Our Invitation
Spiritual Direction
Spiritual direction is “…the simple gift of sacred presence offered to another…” ~ SoulStream
As spiritual directors (compassionate listeners), we do not offer advice. We wish to serve you by asking the questions that guide your attention to your own deepest longings — your interior life, your untended wounds, and an awareness and deeper understanding of your own vibrant, generative, spiritual Self.
- Who this is for? For those who are curious, uncertain, wishing, healing, deconstructing, reconstructing — all of The Things!
- How often can I see you? Sessions are usually one hour long and we generally meet once a month
- Average Cost: The subject of payment for spiritual direction is sensitive — Michelle and Sandra’s wish is that your experience here would not feel transactional in any way. Typically, directees offer $85.00 – $120.00 per session. Many pay as they can afford. Let’s talk about this. Connect by email, or by phone (403.613.5241).
Do not run or fly away in order to become free. Rather, go deep into the narrow space given you. There you will find God and all things.
We practice spiritual direction as hospitality. Henri Nouwen says, “Hospitality (or spiritual direction) is not to change people, but to offer them space where change can take place.
It is not to bring men and women over to our side, but to offer freedom not disturbed by dividing lines.
It is not to lead our neighbor into a corner where there are no alternatives left, but to open a wide spectrum of options for choice and commitment.
It is not an educated intimidation with good books, good stories, and good works, but the liberation of fearful hearts so that words can find roots and bear ample fruit…The paradox of hospitality (spiritual direction) is that it wants to create emptiness, not a fearful emptiness, but a friendly emptiness where strangers can enter and discover themselves as created free….not a subtle invitation to adopt the lifestyle of the host, but the gift of a chance for the guest to find their own.”
What we offer: In person sessions Virtual sessions Group conversations Mediation Contemplative walks Group spiritual direction
We meet with people from all over the world and all walks of life; people who are seeking discernment, support, and safety.
You will be offered (again and again) the value of the present moment with clear-eyed love and compassion, seek out Holy Mischief, and follow the path of heart’s desire.
You will discover and embrace your own life-shaping questions.
You can experience this one-on-one, in groups, or on a contemplative nature walk. We recommend booking three sessions to start (our initial session is at no cost as you explore if this is a good fit for you).
“…be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and to try to love the questions themselves like locked rooms and like books that are written in a very foreign tongue. Do not seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now.”
Benefits of care: Attunement Purpose Meaning Alignment Peace Balance Processing Soul Friendship Mystical Awareness Growth
Do you feel a connection to God as you understand Godself? This can be closeness to God, relationship to Nature, oneness with the Universe.
Discern what truly matters to you: What has real meaning in your life? What is your life’s purpose? What feels true, or feels alive in you?
Do your mission, purpose, and meaning align? Do your habits, work, and relationships inhibit or run counter to your longings (your heart, your Soul)?
When we live in alignment, we grow in our experience of Peace. Might this be true in times of suffering? In times of restoration? While we mourn and while we heal? The synchronicity of the “peace that transcends all understanding” reveals itself to be something deeply personal.
What would it be like to experience the rhythm of work, play, rest…maybe even a little Sacred Idleness? Without guilt or fear; with wonderment and hope-filled curiosity?
In spiritual direction, you have a place to unpack what is happening in your life; where you feel stuck, a sense of desolation, boredom, frustration, confusion. Could it be that if your deepest truths are heard that you will find ways to move from despair into joy, breath, imagination, formation, and healing?
“In everyone’s life, there is a great need for a…soul friend. In this love, you are understood as you are without mask or pretension. The superficial and functional lies and half-truths of social acquaintance fall away. You can be as you really are. Love allows understanding to dawn, and understanding is precious. Where you are understood you are at home. Understanding nourishes belonging. When you really feel understood, you feel free to release yourself into the trust and shelter of the other person’s soul.”
~John O’Donohue
Mystery is all around us. Have you had experiences that were unexplainable or hard to understand? Maybe they felt strange or out of body? Maybe the experience doesn’t match-up with what your faith tradition teaches? Sometimes these are easy to describe. Other times, we feel uncomfortable sharing these experiences. What if we are judged? Perceived as crazy or broken? Here, you can bring these experiences forward and we will receive, hold, and honour your sharing of them with no judgement. We believe you!
“And then the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” ~Anais Nin, Risk
Could it be that “growth” is simply an awakening, a forming, a deepening and opening…even a re-emerging as our Truest Self? What would it be like to be companioned in this journey with dignity, patient tenacity, and hopeful curiosity?
"In everyone's life, there is a great need for a...soul friend. In this love, you are understood as you are without mask or pretension. The superficial and functional lies and half-truths of social acquaintance fall away. You can be as you really are. Love allows understanding to dawn, and understanding is precious. Where you are understood you are at home. Understanding nourishes belonging. When you really feel understood, you feel free to release yourself into the trust and shelter of the other person's soul."
How this works: a one-on-one session
- First, contact us for a free first time conversation: This call will give us a chance to hear more about you and your current needs. You will also get a chance to learn about us and better understand this kind of listening care.
- Next, schedule your session: You can opt for an in-person session, or a virtual meet-up. You can expect that we will be on time. We will have our listening space ready for your arrival if you come to us; you can expect us to send you a link, or to call you on time if we meet remotely.
- Sessions are one hour long. We will be mindful of your time. There may be sessions when we go past the hour, but we will check in with you if it feels important for us to continue longer.
- We may begin your session by inviting you into silence for just one or two minutes: Our practice is intended to create space for you to turn your attention inward, without interruption. This can be done with a prayer, a poem, a sacred text, or nothing at all. Some people come with something already in mind. Others prefer us to guide this. We will find our way together in what serves you well.
- Then, we’ll check in with how you are in that moment with genuine curiosity about whatever might be stirring in you. The rest of your session is yours. Our role is to listen deeply and to hold a safe, nonjudgmental space for you to explore what matters to you. We are listening for ways you might name the sacred in your life, and we will gently point these out to you. If we make suggestions or comments they are intended to help you delve deeply and notice where your own soul may be leading you.