Supporting people in discerning
and living free & meaningful lives.
Our world is simultaneously beautiful and brutal at the same time. Navigating the landscapes of loss and oppression take their toll on many of us, and we seem to have less community, less time, and less resources for truly connecting with the integrity our own souls.
Maybe, like me, you have struggled to remember your wholeness and holiness in these times. Maybe you are unsure of how to live in the face of division or a changing planet. It’s a lot, and no one should travel alone.
“Questions I have many, answers but a few. But we’re here to learn, the spirit burns, to know the greater truth.”
Dolly Parton, Travelin’ Thru
Calling All Meaning Seekers
EMBRACE TRANSFORMATION AND CONNECT WITH WHAT IS SACRED IN YOUR LIFE
Spiritual direction is a relationship of solidarity and a process of growing in freedom, together. It is time set aside to pay attention beyond the habitual, to resist what deadens us, and to welcome what makes us come alive.
ALIGN YOUR CORE VALUES WITH HOW YOU LIVE YOUR LIFE
My spiritual direction offers deep listening and powerful questions in the service of spiritual growth. Are you in a time of transition? Are you questioning your faith or seeking groundedness? I am a companion on your journey who can help you discern the path ahead, so you know you never have to travel alone.
An Invitation to Open Hearted Partnership
Spiritual direction helps us listen for how we are called to love more fully. We can be called by so many voices — our ancestors, our neighbors, our conscience, other living beings, Wisdom traditions, the lessons of history and the natural world. These callings may or may not come alongside a particular religious tradition. Spiritual direction is held in the encompassing circle of Big Love—the force of the Universe that always creates new life, even through death—which some of us call God.
I am: she/her, Appalachian, queer, spouse to a non-binary person, an adoptive parent of three, sister, gardener, hiker, writer, art and music appreciator. I am also a Unitarian Universalist minister, influenced by Quaker and Buddhist thought, as well as my Protestant forebears.
The common theme I have pursued throughout my life and career is transformation towards healing and liberation, on both the personal and collective level. I have a personal commitment to the lifelong practice of examining my whiteness and other places of privilege, and actively working to serve alternatives to systems of domination. I believe that we learn together.
How Could Spiritual Direction Benefit Me?
Every so often we hear stories of people transformed in an instant, and sometimes traumatic or transcendent events can do that to or for a person. But I’d venture to say, for most of us, transformation is a slow unfolding, even a cyclical one like the seasons.
A spiritual director accompanies you in that transformation process, so that it can be more intentional, happen more easily, and feel more meaningful.
What does a spiritual director do?
A spiritual director offers deep listening and powerful questions in the service of your spiritual growth. A spiritual director is a companion on your journey who can help you discern the path ahead, so you know you never have to travel alone. A spiritual director does not bring their own agenda, but opens compassionate space for you to get in touch with what matters most to you. Spiritual direction is less talking about what you believe, and more reflecting on how you experience the Holy. Guiding questions for my spiritual direction practice are:
How are you connected to what is sacred? What is life-giving for you? Silence, poetry, sacred scriptures, music, meditation or prayer, and visual art are all modalities we might use to enter into conversation.
How do I know if I'm a good fit?
Are you a meaning seeker, a deep discerner?
Do you want your life to be in alignment with your values?
Are you a burnt out activist? Reflecting at the end of your life? The parent of young kids?
Queer?
Human?
No matter who you are, or where you are in your spiritual journey and process – I welcome the chance to talk with you.
What can I expect during a session?
Sessions can be held on Zoom, over the phone, or in person in Knoxville, TN.
A session is 50-60 minutes in length and serves as a time dedicated to your spirit. In this session, while I will guide and shape the direction, the intention of my presence serves to listen deeply to the promptings of your spirit.
I will begin the session with a reading, a piece of music or art, a guided meditation, or simply silence. Sometimes I may ask you to bring the opening you want or need for that session. Conversation arises out of that opening.
Should you be interested in my Code of Ethics, please refer to this link.
what is your expertise?
I hold a certification in Spiritual Direction and Formation from the Meadville-Lombard Theological School. My academic background includes a BA in Peace Studies from Earlham College and an MDiv from the Pacific School of Religion. For twelve years I served Unitarian Universalist congregations as a pastor. I completed my chaplaincy training at San Francisco General Hospital, and have worked as a hospice chaplain. Additionally, I am trained as an End-of-Life Doula through the International End of Life Doula Association. Over the past decade, I have also engaged in informal study of the Enneagram. Prior to going to seminary, I spent 10 years working for social justice organizations.
How is spiritual direction different from counseling or therapy?
A person beginning spiritual direction needs to be in a psychologically stable place. Spiritual direction is not meant to be addressing a deep unaddressed trauma, or a particular diagnosis. Those things may come up in the course of spiritual direction but that is not the starting point. The starting point is reflecting on the movement of creative energy within a person’s life which may lead to: seeking meaning out of that reflection, aligning life decisions with values, nurturing more practices that help connect with life-giving spirit. There are folks who engage in both therapy and spiritual direction alongside one another. There may be times as a spiritual director when I would refer a client to work on something in therapy, keeping our conversation about it narrowly focussed on theological/cosmological questions of meaning– for example, how does a person’s idea of God or the Ultimate inform their coping?
What is the legacy that led you here?
My journey as a spiritual director was profoundly shaped by the legacy of my grandmother, a devout Christian who lived to be 100 years old. She often shared the wisdom that ‘Not everyone has religious needs, but everyone has spiritual needs.’
Her compassionate spirit and dedication to serving others as a late-life social worker, caring for those with dementia, inspired me deeply. Despite life’s challenges, she remained steadfast and joyful, leaving an indelible mark on my path toward spiritual guidance and care.
What is the cost of a session?
- A one hour session costs $125/session.
- I have a limited number of openings with a sliding scale fee. If you are interested to learn more about my sliding scale, please mention that in your consultation request.
- When purchasing a package of 4 or more sessions, the cost is reduced to $115/session.
“Not everyone has religious needs, but everyone has spiritual needs.”
– My Grandmother Ginny
