April 28 - May 3, 2011: Hundreds of spiritual guides and seekers participated in the "Cultivating Compassion" 2011 Spiritual Directors International educational events.

You can view photographs via a slideshow at the SDI website, and a Facebook photo album. Delight!

Links

• Atlanta slideshow
• Spiritual Directors International for spiritual care photo album on Facebook
• Conference recordings (keynote and workshops): Spiritual Directors International 2011 - Atlanta
• Future and past SDI educational events
• 2012 Boston call for workshop proposals

Please share your stories...post a reply.

Now accepting 2012 workshop proposals
Act by May 30, 2011

Are you passionate about spiritual guidance and cultivating compassion? Consider sharing your insight, talent, and area of excellence with the global, multifaith learning community of Spiritual Directors International.

Please discern if you want to propose a ninety minute or three hour workshop for the 2012 Spiritual Directors International educational events. All proposals must be received by May 30, 2011. Full details and process are online.

April 19 - 23, 2012
Theme: Cultivating Compassion
Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Links

• 2012 Workshop proposal guidelines and process
  
• Samples: 2011 educational event workshops and schedule

Do you know someone who would be a great presenter? Share this link and opportunity!

May 2011 SDI Connections is online. Printable. Clickable. Green. Photographs, full color, and member reflections connect the global learning community of Spiritual Directors International.

A few highlights in the May 2011 issue:

• Growing the Beloved Community
• Books Inspire Spiritual Directors
• Spiritual Direction and Retreat Work
• Compassion: A Sense-Filled Experience
• “Don’t tell me. Grow with me!”
• “Spiritual Directors International Learns From…” YouTube Video Series Grows
• SDI Spiritual Guidance and Justice Institute
• 2012 SDI educational event dates and keynote announcement

"Compassion nurses human hunger with the milk of kindness. Compassion is the Light within. It is our birthright, our birth light. Its source is The Source. It shines in our souls and in our eyes. It’s what sparks us and unites us. Compassion is as easy and as hard as opening our hearts and our minds, our souls and ourhands and our lips in service." --Michele C. Tamaren (workshop presenter in Atlanta, Georgia, USA "Cultivating Compassion" events)

Read Connections, the official Spiritual Directors International e-newsletter, published  in May, August, and November. Now online.

Sitting in a pew in Ebenezer Baptist Church, I begin writing this reflection for you. How do I describe my intense feelings while contemplating in this sacred space where Martin Luther King, Jr. and so many other social activists found courage and solace? At first I sit alone in the empty church listening to one of Dr. King’s sermons that is piped into the sanctuary. But the sanctuary is not empty. Generations of prayers and meditations radiate through the stain glass windows that have been lovingly restored to what the sanctuary looked like when Dr. King and his father, “Daddy King” were pastors here. It is what our Celtic brothers and sisters call a thin place.

Closing my eyes, I imagine Martin Luther King, Jr. at the pulpit, preaching to us as spiritual directors coming to Atlanta from around the world and across traditions. “Sometimes I feel discouraged, living every day under the threat of death, living every day under criticism…. Then the holy spirit revives my soul.” His personal words are every bit as relevant for today. They remind me of the work we do as holy listeners, mindful of the daily stresses yet trusting and teaching, “Then the holy spirit revives my soul.”

When I open my eyes, dozens of people have joined me in the pews: African American families with small children, a Danish tour group, a man from India. We have all made a pilgrimage to be inspired by sitting in these pews. Together we listen to Dr. King and hear in a new way the words of a familiar hymn sung by the choir that once sang here: “Oh When the Saints, Go Marching In…”

With newly aware eyes, I recognize a mountain behind the pulpit that Martin Luther King, Jr. must have seen every Sunday growing up. It’s a scene of a flowing river winding into a mountain range on a horizon.

During his last speech on April 3, 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee, he said, “And he’s allowed me to go to the mountain. And I’ve looked over and I’ve seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight that we as a people will get to the Promised Land.”

Across the street from Ebenezer Church, these words about the mountain are painted in a colorful mural of the winding life journey of Dr. King. His life brilliantly built upon the non-violent strategies of Mahatma Gandhi for creating a Beloved Community (do you see Gandhi looking over the shoulder of the King family in the top photo from the mural?).

My eyes well up with tears as I walk from the mural over to a full-size statue of Gandhi and read Dr. King’s words: ”Gandhi was inevitable. If humanity is to progress, Gandhi is inescapable. He lived, thought and acted, inspired by the vision of humanity evolving toward a world of peace and harmony. We may ignore him at our own risk.”

I imagine Gandhi coming to life and walking with his staff down the International Civil Rights of Fame.

It’s humbling and deeply moving to walk among actual size footprints of people who have continued the dream of creating a global Beloved Community. When I reach the small footprints of Rosa Parks, I pause and send you a prayer of gratefulness for your part in creating a global Beloved Community.
 

During the educational events, we celebrate spiritual direction as a courageous ministry for cultivating compassion. We gather together to be inspired by people like Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rosa Parks and to continue the dream of creating a Beloved Community.

What is inspiring you as you enter the month of May? Let the global learning community of spiritual directors know on the blog or on Facebook.

Greetings from Atlanta, Georgia! Spiritual direction education will be broadcast on television thanks to AIBTV; Angela Rice and Sharon Phillip pictured here. SDI is collaborating with AIBTV to make more spiritual direction education available from the Cultivating Compassion educational events. Please send prayers of gratefulness to AIBTV!

"Compassion Mandala" by Robert Lentz, OFM

On April 22, 2011, Christians commemorate Good Friday, and Earth Day is celebrated. This is a day to cultivate compassion. In addition, the Jewish holiday of Pesach, Passover, is celebrated April 19 - 26, 2011.

In Quantum Grace, SDI member Judy Cannato writes about Good Friday: "It is easy to want to stand separate and apart today. It is tempting to want to divide the world into 'us' and 'them.' But this, we know, is an illusion."

Indeed, contemplative practice illuminates this truth--we are connected. Do you find this to be true for you?

Another perspective connecting Good Friday and the Earth comes from Care for Creation [a Franciscan spirituality of the earth], written by Ilia Delio, OSF; Keith Douglass Warner, OFM; and SDI member Pamela Wood. This is a perspective about what it could mean to take a "contemplative approach to our modern-day ecological crisis":

"If we dare to look and really see, we encounter Creation crucified--at our hands. This is truly a heartbreaking and terrifying reality, almost impossible to bear without the strong spiritual grounding that contemplation offers. If Francis were to walk our earth today, he would encounter for the first time his Sister Mother Earth, Brother Wind and Sister Water polluted and desecrated, the creatures he loved endangered and some gone forever. Francis never experienced this type of ecological devastation since it occurred largely after the Industrial Revolution, yet the way he lived his life can teach us how to contemplate such realities and then find the courage to act."

Additionally, William P. Brown and Stanley P. Saunders explain in their op-ed, "Good Friday and Earth Day: A Providential Convergence":

By a rare coincidence Earth Day falls on Good Friday this year, the first time ever. (The next time is in 2095.) “Good Friday” is the day Christians commemorate Christ’s crucifixion. Earth Day calls attention to the continuing crucifixion of our planet. While some may consider this chronological convergence a rude distraction from the Holy Week of Christ’s Passion, we believe the coincidence is providential. Both Good Friday and Earth Day draw our attention to suffering, death, and the hope of redemption.

Furthermore,

With Earth Day and Good Friday converging this year, a lesson is to be learned. It begins with the dawning awareness of a connection that has long been forgotten, namely, the indisolluble bond between Christ and creation. Christ, the Word made flesh, dwelt in a world made of flesh. Christians call this the incarnation: when God saw fit to become part of creation. Faith in the incarnation takes seriously God's creation.

Continue reading the one page op-ed, "Good Friday and Earth Day: A Providential Convergence"

Finally, in the Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life article "Why Earth Day is a Jewish Holiday", Robert Rabinowitz says:

In the shema prayer, it describes both the earthly benefits--rain, fertility and abundance--for listening to the commandments and loving God, and the costs--drought and famine--for ignoring God's word (Deut. 11: 13-21). One compelling way to read this text is to think of it as suggesting that a major way for us, as individuals and as a society, to judge our actions and policies is by their environmental consequences.

Reflect

• What is evoked in you from these insights and perspectives? 
• What contemplative practices will help you honor the Christian teachings from Good Friday, Passover from Judaism, and Earth Day?

Please reply with your thoughts.

When we decide to make time for contemplative practice, of any type, we cultivate spaciousness which leads us to act with greater compassion, empathy, creativity, service, and connection. Our contemplative practice affects ourselves, our interactions with family, in the workplace, within our communities, with the Earth, and the Sacred some name God.

Meditation makes the daily news as people continue to seek meaning and connection. Contemplative people cultivate compassion with prayer, meditation, and contemplative practice. Jeff Gitterman, reporting for The Huffington Post in the article "The Importance of Meditation" writes:

The first step in learning to harness the power of our attention is to become aware of how it moves. To do this, we need to find a way to disengage from the stream of thoughts that preoccupies us. This is one of the fundamental reasons that people practice meditation, in all its many forms.

Link to the rest of the story from The Huffington Post, "The Importance of Meditation"

Do you meditate or pray? What is your contemplative practice, and how does it change you?
Please offer your thoughts for the blog readers.

In addition to more than fifty YouTube videos in the "SDI Learns From..." series about spiritual direction, Spiritual Directors International created a section for videos that will inspire and teach us about Cultivating Compassion in our lives and communities.

Cultivating Compassion videos

Chade-Meng Tan: Everyday Compassion at Google, November 2010

Rev. James Forbes, Compassion at the dinner table, October 2009

Imam Faisal Abdul Rauf: Lose your ego, find your compassion, October 2009

Swami Dayananda Saraswati: The profound journey of compassion, October 2009

Robert Thurman: Expanding your circle of compassion, October 2009

and more...

If you know of other video resources to add to the Cultivating Compassion section, please reply.

We’re excited to show you a sneak peek of an in-progress new design for the Spiritual Directors International website.

Would you be willing to answer one question about the new design?

The new design of the homepage offers a visual idea of where we think the website is heading—showing you primary content headers. (Note: specific text in paragraphs is not included.)

Many people responded to our initial survey when we began the new website design process. We've incorporated your thoughts, and hope you'll give us an opinion as we move to the next step of launching a completely fresh website. Same content--easier to find, share, and interact with. Plus more resources in development!

Please take two minutes to visit our survey page, view the design, and let us know what you think.

Would you please respond by the end of the day, Tuesday, April 12, 2011?

Click: survey link

Thank you for your time.

When we travel to a conference or educational event, we invest our time, energy, and resources into the experience. We want to enter as fully as possible into new learning, insights, connections, and engagement with our deepest self and those who gather in an international learning community. We want to grow in gratefulness for the people and places we encounter. The reality is, when we attend something, we really tend our life.
We will each do this in our own way—as introverts, extroverts, with our age, abilities, current life responsibilities, commitments, and dreams. When we show up and tend to the present time, we cultivate gratefulness.
 

To prepare for the "Cultivating Compassion" educational events in Atlanta, Georgia, April 28 -- May 2, 2011, review these tips, and please, add your thoughts and ideas to the comments section.

Preparation

• Dress for comfort: Layer clothing so you can adapt to room temperatures that may be too warm, or too cool. Comfortable shoes make exploration fun!
• Let people at home know that you may not be as available as usual. Ask for their support so you can tend your time well.
• Set an away message on your cellular phone or an auto-reply on your e-mail. This will let people know they may not receive an immediate response from you.
• Bring your business cards or brochures for the community share tables, and to share with people you meet.
• Consider bringing your own snacks—trail mix, fruit, etc.
• Add ibuprofen, Vitamin C, or other items that restore you after travel and potential fatigue.
• Check out the area where the conference is located—is there somewhere you want to make sure to visit?
• Who are the people or groups you may want to meet with face-to-face? Contact them and schedule a time before you arrive at the event. When the actual event begins, time moves swiftly.
• Bring a pair of earplugs. A good night sleep is restorative, and often our dreams speak to us. When we are in a hotel room or unfamiliar home, with different sounds, or a roommate, a simple pair of earplugs can make all the difference in a good night of sleep.
• Reflect on your inner intention for attending, and give yourself permission to be surprised, challenged, and inspired.

Arrival

• Orientate yourself, and review the map in your event folder. Learn where you can easily find the washrooms, your workshops, bookstore, meditation room (for a quiet moment or more), and the coffee, tea, water…
• Be willing to meet new people, and stretch beyond your usual comfort zone.
• If--or when--you discover you forgot something at home, notice how you respond. Is there a learning of gentleness and being grateful for the willingness to live without it for a few days. Of course if it is an essential medication, that’s one thing. But if it’s left behind, what does the absence invite in you?
• Say “yes” to tend to your life in a new place.

Conference Time — includes plenary sessions, workshops, exhibits, meals, etc.

• Each morning (or prior evening) review your schedule for the day. Notice what grabs your attention, and if you are inspired to make any adaptations to honor your own learning and ability to be present.
• Bring your favorite pen, journal, paper.
• Wear your nametag.
• Turn your cellular phone off, or set it to vibrate during plenary sessions and workshops.
• Tend to the present as fully as possible—this means to people, presenters, prayer, yourself.
• Be willing to introduce yourself to others—in workshops, waiting lines, in plenary sessions.
• Attend the plenary sessions—this will be common ground for conversations and integration of the overall event theme.
• Arrive to your sessions a little early if you want a good seat.
• Make ongoing notes about who you meet, and how to connect. By the time you return home, you will not remember.
• Create an ongoing list of follow-up actions for yourself.
• Talk to exhibitors—leave your business card if you want to connect. Make notes on the cards or brochures you gather.
• Take breaks—you know yourself. You do not have to do everything.
• Be kind to yourself, and everyone around you.
• Meet and connect with at least one new person each day.
• Learn something new.
• Say thank you.

Return

• Reflect on your time. What did you cultivate—with people, ideas, organizations, learning, within yourself?
• What key thoughts, experiences, insights, or actions ripple within you? Write them in your journal or conference notes.
• Are there action items that need follow-up upon your return to your home or workplace? Make a list, and plan to follow-through.
• What do you want to share with your colleagues, local community, family or friends? Create a plan to do this.
• Complete the conference evaluation—your voice is important, and will contribute to future events.