Online Enrichment Series for Spiritual Directors

Online Enrichment Sessions for Spiritual Directors

Sundays, 1:00-4:00pm

Cost: $30 per session

***Attend all 4 sessions for $100***

October 1, 2023: Nicholas Collura

Head, Heart, Gut: Enneagram Wisdom on the Limits and Possibilities of Directees’ Personality Structures 

“Pursuing spiritual work without working on our personality typically results in a lack of resolution of deep-seated issues and a lack of true integration of our spirituality,” writes Sandra Maitri in her book The Spiritual Dimension of the Enneagram. “This perspective can profoundly shift our understanding.” In this enrichment session, we will discuss how our approach as spiritual companions might differ according to whether our directees lead with their head, heart, or gut centers of intelligence. While some knowledge of the Enneagram may be helpful, and those who know the Enneagram will find ways to use it to deepen their direction practice, our conversation will also be quite accessible to those without Enneagram experience, as we will be focusing on easily understood centers of intelligence rather than on the nuances of each of the nine Enneagram “types.” Likewise, because this session will consider broad dynamics of the human personality, one need not know the Enneagram “types” of one’s directees to benefit from the wisdom the system can offer us as spiritual companions. 

Register Here (use this registration link to also register for all 4 sessions at the discounted rate)

November 12, 2023: Leigh Murray

How the Use of Active Imagination and Spiritual Senses Invites Deeper Transformation in the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises

Saint Ignatius believed that the imagination is a “faculty of the soul” and a way for God to communicate with us. Thus, in the Spiritual Exercises, he guides us to use these aspects of ourselves, telling us: “By the imagination, the soul can render an object present and, as it were, see it, hear it, taste it and so on. So that to apply this faculty of the soul and the five senses to a truth of religion (according as it is susceptible of it), or to a mystery of our Lord Jesus Christ, is what is called application of the senses” (Salai, 119).

It is through this encouragement to use our active imagination and “spiritual senses” that Saint Ignatius invites us to a deeper understanding of who and what we are. We are invited to see in new ways and to take off the blinders that we may have been wearing, allowing us to find healing and restoration, thus becoming integrated, wholesome human beings.

In this enrichment session we will explore the importance of the imagination and spiritual senses in healing and transformation as Spiritual Directors. We will learn how St. Ignatius’ use of imagination inspired Carl Jung to study The Exercises and create a deep body of work around Active Imagination and how it is useful in personal transformation. We will have a look at how to invite our retreatants into using their active imagination and spiritual senses with a deeper sense for what we are doing, and why.

We will also check in with our own experiences with our imagination and spiritual senses through practices and small group discussion. We will take some time to gather the experiences of the group and generate some best practices around how to best invite and encourage our retreatants into their own imaginations and spiritual senses, in ways that are accessible and allow for deeper spiritual transformation on their individual journeys.

Content for this enrichment session will be curated from Leigh’s article, published in the December, 2022 issue of Presence. If you would like to read the article before participating in the session, please email director@straphaelacenter.org for a copy of the article.

Register Here

February 4, 2024: Paul Burgmayer

Reimagining Sin: An Exploration Towards Freedom

Consider the following questions:

• Is the word “sin” a comfortable part of your faith vocabulary? Does the word hold significant weight and meaning for you? Or, conversely, is it such a burden that you sidestep it in prayer and spiritual direction, maybe by substituting other words like “addiction” or “brokenness”?
• How do you understand sin? Is it an action, a state of consciousness, an inevitable part of our humanity, or – as for the Jesuit Jean Danielou – “the measure of our soul’s awareness of God”?
• If a directee raises the topic of sin, are you at ease exploring it with them?
• For you, is sin purely a personal matter, or do we sin collectively in our faith community, culture, or even looking back historically? If you recognize collective sin, do you try to connect these different levels in your own spiritual life? With your directees?
• If you are guiding someone through the First Week of the Spiritual Exercises, do you ever wish for alternative approaches to addressing the concept of sin so that the process feels more liberating for the exertant (and you)?

If these questions stir something in you, we invite you to join us as we explore the topic of sin with an goal of helping make “sin” a comfortable part of your faith vocabulary. Together, we will delve into sin’s changing meanings through history, consider what constitutes sin in today’s culture, and how an understanding of sin varies across faith communities. Our journey will lead us to examine the profound and inseparable link between sin and our relationship with God, discovering how this connection can enhance our spiritual direction practice.

Register Here

April 7, 2024: Nicholas Collura

A Trauma-Informed Approach to Ignatian Spiritual Direction

Trauma-informed care has become an important standard in many of the helping professions. Despite our best intentions, it is easy for us to retraumatize survivors of violence if we do not adequately reflect on the risks inherent in our practice. For instance, many spiritual practitioners encourage closed eyes and deep breathing during meditation — a posture of vulnerability that can feel unsafe for some who have experienced significant powerlessness or harm. The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius encourage vivid visual reflection on a bloody and agonizing crucifixion, which can induce a feeling of helplessness for those who carry the weight of moral injury. In the enrichment session, we will discuss the impact of trauma upon spiritual experience and will explore trauma-informed adaptations of the Spiritual Exercises and of Ignatian spirituality and spiritual direction more broadly

Register Here