I will add more as able. But I’m so excited. I have been discerning this path for over 4 years now, and for whatever wild reason, this year felt ‘right.’ I’m going to be attending United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities *virtually* to pursue a Master’s of Arts in Leadership with an emphasis in Spiritual Direction. When I graduate, I’ll have a certificate in Spiritual Direction as well as a Master’s. I’m interested in working with individuals and groups as we deepen relationships to ourselves, others, and the Divine, and explore various aspects of living a connected life through art and music. Particularly issues around control, expression, creativity, and transition. Oh, I could go on!
I am looking forward to hosting retreats and creative classes and all sorts of programming in and out of churches. I’m looking forward to working with ANY religious beliefs, because what matters to me is how YOU feel drawn to connection and the Divine, not doctrinal purity. Ugh. That. I’m looking forward to working with all ages, too, not something every Spiritual Director will do. It’s largely seen as something for adults. But I have had way too many profound conversations with kids to not include that in what I eventually fall into doing.
Lastly, the thing I’m so excited about is NOT BEING TIED TO A CHURCH for employment. As I put in my application essay, I found myself (as a church employee) too often a cog in the wheel of the institution, concerned about not upsetting the status quo. I think church SHOULD upset things. But we don’t. We too easily lie with power in the name of self-preservation and protection. I’m over it. I don’t want to lend my implied approval to the horrors of this ‘christian’ nation and ‘christian’ government. Not every church is complicit, but not enough are actively resisting. And those jobs were too few and far between for me to continue a career in church music. Maybe I’ll go back? But right now, it’s feeling good to be free.
Actually an Artist 
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