the Divine Garden of Rumi - Imam Jamal Rahman

In this week’s episode, Creative Director Matt Whitney speaks with Imam Jamal Rahman, about their July 2021 webinar series “The Fragrance of the Beloved”, built upon new revealings and discoveries in the poetry of Rumi, through the lens of spiritual companionship.
In the truest tradition of spiritual directors and spiritual companions, Rumi asks open-ended questions that lead us to ask penetrating questions of ourselves. He accepts us as we are and opens the way for us to explore what our lives can be in contemplative union with the Beloved.
Jamal has been studying Rumi most of his life. Sitting in Jamal’s circle of love as you contemplative Rumi’s mystic brilliance is a chance to broaden and deepen your concept of spiritual companioning.
Learn more about this offering on our website at: https://www.sdicompanions.org/product/the-fragrance-of-the-beloved/
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Imam Jamal Rahman is a popular speaker on Islam, Sufi spirituality, and interfaith relations. Along with his Interfaith Amigos, he has been featured in the New York Times, CBS News, BBC, and various NPR programs. Jamal is co-founder and Muslim Sufi minister at Interfaith Community Sanctuary and adjunct faculty at Seattle University. He is a former co-host of Interfaith Talk Radio and travels nationally and internationally, presenting at retreats and workshops.
Jamal’s passion lies in interfaith community building. He remains rooted in his Islamic tradition and cultivates a “spaciousness” by being open to the beauty and wisdom of other faiths. By authentically and appreciatively understanding other paths, Jamal feels that he becomes a better Muslim. This spaciousness is not about conversion but about completion.

EP112 - SDI Coordinating Council and the State of SDI

In this week’s episode, SDI’s Creative Director Matt Whitney poses a variety of questions to SDI’s Coordinating Council in a special “State of SDI” gathering, which was recorded during our Renaissance 2021 Conference from April of this year.
The Coordinating Council (Board of Directors) is the governing body of Spiritual Directors International. With the role comes fiduciary, visionary, strategic planning, and personnel oversight responsibilities. Council members serve three-year terms, and new members are appointed as members of the council complete their terms of office. The year following each coordinating council member’s name indicates the year they complete their term of service on the council.
If you missed SDI Renaissance, it's not too late - we are offering for sale recordings of all our keynote presentations and our 40 workshops - over 90 hours of video content on spiritual direction and spiritual companionship - available from our website, sdicompanions.org. Recordings are accessible for 120 days after purchase.