The Contemplative Life

Send us a Text Message. Today we are joined by Linda Hershberger. Learn how empty nesting, relocation and a cancer diagnosis led her to seeking out training as a spiritual guide for others. Support the Show.

Send us a Text Message. Today we are joined by spiritual guide, Grace Schmelzer. Learn how a recent graduate (less than 2 years) has started her practice and mindsets faced along the way. Additional Resources: graceschmelzer1@gmail.com Support the Show.

Send us a Text Message. Today we are joined by spiritual guidance trainer, Jo Giarrante. Together we explore what Jo has learned in her decades of spiritual guidance ministry and hear wisdom as it relates to her hopes for the future of this work. Support the Show.

Send us a Text Message. Today we are joined by spiritual guide and avid paddler, Becca Langhough. Learn how she combined her love for canoeing, spiritual direction and outdoor adventure. Additional Resources: becca55nb@gmail.com Support the Show.

Send us a Text Message. Today we explore a modern contemplative, Brother Roger. Join us as we talk about the inspirational community in Taize, France and how it has captured the imagination of people around the world. Additional Resources: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngA8BFbjrE0 Check out past episodes of exploring contemplative figures: The Contemplative LIfe, episodes 130-136 Sign up for our newsletter here: https://foundrysc.com/about/newsletter Support the Show.

Send us a Text Message. Today we talk about the Desert Fathers and Mothers from the 3rd-5th Centuries. Join us as we explore their values of hospitality, storytelling, and the spiritual landscape of the desert. Additional Resources Check out past episodes of exploring contemplative figures: The Contemplative Life, episodes 130-136 Support the Show.

Send us a Text Message. Today we discuss the legacy of Clare of Assisi. Learn how her choices as a young teen continue to inspire people today in the areas of focus, mission and care for the poor. Additional Resources Check out past episodes of exploring contemplative figures: The Contemplative Life, episodes 130-136 Support the Show.

Send us a Text Message. There is much to learn from the lives of contemplative people in history. Today, we explore the legacy of Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuits. Learn how his spiritual exercises continue to influence our modern lives and ways we can apply and adapt for the 21 century. Additional Resources: Pray As You Go app Jesuits Guide to Almost Anything by James Martin, SJ Learning to Pray by James Martin, SJ Support the Show.

Send us a Text Message. Regardless of your country of origin, election years can be stressful. Join us today as we explore practices that can help us love our neighbors as ourselves. Support the Show.

Send us a Text Message. Join us today as we explore 4 ways we are currently engaging in nature. We hope this inspires you to find your own inspiration outdoors. Additional resources: https://www.scottericksonart.com/ https://www.instagram.com/scottthepainter/ Support the Show.

Send us a Text Message. Today we are joined by Stephanie Spencer, co-founder of the organization 40 Orchards. We discuss the Jewish practice of Midrash, the value of asking questions in community and how to expand our engagement with ancient texts. Learn more at: 40orchards.org Searching the Sacred podcast Support the Show.

Send us a Text Message. Today we are joined by Pastor & Certified Forest Bather, Zayna Thomley. We discuss what to expect in a forest bathing session, the importance of community and nature and how to embrace obstacles that might come with the outdoors. Follow Zayna at: https://wisdom-and-wonder.com/ Support the Show.

Send us a Text Message. Today is a special episode where we hear from Dr. Kristina Kaiser about her doctoral work with the topic of Joy. It also marks the final episode with Kristina as our co-host, as she plans to focus more time and energy towards this work. Tune in as we learn more about the academic, emotional and spiritual aspects of joy. To follow Kristina: kristinamkaiser@gmail.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristina-kaiser-73a00337/ Sign up for our newsletter here: https://foundrysc.com/about/newsletter Support the Show.

Send us a Text Message. Today we are joined by spiritual director Heather Watts exploring the journey of deconstructing faith. We discuss how spiritual guidance can provide space to be heard, wonder together and sit with uncertainties one faces in these seasons. Additional Resources Listening and Caring Skills by John Savage Sign up for our newsletter here: https://foundrysc.com/about/newsletter Support the Show.

Send us a Text Message. Today we welcome Dr. Jan Lundy to the podcast who is talking with us about what it looks like to companion people through their grief. Though grief is something many people find difficult to talk about, it's likely that each of us is experiencing loss continually. Join in as Jan shares with us about what it looks like to stay with someone through their experience of wilderness in ways that help us experience integration and transformation. Because grief isn’t meant to be something we get over or repress. It’s there because we love and care deeply. If you’d like to learn more, be sure to check out the Additional Resources section below. Additional Resources Website: mettacentertraining.com Program: Grief Companion Training Hashtags Grief, Loss, Spirituality, Spiritual Direction, Wilderness, Counseling, Anticipatory Grief, Trauma Sign up for our newsletter here: https://foundrysc.com/about/newsletter Support the Show.

Send us a Text Message. On this week’s podcast we hear from Tom Buhler, a certified spiritual guide offering mindfulness to prisoners. Tom shares with us about the powerful transformations possible when using mindfulness, particularly in the midst of high-stress situations. Join us as Tom relays how formal practice can lead to shifts in perspective that help us become more aware of our thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations so that we can be more empathetic overall. And don’t forget to check out the Additional Resources section for more information. Additional Resources Author: John Kabat Zinn Organization: The Path of Freedom Workbook: The Stress Reduction Workbook for Teens by Gina M Biegel Website: PrisonMindfulness.org Facebook: Wisconsin Prison Mindfulness Initiative Documentary: Dhamma Brothers Film: Holding Still Retreat: A Day of Mindfulness for Helpers and Healers: June 20, 2024. Siena Retreat Center. Training: https://www.uwhealth.org/services/mindfulness-based-stress-reduction (UW-Health MBSR courses) Hashtags Jon Kabat Zinn, Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction, Empathy, Interconnection, Awareness, Awareness, Ego, Prison Ministry Sign up for our newsletter here: https://foundrysc.com/about/newsletter Support the Show.

Send us a Text Message. Many of us have heard that we ought to do unto others as we would have done unto ourselves. But how many of us have heard that we ought to treat ourselves with the same kindness and respect we offer to others? Certainly, loving ourselves sounds good in theory, but the daily practice of it is quite another thing. It can be helpful to ask ourselves: What protective measures have we put in place that now keep us from being in touch with what we really enjoy and need? Join us as we talk about how the contemplative life can help us create more space for tending to what our deepest selves need most. Additional Resources Movie: America’s Sweethearts Podcast: Ep 166 Stress vs Stressors from The Contemplative Life Poem: For One Who Is Exhausted, A Blessing by John O’Donohue Hashtags Inner Critic, Outlook, Noticing, Spirituality, Self-talk, Retreat, Life Rhythms Sign up for our newsletter here: https://foundrysc.com/about/newsletter Support the Show.

Send us a Text Message. Stress is a part of life and can happen in both big and small ways. On today’s podcast, we consider how the contemplative life can help us recognize what’s happening so that we can respond in more balanced ways more and more often. Do you find yourself sometimes feeling flush with emotions? Or, on the opposite side of that, do you sometimes try to ignore emotions in favor of just the facts? When we are feeling more at ease and connected, our brains are able to engage with both of these instead of having to choose just one or the other. Join us as we talk about how this can look in our day to day lives. Additional Resources Book: Raising Kids with Big Baffling Behaviors by Robyn Gobbel Book: The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Hashtags Jenny Taitz, Emotion Mind, Reason Mind, Wisdom Mind, Naming Emotions, Playfulness, Curiosity, Mindsets Sign up for our newsletter here: https://foundrysc.com/about/newsletter Support the Show.

Send us a Text Message. On this week’s podcast, we’re talking about what it takes to be present to those things that are taking up mental real estate in our heads, buzzing in the background, ticker taping through our heads, and the like. Do you sometimes find yourself blowing up when you normally would have been able to remain calm? Having trouble sleeping? Feeling the need to put everyone and everything on mute? All of these, and more, can be signs that you are experiencing undue loads of emotional labor. Join us as we talk about how a contemplative life can help us lessen our emotional-labor-load so that we can ride the waves of our emotions without being taken over by them. Additional Resources Podcast: Ep 159 Community Care from The Contemplative Life Hashtags Surface Acting, Deep Acting, Emotional Intelligence, Division of Labor, Spiritual Direction, Group Spiritual Direction, Awareness, Community Care Sign up for our newsletter here: https://foundrysc.com/about/newsletter Support the Show.

Send us a Text Message. Do you ever find yourself feeling frustrated or confused about which way to go next? In this episode, we talk about the helpfulness of being able to take a pause as a way of getting our bearings again, whether those pauses are related to something in particular, a season of life, or the need for discernment within a larger group. Wondering if you have enough capacity for what’s being asked of you? Asking questions about how to navigate a tricky situation? Feeling like you’re just going in circles? Sensing that what used to work for you isn’t working anymore? Join us as we talk about the many contemplative possibilities for recalibrating so that you can experience the Beauty of life again. Additional Resources Poem: Clearing by Martha Postlethwaite Poem: Coleman’s Bed by David Whyte Hashtags Counseling, Therapy, Discernment, Seasons of Life, Benedictine, Family Relationships, Work Relationships, Spiritual Practices, Anxiety Sign up for our newsletter here: https://foundrysc.com/about/newsletter Support the Show.