Living in God: Personal Spiritual Deepening Program

The Living in God: Personal Spiritual Deepening Program (PSDP) is a resource for those wishing to integrate a contemplative orientation – a stance that encourages moment by moment awareness and openness to God’s grace – in all the changing circumstances of daily life.

This program supports not only personal spiritual deepening but also growing compassion for others and a way for participants to connect what is happening in them with where they sense they are called to act in the world.

Begun in 1992, PSDP is offered by Shalem faculty in communities around the world.

Who Might be Interested

This program is for anyone, anywhere, who feels drawn to contemplative spirituality and who:

• Desires a deepened relationship with God and to live out of that relationship;
• Wishes to develop or deepen a consistent spiritual practice;
• Wants the regular guidance of a spiritual companion for daily contemplative living;
• Seeks authentic spiritual community and support;
• Is eager to learn within a broad ecumenical Christian framework, enhanced by the wisdom of other traditions;
• Longs to be a transforming presence in the world

The Living in God: Personal Spiritual Deepening Program is comprised of experiential learning, supported at-home enrichment activities and spiritual practices, assigned readings, spiritual community, ongoing reflection groups called Listening Circles, and retreat time.

Topics and readings will focus on the following themes:

Listening and Transformation

“How do we cultivate that attention, that listening to the Beloved, the God who seeks us? Transformation happens when we experience God in our hearts; God invites and we respond.” (Patience Robbins)

Spiritual Community

“Spiritual community [is described] as the person or group of people with whom my desire for God comes alive and through whom I am supported in honoring that desire.” (Rose Mary Dougherty)

Discernment

“Desiring spiritual discernment in all things we seek to be intentionally open to God in each moment as the Spirit guides and co-creates through us.” (Shalem Institute Core Values)

Earth Awareness

“The Earth is suffering and exhausted. We need to deepen our Earth awareness, the awareness that we are utterly connected to all of life, in order to create a new consciousness and to heal our relationship with all living beings. We are given the vision and power to co-participate with God in healing the brokenness of our world.” (Ann Dean)

Sacred Activism

“A contemplative orientation not only draws us to our deepest, truest self in God but also shapes both an individual’s and a community’s way of being in, listening to, and caring for the world.” (Shalem Institute Core Values)

We expect participants, through prayer and dialogue with their spiritual directors and the program leaders, to integrate the program components in a way that will best serve their spiritual deepening. In addition, participants are expected to:

• Commit to a regular spiritual practice that will honor and nourish their relationship with God.
• Attend the opening retreat, closing retreat, and all plenary sessions.
• Meet monthly with their listening circle.
• Meet regularly with a spiritual director.
• Pray for the group as a spiritual community.

Dates:

All sessions are the second Saturday of the month:
March 11, 2017, 9-4, Opening Day Retreat
April 8, 2017, 9-12
May 13, 2017, 9-12
June 10, 2017, 9-12
September 9, 2017, 9-12
October 14, 2017, 9-12
November 11, 2017, 9-4, Closing Day Retreat

Place:

The Shalem Library, 3025 Fourth Street NE Suite 22, Washington, DC 20017

Leaders:

Margot Eyring and Elizabeth Tuckermanty

Margot Eyring, BFA, Ph.D., Associate Faculty at the Shalem Institute, hosted her first retreat on her family farm over 30 years ago. Since then, she has delighted in creating spaces for lives to deepen and be transformed. As a spiritual director and well-being coach, she helps her clients get to where they need to be by focusing on their lives and God’s presence; paying attention to what is important. For Margot, hospitality is a vehicle for promoting justice and shalom. She spends her weekday mornings cooking breakfast for neighbors desiring community, some of whom live on the streets of her neighborhood.

Elizabeth Tuckermanty, Ph.D. Associate Faculty at the Shalem Institute. She has been connected to contemplative work for over 30 years. She has led retreats focusing on food, labyrinth walking, centering and meditation. She is a nutritionist, gardener and an avid foodie. She is eager to help seekers find that wisdom within themselves through contemplative practices.

Application Fee

$45 (non-refundable)

Price:

$650 early bird rate, if tuition payment received by February 7, 2017
$695 regular rate, if tuition payment received by March 6, 2017

To download a brochure, click here.
For more information, please contact katy@shalem.org.