Wisdom Mentoring
Over the past 45 years I have been strongly drawn to the two deep streams of psychological work and spiritual growth. During this time, I have worked with individuals, groups, and organizations in various capacities that have leaned in one direction or another. Specifically, I have worked as an individual and group psychotherapist, and I have served as the rector of an Episcopal church for nearly twenty years. But even as I worked in one stream, I have never lost sight of the other. But now as never before, I have now reached a place where I have positioned myself in the confluence of these two streams. This is the place of deepening Wisdom.
Because of this positioning, I offer something a little different than either traditional spiritual direction on the one hand or psychological consultation and/or life coaching on the other. More than fine tuning life skills, this work aims at profound transformation—from the inside out. And the transformation at the heart of this work promises to touch all aspects of a person’s life.
While one might be initially drawn to the Wisdom principles through books, through presentations, or even by attending a Wisdom School, actively weaving these deeper understandings into one’s life is a more subtle and complex matter. The principle work of Wisdom Mentoring, then, is integration, and it is directed at expressing the unitive principles of Wisdom in the particularities of a unique life.
Sometimes the transformation of Wisdom work can be misinterpreted as leaving the ordinary life with its everyday consciousness behind. But this is not true. We never leave our ordinary self completely behind. Rather, the higher levels of awareness, having been experienced through spiritual practice, must be integrated into the structures of the self. We utilize the experiences and understandings of everyday life in order to do this. This is explicitly how we can move from a temporary state to an enduring structure. The crucial work of integration is often undervalued in this movement or overlooked altogether.