Articles on Spiritual Direction

  • Moving From Head to Heart

    I have been a mystic for much of my life, but I lacked the language to describe my experiences. Throughout various peaks and valleys in my multiple careers, I yearned for a deeper relationship with God. Time often felt elusive. However, I was on a journey that opened new vistas daily. Just over a year…

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  • Beyond the List of “Shoulds”: Receiving God’s Invitation

    “Many times today I will cross over a threshold.I hope I will catch a few of those times.I need to remember that my life is, in fact,a continuous series of thresholds:from one moment to the next,from one thought to the next,from one action to the next.Help me appreciate how awesome this is.How many are the…

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  • Ready to Keep Listening

    When my former Senior Rector suggested I sign up for Shalem’s Crossing the Threshold: Contemplative Foundations for Emerging Leaders program, I don’t think he quite knew what this course would come to mean to me and how it would intersect in such beautiful ways in my life. I certainly didn’t. However, I can say without…

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  • Let Your Heartbreak Be Your Guide

    Excerpt from Adam Bucko’s book “Let Your Heartbreak Be Your Guide: Lessons in Engaged Contemplation” pages 34-38. (Used with permission of the publisher, Orbis Books) A few years ago, I was invited to give a talk at an old church in London. This particular church had a very intriguing modern history: in the 1990s, it…

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  • Spiritual Guidance as Love Activism

    In the Northern Hemisphere where I live, we’ve passed the autumnal equinox and are entering one of my favorite seasons – fall. As the days become shorter and the nights lengthen, we’re invited to lean back and settle into this fecund, pregnant, obscure season heading towards winter. During fall our Jewish brothers and sisters celebrate…

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  • St. Clare of Assisi: Leading with Soul

    St. Clare of Assisi (1194-1253), for centuries best known as St. Francis’ “little plant,” eventually emerged as a strong leader in her own right in thirteenth-century Italy and beyond. While St. Francis took center stage with his extroverted charismatic leadership, St. Clare quietly built stronger structures behind the scenes. As I muse on St. Clare…

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Our mission is to nurture contemplative living and leadership.

Vision

In 2025, Shalem will be a dynamic and inclusive community, empowered by the Spirit, where seekers engage in transformation of themselves, their communities, and the world through spiritual growth, deep connection, and courageous action.

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