I am delighted to feature a guest post today from Kayce S. Hughlett, one of my fabulous teaching partners, and the facilitator of the upcoming Soul Care Institute class Live it to Give it: Essential Practices of Self-Care and Soul Nourishment (November 5-December 14, 2012), as well as co-teacher with Betsey Beckman of the LIVE SCI intensive Body Wisdom for Soul Care Practitoners (December 3-6, 2012 in the beautiful Pacific NW): There is a simple yet powerful question I pose to participants at the beginning (and throughout) each Live it to Give it class. What do you need right now? Upon asking

Soul Care Institute online learning: January 9-February 19, 2012 Register now for A Midwinter God: Making a Conscious Underworld Journey (click the link for more details) Open to all soul care practitioners (spiritual directors, chaplains, counselors, pastors, etc). In a dark time, the eye begins to see. —Theodore Roethke Wisdom comes with winter. —Oscar Wilde Our western culture denies the reality of difficult feelings, demonizes the experience of darkness, and rejects the invitation of winter to move into a place of unknowing and mystery. Our religious institutions don’t leave any room for the experience of doubt and despair. Certainty, planning,

A Midwinter God: Making a Conscious Underworld Journey January 9-February 19, 2012 This 6-week online class is a part of the Soul Care Institute offerings. *Early registration* is now open to those applying to complete a Soul Care Institute certificate. General registration for any soul care practitioners will open November 1, 2011. Stop by the course page for details and registration>> Please note: While we recommend that you begin the certificate with Live it to Give it (next offering April 16-May 27, 2012), if you are ready to jump in now we welcome you into the program.

She had to find it in herself.  —Glinda, The Wizard of Oz (MGM) If someone asked you to describe your relationship to self-care how might you answer? Could you or would you be willing to elaborate on your own soul nourishment practices? Do you even know how to begin? Like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, I’ve discovered the best way is to start at the beginning and follow the yellow brick road. As with Dorothy, my story of change and journey into soulful living began with a catalytic event. In her case the event was being swept up in a

I am getting things ready to travel tomorrow to Atlanta for the Spiritual Directors International Conference where Betsey Beckman and I are leading the Friday night plenary session on Cultivating the Elements of a Compassionate Heart.  We will be engaging the community in visual art, poetry, movement, and song to savor the four sacred elements of water, wind, earth, and fire.  I’ve had several wonderful notes from folks who were offering their prayers while I was away last week on an Abbey dreaming and planning retreat by the sea.  It was a beautiful and inspiring time with lots more details about what