At the heart of Wisdom Tree Collective is its School of Spiritual Direction.

The School of Spiritual Direction arose from heartfelt conversations that awakened yearnings and a surrender to the unknown. Spiritual Director, Kasey Hitt had no plans to start a nonprofit or lead an institute. Encounters with others navigating the spiritual wilderness planted seeds and sparked this unexpected journey, further leading her out of her comfort zone.

For several years, people had been asking her for training in spiritual direction. Then in 2018, Mary Francis and Kim Working (the latter a recent graduate of CAC's first Living School program) shared their dream of founding a nonprofit retreat center blending science, faith, and spiritual growth. They were seeking a spiritual director to partner with to make their dream come true. Kasey slowly began to embrace both her fear and willingness to take the next step.

The need was undeniable. A growing waitlist for spiritual direction and the popularity of her contemplative retreats and classes highlighted this hunger for more meaningful spiritual support. Having experienced the transformative power of spiritual direction during a time of burnout as a youth pastor, she knew its value firsthand. With her "yes" all decided to venture on.

A discerning retreat led to putting a pause on building a retreat center and instead a weekend retreat, A Contemplative Approach to Spirituality and Sexuality, was held in the home of the Workings. People stayed in nearby hotels or commuted. All were amazed—the many ways God brought healing and deep awareness in such a short amount of time left them speechless. The way was opening.  

Kim and Mary Francis established The Hummingbird Foundation to provide initial funding to the future contemplative nonprofit. Later on, Kasey discovered the indigenous story of the Quechuan people of South America, The Little Hummingbird. The message of the little hummingbird was at the very heart of The Hummingbird Foundation and the future nonprofit.

When plans for more in-person retreats stalled due to the pandemic, the relationships continued to be cultivated with old dreams being surrendered. Not long after, a new dream and a new name was born—Wisdom Tree Collective. To learn more about our appreciation for trees, see Planting Trees.

 

With retreats on hold, Kasey began to form a curriculum for a Wisdom-based School of Spiritual Direction. Interest from her online classes and retreats through the pandemic encouraged her to offer a virtual training program which definitely excited those who wanted to be trained by her but lived several states away!

She called together experienced spiritual directors to join her in mentoring and instruction. This included her own supervisor, Sr. Mary Rose Bumpus, whom she had met while in Seattle and now both found themselves in Tennessee! With very little advertising, the first cohort filled and even had to be expanded. In September 2021, they began their 2-year training through Wisdom Tree Collective’s School of Spiritual Direction.

Now guiding our fourth cohort, with students as close as Nashville and as far away as California, Canada, and even Bali, this journey affirms the profound impact of spiritual connection and the call to serve those on a deeper path.

In addition to our School, Wisdom Tree Collective is a refuge for spiritual companions and wisdom-seekers through seasonal retreats, weekly meditation groups, seminars, and group supervision.

And the journey for our students does not end with graduation! Classmates, mentors, and instructors become dear friends after two years together. Alumni organize in-person gatherings and facilitate online support for Wisdom Tree Collective. Some even vacation together! 

While it all began with a handful of people open to the collective Wisdom in, through, and all around them, they are glad to be a small part in an ever-growing collective of people with roots running both deep and wide. 

"Wisdom Tree Collective is a special community and program where each individual’s spiritual journey is welcomed and respected. Kasey and her team create an environment where we reflect, experiment, embrace failure, gain practical skills to guide others, and embrace the ebbs and flows of our spiritual paths. Wisdom Tree Collective has sparked in me a sense of direction, helping me recognize my own calling from God. I am so thankful for this community and cannot recommend it enough! Come and see!"

-Christopher Dean, Tennessee