Holistic Spirituality
Chair: Marie A. Conn, Ph.D.
In recent years the importance of spirituality has been rediscovered. Both inside and outside the churches, there are vital impulses toward its renewal and applications. This new awareness of the spiritual exigency at the heart of all living beings reveals several interactive components for the human community:
- Personal identity is connected in a fundamental way to spirituality, understood as one's way of being and acting in the world in light of one's ultimate values. The need to become more aware of, intentional about and articulate concerning those ultimate values is becoming ever more apparent.
- Spirituality shapes and is shaped by the work Christians and peoples of all faiths do in the world. The long-term demands of "acting justly, loving tenderly and walking humbly with God" (Micah 6:8) require a committed and embodied spirituality.
- Humans become more at one with earth and the cosmos through the mystical consciousness and expression at the heart of spiritual practice.
- Ministry is rooted in and helps constitute a vital spiritual life. A life of ministry and service to others is not consequent to, but constitutive of, Christian spirituality.
Spiritual Directors International
Spiritual Directors International is a learning community committed to advancing spiritual direction around the world. Our membership consists of people from many nations and many faiths. Spiritual Directors International provides programs, publications and practices to support spiritual direction.
The desire for on-going formation, conversion, and actualization in mission provides the direction for each student's journey through our spirituality program. Therefore, the pursuit of a degree and/or a certificate in holistic spirituality is understood not only as a significant academic endeavor, but as a dynamic and potentially transformative process, undertaken for the sake of the unfolding of all life.
