nurturing the sacred gift of listening

Art of Spiritual Direction

a community of learning and support

Welcome from SoulStream’s Executive Director

SoulStream is a dispersed contemplative community seeking to live authentically with Christ encouraging one another to receive the gift of God’s loving presence in all of life.

As one expression of SoulStream’s desire to walk with, listen to, and care for others with compassion and vulnerability, we offer the Art of Spiritual Direction training program. This program centers on nurturing the gift of listening; a simple, deeply attentive, spacious and gently tenacious gift. This listening is a sacred gift.

The Art of Spiritual Direction is a community of learning and support, inviting participants to journey deeper into contemplative experience with God while growing in the art and skill of accompanying others as they awaken to God’s presence in all of life.

The program includes interactive study as well as experiential group practice with fellow participants. Apart from our times together, participants engage with volunteer directees and regular one-on-one sessions with a supervisor. Journaling and reflection papers deepen the learning.

On behalf of our program coordinators, Pearl Nieuwenhuis*, and Doug Schroeder*, and the entire facilitation team, I am delighted to welcome you here as you explore the possibility of nurturing this sacred gift of listening in you.

May God’s Spirit guide your discernment.

Deb Arndt, Executive Director.

*Denotes Independent Contractor for 2023 – 2025 cohort

What is the Art of Spiritual Direction?

Program Distinctives

Grounded in scripture

We take the Bible seriously, not simply as a book of answers, but as sacred story opening us up to “God with us” in the midst of life’s questions.

Rooted in God’s Relational Essence

God’s essence is relational and so is ours.  We see God’s Trinitarian image reflected in our desire for community, connection and relationship.

ASD - spiritual direction session

Experiential in method

We believe that learning is best done by doing. We have designed the course to include mini-spiritual direction sessions during the intensives. As well, participants offer spiritual direction with volunteer directees and receive ongoing one-on-one supervision between each intensive.

ASD - participants sharing

Evocative

Rather than only being instructive and skill based, we emphasize listening with the heart and inner reflection on what emerges within us. We learn to pay attention to our emotional and body responses. We tend to the Spirit who is always moving in our lives as learners.

Transformational

By choosing a contemplative approach to spiritual direction with emphasis on silence, waiting and gentle interior exploration, we are choosing, quite simply, transformation.

ASD - participants meeting

Facilitation in community

As facilitators we work together, sharing our hearts with one another, forming deep community. From this rich place we extend community to those who take the Art of Spiritual Direction.

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Integrative

Our culture places high value on the intellect and good analytical thinking. In the Art of Spiritual Direction, we place high value on emotional, intuitive and body intelligence as well. We encourage learning and reflection by attending to our whole selves. Our program is integrative in another way. What is learned in one intensive is woven into what is learned in the others.

ASD - learning in community

Discernment

Throughout the program we support the ongoing process of discernment about whether participants will formally offer spiritual direction.

“What a gift the Art of Spiritual Direction has been to me. There was a depth of hospitality the facilitators extended. Although I knew I was being invited into a season of vulnerability and openness unlike I had experienced before, the facilitators created a space that was open, inviting, and full of grace.”

Nelson Boschman

Residential Model

Our 18-month program is anchored in four residential intensives held every six months: three 6-day intensives plus a 3-day closing intensive. In addition to times set aside for formal learning experiences, the daily rhythm includes morning and evening prayer, shared meals and an extended break in the afternoon for rest and renewal. Each of the 6-day intensives includes a Sabbath day.

We strongly feel the benefits of our residential model include:

  • Community formation:  A safe, vulnerable and supportive learning atmosphere is created and supportive friendships and community are nurtured, continuing long after the course is over.
  • Integrative learning:  The space and time to actively engage with and practice what is being taught, as it is being taught, offers opportunity to enrich the learning experience.
  • In-Person learning:  In this day of virtual connection, we offer our deep value of spacious face-to-face learning.
  • Extended learning:  This residential model offers the opportunity for conversations, practice and debriefing.
  • Broadened experience:  We have noticed a deepening value of vulnerability and trust in community when participants experience more than formal class life together. In addition, the overall contemplative rhythms of work and rest, morning/evening prayer, Sabbath day contribute to the whole experience.
  • Access to Facilitators:  Because the facilitators are also in residence, there is more potential for ‘caught’ learning in addition to ‘taught’ learning.

“What a gift the Art of Spiritual Direction has been to me. There was a depth of hospitality the facilitators extended. Although I knew I was being invited into a season of vulnerability and openness unlike I had experienced before, the facilitators created a space that was open, inviting, and full of grace.”

Nelson Boschman

Our Desire

Through engagement with this program, we desire that participants:

  • Grow in their contemplative experience with God so practice will flow from their own deepening personal life with God
  • Grow in deep listening to their own heart and inner movements
  • Grow in humble awareness of their own insufficiency and confidence in the Spirit’s presence to draw them and those they accompany deeper into God’s love
  • Grow in the art and skill of offering sacred space and deep listening to those who come seeking care for their soul, moving them to awaken to themselves and to God’s compassionate presence
  • Mature in the practice of offering spiritual direction
  • Grow in sensitivity to their own vocation and style in offering spiritual direction
  • Develop a commitment to the importance of supervision and support
  • Integrate a deepening knowledge of spiritual direction literature in their own practice
  • Develop a commitment to continuing education in spiritual direction

Program Topics

  • Introduction to spiritual direction
  • The Heart of a Spiritual Director
  • Theology, scripture, history of spiritual direction
  • Arc of a spiritual direction session
  • Listening with the heart
  • Skills: deep listening to help the story emerge
  • Before spiritual direction begins: the initial session conversation
  • Discernment
  • Common issues in spiritual direction
  • Suffering
  • Spiritual direction in your own skin
  • Body Awareness
  • Ethical considerations in spiritual direction
  • Ourselves as sexual and spiritual beings
  • Where am I now and where to from here
  • Supporting your practice of spiritual direction
  • Supervision
  • Peer supervision

Endorsements & Testimonials

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“Among the essentials for personal formation in our era is spiritual direction. Indeed, I honestly feel I would be lost (and was) without it. However, spiritual direction faces a quality control issue. It’s not simply a skill we’re born with or can learn from books. To be safe and nourishing, spiritual direction is an art learned through seasoned practitioners in supervised community. In my experience, those who come through SoulStream’s Art of Spiritual Direction program have received just that, and can be counted on as trustworthy companions on the path of spiritual formation. For that reason, I wholeheartedly recommend SoulStream’s Art of Spiritual Direction.”

Bradley Jersak (Ph.D)

Author & Teacher

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“I was blessed and enriched, even though COVID meant we had to be online sometimes. When I could physically attend the intensive, I was just amazed by how much connection and through the course I learned how to receive honest feedback. This course was not a mere “training” to become a spiritual director, but it is a new way for me to cultivate how to listen and be listened to in the presence of God.”

Izumi Araki (2020-22 Cohort)

Director of International Student Ministries Canada

Registration opens January 1, 2025

Our next cohort begins September 2025.

Sign up today to be notified when registration opens.

Our next cohort begins September 2025. Registration opens January 2025.

Ready to learn more about the Art of Spiritual Direction program?

Read our Frequently Asked Questions page or Contact us today.