Join Sacred Ground for an online discussion of Richard Rohr’s From Wild Man to Wise Man: Reflections on Male Spirituality.

We look forward to welcoming Claire Bischoff as our April Groundings speaker

You don’t have to be an artist to experience and enjoy praying with art. Come explore two forms of artistic prayer: praying with icons and prayer doodling.

Join Sacred Ground for an online discussion of Jack Kornfield’s After the Ecstasy, the Laundry: How the Heart Grows Wise on the Spiritual Path.

We look forward to welcoming Rev. Dedra Herron-Slack as our March Groundings speaker.

Who has the authority to parse out that which is sacred for another? For so long those with power have pushed out the perspectives, stories, and experiences of anyone who isn’t white. It is time that we open our minds and hearts to that which is outside of the narrowly-defined idea of “sacred / contemplative” and make space for Spirit to move in all its mystery.

How do we decolonize contemplative practices so we include all people, especially African Americans, without doing more harm? How can we be more inclusive and sensitive creating “brave” space for everyone who desires to enter into contemplative communities?

Rev. Herron-Slack will share how she curates culturally-based contemplative experiences and why these experiences are necessary.

Come learn about Sacred Ground’s Spiritual Direction Formation & Training Program! Meet our faculty. Hear from recent graduates. And bring your questions!

Are you feeling uneasy? Maybe your old beliefs, values, and ways of doing things aren’t working anymore. Maybe you feel called to create something new, but you don’t know what that is – much less where to start. Do you find yourself wishing someone would just fix everything? We are entering a time of adaptive change; we need to develop new values, new skills and new ways to connect.

This class will explore adaptive change and the common pitfalls each enneagram type may experience and extraordinary gifts they bring. There will be chances for discussion and questions and participants will leave with some growth and self-care specific to their type. No prior enneagram experience is required.

This workshop will be rescheduled for Fall 2024.

Join Sacred Ground for an online discussion of John O’Donohue’s book Eternal Echoes: Celtic Reflections on our Yearning to Belong

We look forward to welcoming Dan Johnson as our February Groundings speaker.

Whether you are well versed in the Spiritual Exercises, Ignatian Spirituality or Ignatius of Loyola, or are just starting to look into these, this gathering is for you. Using parts of Ignatius’ own story and prayer, we will see how imagination and wondering are key gifts for recognizing and trusting how the holy is moving at the core of our lives.

Come learn about Sacred Ground’s Spiritual Direction Formation & Training Program! Meet our faculty. Hear from recent graduates. And bring your questions!

Join Sacred Ground for an online discussion of Osheta Moore’s book Dear White Peacemakers: Dismantling Racism with Grit and Grace.

We look forward to welcoming Osheta Moore as our January Groundings speaker.

Race is one of the hardest topics to discuss in America. Many Christians avoid talking about it altogether. In "Wade in the Water of Belovedness" Osheta Moore will help us explore the intersection of contemplation and activism through the lyrics of a cherished Negro Spiritual.

How do we face the pressing issues of our day? Or tackle the burning issues in our hearts? How do we know what is ours to do? And how do we do it?

In this day retreat, we will use meditation and intuition to create large drawings of images within each of us that describe our passions and dreams to create our futures with hope.

From our images we will lay out our dreams and passions in specific doable pieces on a one year time line.

Self-Compassion is a crucial part of self-care and healing. Yet it’s often so much easier to offer compassion to others than it is to offer to ourselves. Spiritual director Gina Norman will lead participants through a self-compassion guided meditation she created. She hopes it will help you get started on your own path to being gentler, kinder, and more understanding, patient, and loving toward yourself.

Come join us for an online book discussion of Cynthia Bourgeault’s The Wisdom of Jesus: Transforming Heart and Mind-a New Perspective on Christ and His Message.

This year, give yourself the gift of a contemplative retreat; a morning where you can pause, prepare to embrace the sacred season of Advent with loving focus, hear the Nativity story anew and find a companion from that story with whom to journey through the month of December.

Join us November 21, as Sam Rahberg invites us to listen for God with our whole selves.

Benedict insists that the divine presence is everywhere, just as Ignatius urges us to watch for the movements of the Spirit. These ideals sound straightforward enough until our attention becomes clouded by the noise around and within us.

Countless traditions have raised up practices over the ages, supporting the human desire for deeper attention to what matters. What they hold in common is the encouragement to listen with our whole selves—through thinking, feeling, and bodily sensations. On our way toward clearer attention to the divine presence and the movements of the Spirit, we'll explore each of these dimensions together, drawing on some practical tips often used to train spiritual directors. All that is needed is a willingness to be open and honest with yourself.

Join us for an online book group discussion of Robin Wall Kimmerer’s Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants.

How does one become a spiritual director? How do you know if becoming a spiritual director is your next step? Join us for an evening opportunity to explore.

Nurture and explore your inner artist and inner monk. Artist, spiritual director, and retreat leader Peggy Thompson will introduce and lead participants through the experience of drawing as a form of contemplative prayer.

You don’t need skill or drawing experience to participate.

What happens when we seek questions instead of answers when we read the Bible? How are we expanded when we listen to the wisdom of a gathered community? When we bring our lived human experiences to the Bible, could we find resonance to the stories inside? Stephanie Spencer, from 40 Orchards, believes opening to these questions, and more, when we read Scripture changes everything about how we see it. At 40 Orchards, participants experience the power of reading the Bible using Midrash, the ancient Jewish practice that makes room for multiple possibilities, perspectives, and questions to belong. This will be less of a presentation and more of a practice, as Stephanie leads the group through a passage, helping us all learn from each other, wrestle together, and search for how God might be speaking.

In this session, Christine Luna Munger will lead us as we offer our attention to Five Ordinary Movements (FOM) and tend to contemplative dialogue with God, with others, and with our self. Together, we will look at the FOM: ups and downs, back and forth, cycling of spirals, tension of a web, and vibration of concentric circles as metaphors for both discerning the Presence of the Holy One in the context of ordinary life, as well for choosing life-giving responses in our interactions with others through contemplative dialogue. The session will include input from the facilitator, personal reflection time, small group sharing, and guided meditation practice.

Hear from spiritual directors and directees about the practice of spiritual direction. Get answers to your questions and learn how it can benefit you.