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Welcome to our Discover newsletter -- a monthly resource for everyone in our community -- be they spiritual director or seeker (or both).

Use it to learn, to grow, to accompany you on your spiritual journey, and to help you make your own contribution to our wonderful community.

Have you seen this quote on our social media? If not, you might want to consider following us on Facebook,Twitter or LinkedIn. (Our social media provide a great way to keep up with activities and opportunities and engage in thoughtful, respectful and invigorating discussion.) The above, quote from spiritual director Rev. Dr. Carol Vaccariello, is part of a blog post by our executive director, Anil Singh-Molares called “What Makes a Good Spiritual Director.” Check it out here:

(By the way, we are energized by your enthusiastic response on Facebook, where this post reached more than 27,000 people. Thank you for sharing with your friends. We could not do what we do to encourage spiritual direction without your support.)

Share your Wisdom

You are what makes SDI a welcoming and nurturing community. We want to hear from you and encourage you to share your wisdom by answering a question each month. We are listening. Before August 7, please give us your answers.

What can SDI do to be more welcoming to spiritual directors from all traditions and inclinations?

Share your responses here.

Top News

For the first time in many months, we have a full complement of staff at the SDI home office in Bellevue, WA near Seattle. Here the exciting changes:

Marisa Carpenter is our new Membership Services Coordinator….. You will be talking to her on the phone no doubt if you call with queries. And she will be bringing years of customer service and management (along with a love of reading and a deep reverence for nature) to our team. We are very grateful to have her with us. If you chat with her on the phone, give her a hearty welcome.

Maud Naveau will be moving from her old role coordinating member services to her new work as Events and Journeys Manager…. She will be the key logistics coordinator for all our events, including our exciting “Seeking Connection” conference in St. Louis (see below for more information). She will also look after our Journeys program. Maud says she hopes to offer these spiritually-oriented trips to members in 2018. Please watch future editions of Discover to learn more as we confirm the details of the program.

Steven Crandell is our new Director of Content and Philanthropy.…An author with experience directing strategy and messaging for nonprofits, philanthropy and business, he now guides SDI's storytelling and education -- on our website, our blog, social media, and in our webinars. He also works under the direction of Executive Director Anil Singh-Molares to facilitate our fundraising -- so that we may encourage and empower our community of spiritual directors.Steven’s twitter bio describes him well. “Father. Writer. Grateful.”

Featured Resource

In one of the most popular YouTube videos we have ever produced, Brother David Steindl-Rast gave inspiring advice to all spiritual directors. We wanted to share it again here and now. He has a refreshingly simple and open-hearted approach to prayer. He says it’s whatever “lifts your heart.” Listen and watch. We think you find it 7 minutes well spent. And if you don’t know Brother David, we should tell you he has devoted his life to peace and justice through the ministry of cultivating gratefulness and understanding among spiritual traditions. He is the co-founder of the wonderful website , which has lovely ideas for how to practice gratefulness.

Contemplative Learning Opportunity

You need ongoing education in flexible, affordable formats, and Spiritual Directors International is the place to learn.

Discover more about spiritual direction and how to take the first step. Read more

Presence Journal

Have you found a product or service among the Presence advertisers that has been helpful to you in the past year? Please share your experience. Send your comments to and .

2018 St. Louis SDI Conference - Call for Workshop Proposals – Deadline Aug. 7

Are you inspired to help others find wisdom? Do you have a gift for workshop leadership? At SDI, we celebrate diversity. We believe that when it comes to spirituality – and spiritual direction -- we all receive and reflect light in our own individual ways. So …. We want those of you who enjoy leading workshops to help us at the Spiritual Directors International 2018 Seeking Connection Conference, April 26-29, 2018 in St Louis, Missouri, USA.

Here’s how you can do it:

• Develop a proposal that embodies the conference theme of "Seeking Connection Through Diversity."
• Choose any workshop subject as long as it conveys the powerful healing potential of celebrating our differences and our interdependence. Tolerance and inclusion are mutually reinforcing. And community grows best alongside respect for the dignity of each individual's spiritual journey. Together, we will explore ways in which spiritual direction supports both community and diversity.

Workshops will be offered Friday and Saturday, April 27–28, 2018, in either 90-minute or 3-hour formats. More information, including how to submit a proposal right here:

From our Facebook Page:

Where do you stand on the balance between practice and belief? ... For context see this insightful piece by our cherished friendRichard RohrandCenter for Action and Contemplation…….

Community Events

In you are in the Seattle area this August, please read on. You see…. we have a new home and we want you to come for a visit.

Spiritual Directors International is committed to creating a strongcommunityin our own backyard, and we want you to join usas we throw a modest office-warming party for everyone who cares about spiritualdirection -and connection-in the Seattle area.

For almost a month we have been getting cozy in our new office space in Bellevue,which is the headquartersof our international operations. Nowwewanteveryonetocomecelebratewith us. Free admission.

Take a tour of ourlovely space, which has the capacity to host workshops for 10-30 people. Meet our teamin person,and enjoy somelight refreshment…along withgenerous helpings of peace, hospitality and compassion.

Saturday, August 19th

10am – 1pm

2025 112thAve NE, Suite 200

Bellevue, Washington

Please RSVP y August 11thso we can plan accordingly.

Blessing:

With respect and appreciation,

Anil Singh-Molares

Executive Director

P.S. If you enjoyed this newsletter, please share it with a friend or friends. Sometimes wonderful spiritual journeys start with the simple step of sharing what authentically resonates with us.Authentic connections are often born of such respectful boldness.

This issue of the Discover newsletter can be found online.: simply follow the link.

What do you think of “Discover”?

We love feedback at SDI. And we’d like to know what you think about our monthly newsletter. What would you change? What would you like to see more of – or less of? What would be useful to you as a director – or a seeker? This is your newsletter. Please write to with any comments, critiques and suggestions. Thank you.

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