Blog
Silence and stillness are central to contemplative spirituality.
They can open us to God, deepen awareness, and restore our nervous systems—which in turn affects our relationships, communities, and the world. But even these sacred practices can become forms of spiritual bypassing when offered witho...
“Mom, now is not the time for meaning-making!” my teenager said to me.
Instantly, I knew what she meant—and I apologized.
I have a habit of looking for deeper meaning, of going beneath the surface of things. That impulse is not inherently bad. But when it happens too soon, it bypasses what needs t...
“I feel crunched and crushed,” she said.
It was an online spiritual direction session, and this was how my directee—a college professor—began the call.
She went on to describe the anger and angst she felt living within society’s grind culture and the relentless pressure it places on people. This p...
Wisdom Tree Collective is a formation that takes spiritual direction seriously.
This is not a program that skims the surface or rushes formation. It is a space of depth, rigor, and reverence, shaped by prayer, discernment, and long fidelity to the vocation of spiritual accompaniment.
From the ou...
During my early years as a dean of students, many of the students I talked with were burdened with issues similar to what I had experienced. The main difference between us was that I had had time to reflect and learn from them. It was an unsolicited invitation to listen to students with fresh ears, ...
“Ring around the rosie. Pocket full of posey. Ashes, ashes, all fall down.”
For reasons I can’t quite explain, this curious rhyme recently intruded upon my thoughts. It carried me back to childhood, to evenings when my mother would recite it at bedtime. I had no idea what the words meant then, and ...
My spiritual director once gave me valuable advice: begin keeping a gratitude journal and make thankfulness a part of my everyday routine.
She encouraged me to approach gratitude as an Examen, so each evening I pause to jot down things I'm thankful for that day.
At first, I was worried that I’d tr...
Last week, I went away on retreat, hoping for rest and restoration. Admittedly, after more than a year of navigating chaos, that may have been a lot of pressure to place on just four and a half days! So it shouldn’t have surprised me that, no matter where I went, I was met with distraction after dis...
“Our spiritual journeys are not ours alone,” writes Ann Kline. That sentence opens a doorway into a deeper truth: we are not solitary seekers, but participants in the ongoing flow of God’s own prayer.
In group spiritual direction, we listen, not just for ourselves, but for each other. We ask not wh...
Our Wisdom Tree Collective students are in a beautiful season of transition as they are shifting from their first year of formation into their second year of learning and practice in the art of spiritual direction. To honor this, Kasey Hitt, Amy Lyles Wilson, and I will gather with the Cohort 2025 f...
Recently, I had the privilege of helping present on the topic of spiritual direction. As the conversation unfolded, one participant’s spontaneous question spurred a deeper conversation:
“What do you ask a spiritual director to see if they’re the right fit for you?”
Her question, almost sounding li...
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“Why, yes…yes you can. And with great compassion and integrity!”
Emily Askew, PhD.
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This is the answer I have given hundreds of times to people who do not believe that
online learning can be as good as face-to-face (F2F) learning in creating community,
offering a rigorous curriculum, and at...
