SDI Encounters

In this week’s episode, SDI’s Creative Director Matt Whitney speaks with Larry J. Morris III, Production Assistant at SDI. Larry describes himself as “an apostle, digital marketer, scholar, and spiritual director based in Henderson, NV.” They have been helping with various creative tasks, including generating media for web and print, crafting social media, and helping administer our new Public Squ...

The calendar has turned over to March, and this week we are rolling out our peer-reviewed flagship publication, Presence Journal . We are so excited to share this issue with you – as we get to reveal a brand new look! Presence, which has been published by Spiritual Directors International since 1995, last received a redesign in 2003. Since I began working at SDI in 2018, we have been dreaming abou...

In this week's episode, SDI's Creative Services Coordinator Ann Lancaster speaks with Reverend Simon de Voil , who will be leading SDI's journey to Iona , Scotland in March 2022. Simon is a singer-songwriter and interspiritual minister, born and raised in Scotland but now living in rural Vermont. Simon has gained a reputation as a talented musical performer and storyteller. He pairs thoughtful and...

  In this episode, Christine Vogel discusses her recent article for Presence Journal. Presence is the flagship publication of SDI, which comes out four times a year, and is an international journal on spiritual direction and companionship. Presence Journal is available in print and on the web to SDI Members.  Read the current issue on the web, with exclusive video interviews, here: Presence - 27.4...

  In this episode, Sierra Neiman Westbrook discusses her recent article for Presence Journal. Presence is the flagship publication of SDI, which comes out four times a year, and is an international journal on spiritual direction and companionship. Presence Journal is available in print and on the web to SDI Members.  Read the current issue on the web, with exclusive video interviews, here: Presenc...

In this episode, Lacy Finn Borgo discusses her recent article for Presence Journal. Presence is the flagship publication of SDI, which comes out four times a year, and is an international journal on spiritual direction and companionship. Presence Journal is available in print and on the web to SDI Members.  Read the current issue on the web, with exclusive video interviews, here: Presence - 27.4 -...

For years now, SDI members have longed for an easy way to connect. Now, with our SDI Public Square, this longing has become a reality. We've been working for months to create an online platform on our website exclusively for SDI Members. Matt Whitney, Ann Lancaster, and Larry J Morris III have a quick chat to share about the process of building the platform, and what we're most excited about as we...

Since writing   Spiritual Direction Supervision:  Principles, Practices, & Storytelling  over 18 months ago, Lucy in her subsequent teachings has gained new insights and wisdom in the practice of Supervision, which include self-care, hints to giving and receiving feedback, secondary trauma and a new model of supervision. Lucy Abbott Tucker, SDI co-founder and worldwide expert on spiritual directio...

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 pro...

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 chil...

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...

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 p...

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...

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 . --- Teresa Blythe is a spiritual direct...

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 me...

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.   ...

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 penetrat...

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...

In this week's episode, we hear from our New Contemplatives .  The New Contemplatives Initiative is a container of vocational support and development opportunities for emerging spiritual companions in their first half of life. New Contemplatives enrich the SDI community with new forms and paradigms of spiritual care, bringing their voices to the center of the organization and the broader field of...

In this week's episode, we hear from our New Contemplatives .  The New Contemplatives Initiative is a container of vocational support and development opportunities for emerging spiritual companions in their first half of life. New Contemplatives enrich the SDI community with new forms and paradigms of spiritual care, bringing their voices to the center of the organization and the broader field of...

We are very excited about the new "feast" of experiences and resources SDI has on offer for spiritual directors and spiritual companions. And we wanted to invite our community to partake of this feast. Thus, "The Invitation Sale" was born. 10 percent off everything in the SDI Store. For 5 days. Please consider this your invitation to join us at our feast. Iona. Rumi. A new enhanced issue of Presen...

In this week's episode, SDI's creative director Matt Whitney chats with Marian Sorensen, an English spiritual companion based out of Ibiza, Spain. Marian uses a holistic approach to her integrative practice, which includes the modalities of spiritual direction, holistic health coaching, and life coaching. You can find out more about Marian at her website Growing Edges: http://growing-edges.com . -...

Traditionally, on the last day of an SDI Annual Conference, our Executive Director Reverend SeiFu Anil Singh-Molares will deliver something of an Annual Report, going over the finances and operations of our non-profit organization. Afterwards there is a Question and Answer session in which he dialogs with members in the audience. On the last day of our 2021 Renaissance Virtual Conference, this pre...

If you regularly listen to this podcast, you have heard the advertisements for our SDI Renaissance virtual conference. We hosted this virtual gathering a couple of weeks ago now, and we as a staff are still processing, debriefing, discerning. We do know that overall, we feel like it was really successful – we’ve heard from a lot of participants that they were really glad for the time together, sur...

Our latest book release from SDI Press is now available – Reflections on Awakening and Maturity for Spiritual Companions, by Genjo Marinello . Genjo’s fascinating book chronicles his lifelong and ongoing commitment to spiritual growth, through thick and thin, as well as a courageous embrace of many difficulties, shortcomings and flaws. Genjo composts all of these into assets, establishing them as...