SoulStream offers courses in contemplative living such as Living from the Heart, training courses in spiritual direction, and specific workshops from time to time.
Living from the Heart offers a learning community that invites participants to deepen their experience of intimacy with Jesus. Biblically, the heart is the very core of life out of which intellect, emotions, and intentions flow. Opening to God’s heart of love with our whole heart, especially in our most broken places, brings a healing integration within and provides the courage to offer our lives in loving compassion to the world around us.
Living from The Heart offered me a safe and spacious place to explore my doubts, fears, and lack of spiritual answers. I didn’t end up with more answers, but what I received was so much more valuable. LFTH led me into a more authentic way of living that encompasses my whole being, enlarged my view of God, and deepened my awareness of the Sacred in me and all around me. LFTH was so much more than a course; it was a place of transformation.”
“I joined Living from The Heart hoping to take my fledgeling contemplative practice deeper. The cohesive and vulnerable team of facilitators presented well-planned content that included beautiful and meaningful music and poetry. They also shared deeply from their personal journeys, which set the tone for a spirit of openness within the cohort. Although the days were intense, we had time to reflect individually as well as to share with others. It was clear that each and every person was respected in terms of where they were and how able they were to be open with themselves, others and God. My connection with myself and with God has indeed grown deeper and I look forward to continuing the journey as it unfolds. I am excited by life with God!”
“Living from The Heart has been a journey of healing and new beginnings. I am so thankful for the creative way that the Christian tradition was offered to me, with both intellectual and spiritual freedom, which has helped me to live into the truest part of who I am. Today, almost a year later, I find myself walking much more gently with myself, others and God. I find myself opening to my day-to-day life looking longer and listening deeper to the ‘teachers’ that come almost every day.”
Course Content
The Way of the Heart: opens us to encounter God personally, integrates body, soul, mind, and spirit, and helps us live out of who we truly are in Christ.
Spiritual Awareness and Receptivity: We explore ways to become more open to respond to God’s presence in all of life and identify what inhibits our receptivity.
Spiritual Transformation: We gain a deep sensitivity to the dimensions of spiritual transformation into Jesus’ image, coming to freedom in our deepest truth in God, dealing with the masks we hide behind, and cultivating spiritual practices that support our life in God.
Contemplative Prayer and Discernment: We come to understand that prayer is responsiveness to the living and active presence of the Holy Spirit, learn ancient contemplative practices, and discover how prayer is integrated into all of life and deepens our ability to discern God’s will.
Contemplative Living: As Jesus’s friends, we are called to love our neighbour, care for the earth, and seek justice. With joy we discover that our response to the world becomes a natural outflow of contemplative prayer and practice.
Learning and Teaching Approaches
A variety of collaborative learning and teaching approaches are used including: mini-presentations; short, structured written personal reflections on assigned reading; demonstrations; small group discussion and activities. Participants will be invited to engage their imaginations with the use of textures, colours, music, poetry, prayers—and plain old fun! Between teaching times, we encourage mutual support among participants through community gatherings. The small team of facilitators provide feedback on reflection papers and offer what they teach honestly and vulnerably, sharing experiences from their own lives.
Requirements for Participants
- Full participation in the teaching days or intensives
- Full participation in monthly small group sessions
- Reading and reflective book response
- Receiving regular spiritual direction
Locations & Dates
The Art of Spiritual Direction offers a learning community inviting participants to journey deeper into contemplative experience with God while growing in the art and skill of offering sacred space and deep listening to others.
This 18-month program is held in three 6-day intensives and ends with a short closing intensive. The course includes interactive classroom study in the art and skill of spiritual direction, discernment, the theological framework of spiritual direction, and various topics impacting spiritual direction.
Participants will gain experiential training in the classroom with fellow classmates and out of the classroom with volunteer directees. Also, participants will meet monthly with a supervisor for most of the course duration. Journaling and reflection papers will deepen the learning.
Download General Information brochure here (Word format).
Prerequisites for The Art of Spiritual Direction
– Living From the Heart
An equivalent to Living From the Heart may include the following from Carey Theological College: two-year Spiritual Formation certificate plus the Carey course “A Deepening Life of Prayer” or completion of SoulStream’s self-study course “Contemplative Prayer”.
– Ongoing spiritual direction for at least one year prior to the start of the program.
Application Process
Your application will be complete once the following items are received at SoulStream (electronically or by snail mail):
1. Your response to the application questions
2. $75. CDN nonrefundable application fee
3. Two references (details are listed below)
Download Application here (Word format). To apply online, click here.
References
Two references will be required, one from each of the following:
1. Your spiritual director.
2. One other mature Christian, whose walk with God you respect deeply, who can speak to your relationship with Jesus and your growing interest in spiritual direction.
Your references have the option to fill out an online form, or a mail-in form.
For the online option, please give your references the appropriate web address:
For your Spiritual Director: https://soulstream.org/secure/asd-reference-form-spiritual-director/
For your Other Reference: https://soulstream.org/secure/asd-reference-form-general/
For the mail-in (email or snail-mail), please give your references the appropriate form:
For your Spiritual Director: Download reference form (Word format)
For your Other Reference: Download reference form (Word format)
Locations & Dates
A supplementary course of study to partially fulfill prerequisites for application to Art of Spiritual Direction for individuals who have completed the 2 year Center for Spiritual Formation certificate from Carey Theological College.
“And God said to the soul: I desired you before the world began. I desire you now as you desire me. And where the desires of two come together, the love is perfected.”
~ Mechthild of Magdeburg – 13th century.
Description and Objectives
This course is designed to provide you with an opportunity to deepen your experience of contemplative prayer. Knowledge, practice, and reflection on practice will be integrated.
Through thoughtful engagement in this study it is hoped you will:
- Expand your understanding of contemplative prayer in the Christian tradition
- Deepen your experience of prayer through Christian prayer forms
- Discover the vital connection between praying and living contemplatively
This is a directed study course and does not include class time. The requirements include writing reflection papers on your inner journey and readings from the bibliography, keeping a personal journal to help you pay attention to what is happening in your soul and writing a monthly reflection on something that emerged, a 24 hour silent retreat and a final integration project. Course participants will continue to receive spiritual direction monthly.
Course Schedule
The course is 6 months in duration. The latest start date for those interested in applying for the 2018-2020 Art of Spiritual Direction cohort is January 15, 2018. The latest start date for those interested in applying for the 2020-2022 Art of Spiritual Direction cohort is January 15, 2020.
Interested individuals may begin earlier than the latest start date. The completion date will be adjusted accordingly.
Course Cost
The cost is $500, payable to SoulStream prior to beginning the course.
Please direct any questions to the SoulStream Administrator: soulstream1@gmail.com
Registration
Finding God in the Dark: A Lenten Prayer Retreat
March 2, 2019 – Details and Registration here.
Opening to God in Silence: A Lenten Weekend Retreat
March 8-10, 2019 – Details and Registration here.
Nurturing Contemplative Experiences: A Workshop in Facilitation
March 22-24, 2019 – Details and Registration here.
A note from a previous SoulStream workshop participant:
Yesterday’s Retreat was wonderful for me – connecting with old friends and new. I’m so thankful that these retreats are open to all – so participants can be introduced to SoulStream, to a contemplative journey with God if they haven’t been familiar with it until now.
I encountered Jesus during this Retreat. I accompanied Jesus to the mountain of His transfiguration. While hiking down the mountain, after seeing Jesus transformed into light, after hearing the Father’s voice of love for His Son, after Jesus soothed my fears of the unknown, while hiking down the mountain back into everyday life, Jesus reminded me that He desires to be with me, to share His heart with me, as I share mine with Him, to walk with me, to laugh and cry together with me, to talk with me. I’m grateful I had the opportunity to attend this retreat.
I was awed, once again, how God speaks to each person in a variety of ways to pray, to each one’s circumstances and life moments. These facilitators truly are gifted by God.
Thanks again for this Retreat!”