~ Our offerings ~

We opened the doors to Still Lake Listening late in 2019.

We have been practicing spiritual directors since that time, right on the heels of 3 years of study in order to become certified in this kind of contemplative listening.

Prior to those years of formal study and practicum training in this practice, we both worked and served for decades in pastoral lay ministry roles, both in parachurch organizations, and churches.

I (Michelle) have a BA in Communications with a minor in Biblical Studies from Trinity Western University (Hooboy…there’s a lot I could say about that!). My service in lay leadership, teaching, preaching, and music roles in various denominations allow me to draw on three decades of lived-experience learning.  With roots in ranch life, working with the film industry and project management, and a side passion of delving into Celtic Christianity, my lived experience is one of inclusion and affirmation.

In my forties, I (Sandra) danced around the beginnings of a master’s degree in theology and seminary-related things only to find myself tumbling into some storming and re-forming of Belief. I left the degree behind and shifted study into the practice of spiritual direction. This journey into heartwork, combined with a lifetime of lay work and leadership in church and parachurch organizations (including mentorship of members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community), and former work in the area of special needs and respite care, allow for an ever-deepening Wonder of knowing and unknowing.

Both Sandra & Michelle are in process of completing the Alberta Family Wellness, “BrainStory” certification to deepen our ways of being with both big T and little t trauma.

We understand the generous (sacred?) responsibility of ongoing learning and engage this through contemplative practice, as well as continued study in areas of grief, trauma, religious trauma, identity, and so many other curiosities.

Both Michelle and Sandra meet with their own spiritual directors monthly. We also have both peer and professional supervisors with whom we engage monthly, or as needed.

Michelle and Sandra are just a click or a call away. Connect with us by email, phone (403.613.5241), or social media and book your initial, no-cost, meet up. You will have the choice to meet us in our session space, or online — whatever feels most comfortable for you!

When booking 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.

We do not wish for this to feel transactional in any way. Don’t let cost be a deterrent. Let’s talk about it.

While our hourly rate is $120.00 per session, most participants offer us between $50.00 – $85.00 for their one-on-one session.  

If that feels out of reach, we suggest one hour’s wage for each hour of spiritual direction. 

Group and retreat fees are always set with affordability, accessibility, and flexibility in mind.

Some have asked how they can support us for the time we personally invest. If this is you, here are 3 ways that are so helpful to our own care:

1) Google Maps reviews! If you feel like you can whole-heartedly offer a 5 star review just click the link and offer feedback there. That really helps build our local practice. Thank you!

2) Word of mouth referral. Most spiritual direction practice grows best through sharing. If you are experiencing growth and connection here, we’d love for you to tell a friend, or two. Thank you!

3) If all of that sounds like so much effort, and you’d rather help us buy tea and tissues, we welcome your financial gift. You can simply e-transfer that to still.lake.listening@gmail.com, or send through PayPal.

There are so many names for this kind of listening practice:

Compassionate Listener, Director, Soul Companion, Guide, Teacher, Soul Friend, Anam Cara, Midwife of the Soul, Wounded Healer, Soul Care Practitioner, or even Spiritual Therapist.

“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

This is one way of understanding spiritual direction.

Still Lake Listening is not affiliated with any religious group, organization, or denomination. We understand that spirituality is different for each person.  We believe that “…we are not human beings having a spiritual experience.  We are spiritual beings having a human experience.” ~ Pierre Teilard de Chardin

In a beginning way, we might borrow from Rami Shapiro and wonder if spirituality is the part of each of us that has an “ever-deepening capacity to embrace life with justice, compassion, curiosity, awe, wonder, serenity, and humility.” For us, this is about turning inward with compassion so that we can turn outward with the same. For a deeper dive into some of what this can be about for you here, explore what others have experienced, or “What is the difference between therapy and spiritual direction”.

We listen. Without judgment. 

We welcome your sexual orientation, gender identity, and family structure.

We welcome your religious or non-religious tradition, race, ethnicity, and ability.

We welcome you, just as you are – whether you believe in God, don’t believe in God, or are just trying to figure things out. 

All are welcome here. Many of our participants do not subscribe to organized religion, or a traditionally defined spirituality.

Let’s wonder together about our understanding of the Mystery and the Miracle that is beyond our understanding!

Still Lake Listening is not affiliated with any religious group, organization, or denomination. We understand that spirituality is different for each person. In a beginning way, we might borrow from Rami Shapiro and wonder if spirituality is the part of each of us that has an “ever-deepening capacity to embrace life with justice, compassion, curiosity, awe, wonder, serenity, and humility.” For us, this is about turning inward with compassion so that we can turn outward with the same.

Some of the terms of reverence that we encounter are:

Universe, God, Lord, Allah, YHWH, Great Spirit, Ground of our Being, Higher Power, Mystery, Divine, Sacred, Holy, Almighty, Ultimate, the Beyond, Intimate, Abba, The Christ, Wisdom, Source, Spirit, Creator, Enlightenment, Interconnection, Holy One, Breath, The Holy Wholly Other (The Wholly Holy Other), Energy, The Divine Mother, Original Love

If you relate to none of these, but are exploring, curious, wondering, seeking, and a Human Becoming — spiritual direction is for you!

Information shared in Still Lake Listening sessions is confidential. It will not be discussed or released to anyone, except in cases where there is clear evidence of risk of serious harm to self or others.

We also practice “secondary confidentiality”: if we happen to meet you in a public space, we will not breach your confidence by greeting you. Furthermore, we do not typically refer back to what has been explored in previous sessions, trusting that what is happening and alive in you right now may be the place where you are best served. 

In a diligent effort to maintain perspective, and for our own personal growth as listeners, we meet with other professional spiritual directors for supervision. If part of your session invites growth in us, we may share that in broad terms. In this case, we will never identify you by name; no specific information will ever be disclosed when you contact us. 

Duty to Report

Spiritual directors maintain the confidentiality and the privacy of the spiritual directee by addressing legal regulations requiring disclosure to proper authorities, including, but not limited to, child abuse, elder abuse, and physical harm to self and others.  

If you have any questions or reservations about our confidentiality policy, we welcome a conversation.