Choosing a Spiritual Director/Mentor

While we try to be helpful in making the names of spiritual directors available to you, you are advised to use your judgment and discernment skills in assessing whether or not any given person you contact for spiritual direction/mentoring is a good fit for you. The Claritas Institute cannot be responsible for this discernment process.

CLARITAS GRADUATES

Name: Martine Amundson RN, BA
Reiki 2, Guided Imagery & Meditation Practice
Gender: Female
E-mail address: Martine@healthyforlife.com
Phone: 508-896-4667
Are you willing to do spiritual direction by phone or other distance methods?
I am willing to do spiritual direction by phone or in-person for local participants.
Root tradition (i.e., Jewish, Roman Catholic, Muslim, etc.): Catholic
Where you locate yourself now, spiritually: I appreciate my Catholic roots, and now share an expanded call toward nature based philosophies and practices. I continue to learn and grow spiritually and seek further explorations and honoring of all traditions.
Your experience with interspiritual spiritual direction: I have been blessed to walk with both individual women and groups of women on their spiritual paths. I consider myself to be a spiritual guide or soul friend rather than a spiritual director. It is a privilege to reflect back how "the sacred" moves in each individual's story and life. I believe that part of my spiritual call is to walk with other women as they return to Spirit, by remembering how it is "to come home" to their own spirit.

Name: Joanne R. Bemis
Gender: Female
E-mail: Joanne@SpiritualCompanioning.com
Phone: (802) 363-5350 or (802) 879-7789
Are you willing to do spiritual direction by phone or other distance methods?
I am willing to do spiritual direction by phone or other distance methods, if necessary.
Root tradition: Roman Catholic
Where you locate yourself now, spiritually: I consider myself interspiritual, embracing and honoring the truth within all religious traditions. I currently practice Mindfulness meditation, chant, prayer from various faith traditions and study A Course In Miracles. Practice in present moment awareness has presented itself in the gift of unfolding grace. Faith and gratitude, in all things, has provided the basis for realizing that our uniquely individual, divine nature as "spirit in action" illuminates our life and the beauty we perceive in and around us.
Your experience with interspiritual spiritual direction: Being a graduate of the Claritas Institute's inaugural class, I engaged in the program requirement of supervised mentoring by mentoring two women (of different faiths) for one year. I've received two years of interspiritual direction by my mentor and will continue to receive direction in the future. I currently offer individual spiritual direction, Reconnective Healing and Reiki. While earning a BA in Human Services from Trinity College of VT as well as studying spiritual content for many years, I've informally mentored others along the way. Though illness and loss, I've been given the opportunity to consciously participate in the process of awakening to my true Self in connection with the Divine source of being. I feel blessed to be guided on a life path toward companioning and assisting others on their spiritually connected life journey.

Name: Laurie Blefeld
Gender: Female
E-mail: lbblefeld@hotmail.com
Phone: Home: 860-536-6702
Cell: 860-460-8815
I am willing to do spiritual direction by phone.
Root tradition: Christian/Protestant
Now: Unitiarian/Universalist
Interspiritual direction cultivates a closer, more intimate relationship with God, no matter how God is known or named. The process involves companioning another as he "awe-wakens" to wherever the sacred shows up in every day life. There are as many paths as seekers, yet love and compassion are the universal commonalities connecting us all. Our practices are different; the way we glance toward God is different; but interspiritual direction honors the interconnectedness of all things.

Name: Dean Cox
Gender: Male
E-mail: deancox7@peoplepc.com
Phone: (970) 264-2012
SD by phone -- yes. By email - no.
Root tradition: Catholic.
Spiritually now: Interspiritual - one on one personal communion and relationship with Spirit. Experience with interspiritual spiritual direction: Through the Claritas program, with five directees, four women and two men, three in person and two by phone.

Name: Kerri J. Geary
Gender: Female
Ft. Collins, CO 80525
E-mail: kerrigeary@yahoo.com
Phone: 970-420-9300
Are you willing to do spiritual direction by phone or other distance means? Yes, most of the people I work with at this time are by phone.
Root tradition: Presbyterian Where do you locate yourself now, spiritually? I truly feel Interspiritual. I was raised a Christian, but as a teenager turned my back on Christianity and turned toward pagan rituals. Currently, I practice Buddhist, Kundalini, and Christian Centering Prayer meditations, take part in Dances for Universal Peace (which are multicultutal), celebrate traditional Christian holidays, participate in pagan seasonal rituals, and attend a Unity Church.
What is your experience with Interspiritual spiritual direction? My actual practice is as a Healing Energy Guide, working with people with cancer and other chronic health issues. Spiritual direction is a significant piece of my practice because intense health issues often pull people into a “dark night of the soul” experience and understanding where their spirit is moving can be a significant component to their healing.

Name: Ann Gilfillan
Gender: Female
E-mail address: anngilfillan@earthlink.net
Phone: 352-314-9885
Are you willing to do spiritual direction by phone or other distance methods? Yes, I'm willing to do Spiritual Direction over the phone. Root tradition: Orginally Episcoplian, then Roman Catholic, presently Unity.
Where you locate yourself now, spiritually: I definitely identify myself with the belief system of Unity.
Your experience with interspiritual spiritual direction: My journey has gently lead me on an Interspiritual path. Most of the folks I speak with are much more interested in Spirit moving in their lives rather than their religion. How we relate to others, ourselves and our environment are all Spiritual questions. Spiritual Direction/Soul Friending is holding space so we can come to this realization and recognize it in our lives and actions. Interspiritual spiritual direction is being open to the movement of Spirit without the overlay of religious beliefs.

Name: Doris Goodill
Gender: Female
E-Mail: dgoodill@mac.com
Telephone: (805) 595-2202
Willing to do Spiritual Direction by Phone: Yes
Root Tradition: Christian (Mormon)
Locate Yourself Now: Interspiritual
Your Experience with Interspiritual Spiritual Direction: Being in the presence of another person and holding sacred space, to facilitate the flow of Spirt, is a blessed gift. I am honored and humbled at the same time. My prayer is that through the intention that is present the directee will open and receive insight and guidance that they will be able to recognize and work with on their journey.

Name: Kathy Gracenin
Gender: Female
E-mail: KathySGracenin@aol.com
Phone: 724-699-2217
Are you willing to do spiritual direction by phone or other distance methods? Yes
Root Tradition: Roman Catholic
Where you locate yourself now, spiritually: From my Roman Catholic roots, I have branched out into interspirituality. I believe that our spiritual unfolding is not just about one religion. Rather, it's about embodying spirituality with every aspect of being human, experiencing God through all of our senses. As a dancer, I experience the Divine through the body as a container for vitality, grace and energy. For me, achieving balance, stillness and clarity comes through body wisdom and body-centered mysticism. Your experience with interspiritual direction: I received my Spiritual Direction certification from the Claritas Institute for Interspiritual Inquiry. As part of the inaugural class, I was also able to share my expertise with dance/movement as a guest artist. Presently, I am a Wellness Consultant for the Womancare Center of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. In this traditional hospital setting, my work with directees brings the "spirit" component to the mind/body/spirit integrative wellness model. My directees come from all backgrounds and traditions. Nationally, I host workshops and retreats in movement, music and meditation.

Name: Jacqueline L. Haymond, PhD
Gender: Female
E-Mail: jhymnd@clemson.edu
www.jhaymond.com
Telephone: 864-506-4063 cell, 864-223-7945 land
Willing to do Spiritual Direction by Phone: I am pleased to do spiritual mentoring face-to-face or by telephone. In addition, e-mail is very efficient for supplemental connection.
Root tradition: Lutheran (ELCA)
Locate Yourself Now: Spiritually, I am now grounded in my childhood Lutheran church and searching all religions and philosophies for enhancement of my spiritual journey. I was out of the church for fifty years and returned four years ago. My life is now dedicated to learning the truth as it is presented in a wide variety of religious and philosophical avenues. I have been practicing hatha yoga for 40 years and lead yoga classes. Basically, I am a student of Spirit.
Experience with Interspiritual Spiritual Direction: My experience with spiritual direction is the completion of the Claritas Institute for Interspiritual Inquiry in February 2007; directing spiritual mentees during the past two years in groups and individually face-to-face and via telephone, supplemented with e-mail. In addition, for the past ten years I have been "life coaching" through Happiness Workshops and seminars of my own design. The outcome is a strategic plan for the individual seeker's life.

Name: Margaret Lewis
Gender: Female
E-mail address: ahealingplace@volcano.net
Phone: (209) 296-1600
Are you willing to do spiritual direction by phone or other distance methods? I am willing to work with people via telephone. Root tradition: My root tradition is Christian - specifically Episcopalian. Where you locate yourself now, spiritually: My faith tradition is Christian - I live my life using the radical egalitarian example of an all inclusive Jesus as a foundational piece of how I am in the world. I celebrate the tradition with a metaphoric, symbolic understanding. My spirituality is what one might classify as Interspiritual and/or post tradition. I embrace the universal truths that are foundational to most major religions and trust my own experience of the Sacred above the doctrine of organized religion. My local faith community is Episcopalian; my solo practice incorporates a variety of exercises from various faith traditions.
Your experience with interspiritual spiritual direction: My private practice is about walking with people wherever they are on their spiritual journey. This includes people of various traditions and of no particular tradition at all. I believe that each person has an intrinsic wisdom about their own unique relationship to Spirit; I provide a safe and Sacred space for that wisdom and that relationship to be discovered, deepened and explored.

Name: Constance McClain
Gender: Female
E-mail address: movingrace3@hotmail.com
Phone: 805-680-6108
Are you willing to do spiritual direction by phone or other distance methods? Yes I am willing to do long distance mentoring
Root tradition: My root tradition as a youngster was Christian. And as a curious seeker I have studied and continue to study the wisdoms among traditions.
Where you locate yourself now, spiritually: I am a practicing Tibetan Buddhist.
Your experience with interspiritual spiritual direction: My experience with interspiritual spiritual direction has had a transcendent effect on my heart and the steps I chose to take in this world. I have learned to be still and at peace in the unknown. My head and heart are now open to hearing Spirit's voice throughout each day. I am awake to the call of Love as our Guide and to our shared world's expression for assistance in matters of healing. Through this knowing and my personal commitment to daily generation of Kindness, Compassion, Empathy and Light outwardly I am becoming the woman I have so longed to become. For me there is a ground in which to stand and it is this ground of Sacred Connection.

Name: Enrica Nadalini
Gender: Female
E-mail address: suspuk@northwestel.net
Phone: 867/393-3215
Are you willing to do spiritual direction by phone or other distance methods? Yes
Root tradition: Earth-based-spirituality
Where you locate yourself now, spiritually: I am part of the universal being-ness, as are all souls.
Your experience with interspiritual spiritual direction: My experience as mentor began about a year ago while still a student at Claritas Institute. My practice is based on the teachings and wisdom acquired during my studies and the meetings with souls I have been privileged to companion on their journey of inquiry and wholeness. As Earth-based spirituality is the path I have been guided on for many years, I use rituals and ceremonies to assist people enrich and honor their connection to their unique divine unfolding.

Name: Barbara Priestner-Werte
Gender: Female
E-mail: barbara@sourceofhealingarts.com
Phone: (845)986-1179
Are you willing to do spiritual direction by phone or other distance methods?: Yes
Root Tradition: Catholic; Christian
Where you locate yourself now, spiritually: Truly Interspiritual - I both appreciate and embrace the wisdom of all faith traditions that draws us more deeply into union with The Source of all that is.
Experience with Interspiritual direction: I am a recent graduate of the Claritas Institute of Interspiritual Inquiry - Interspiritual Mentoring Program. However, I have also been a student of spirituality my entire life, having studied the masters and texts of many faith traditions. I have both been a participant and facilitator of numerous study and prayer groups, including that of A Course in Miracles. As a psychotherapist, I have explored the spiritual component of health and wellness with my clients for many years. Over the last year I have been facilitating a Women's Spiritual Group and have been providing individual Spiritual Companioning which have evolved out of my experience with The Claritas Institute.

Name: Sára Rain
Gender: female
E-mail address: rain@trigoddess.org
Phone: (970)224-4797
Are you willing to do spiritual direction by phone or other distance methods? Yes
Root tradition: Pagan
Where you locate yourself now, spiritually: Sufi Pagan Inter-faith
Your experience with interspiritual spiritual direction: It is my deep privilege to witness and accompany the spiritual journey. I study and celebrate many world traditions including Judaism, Christianity, Sufism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Paganism. The Divine speaks to each person in a unique way and listening for that voice with another is a blessed experience. I am a Claritas graduate and have been offering Spiritual Mentoring to individuals and groups from many faith traditions.

Name: Janise Rennie
Gender: Female
E-Mail Address: janiren@charter.net
Phone: (805) 462-9228
Will you Work by Phone? Working by phone and internet work well for me as well as in person.
Root Tradition: I practice Native American traditional ceremonies as well as being involved in a UCC Community church.
Where you Locate Yourself Now: I consider myself Interspiritual.
Interspiritual Spiritual Direction Experience: Having come from an Interspiritual training I had the opportunity to work with people from all types of religious affiliations from Christianity, Judaism, and Wicca. Within my practice at home both formal and informal I have worked with people from the Lakota traditions, Cherokee, Chumash, Christian, Buddhist, Goddess, Pagan, and those with no particular name for their personal spiritual practices and ideas.

Name: Kiri Saftler
Gender: Female
E-mail address: Kirilynn@mywdo.com
Phone: 970-493-1427
Are you willing to do spiritual direction by phone or other distance methods? YES
Root tradition: (Loosely Jewish)
Where you locate yourself now, spiritually: Sufi; Interspiritually focused, with 30 years of exploration into many world religions, to learn from and not exclude any.
Your experience with interspiritual spiritual direction: I was in the first class of Claritas, graduated in Feb 07 and have been Soul Friending/Spiritual Companioning since Feb 06 in group and private sessions. I find this process to be very spiritually transformative, connective, nurturing and life giving for the soul. There is nothing like knowing God in your heart and living from that place at all times, and sometimes all it takes is Remembering and Focusing. That's what spiritual companioning can foster. I would be honored to walk the spiritual journey with any one in the Claritas class, as a Soul Friend.

Name: Susan Scherr
Gender: Female
E-Mail: susanscherr@comcast.net
206 200 6726 mobile and 1st contact
Spiritual Direction by telephone or in person.
Root Tradition: Interfaith Preference
Same as above.
I am a recent graduate of Claritas, and have been involved in spiritual direction and peer supervision for the past year. I currently work with clients in Seattle and you will find me in the Seek and Find Guide in Spiritual Director's International. I have a deep love of the divine in all faith traditions as well as a deep belief in Buddhist teachings. I look forward to the possibility of walking this sacred path with you; if I may be of service to you please call or e mail me.

Name: Michele Tamaren
Gender: Female
E-mail address: to_life@earthlink.net
Phone: (781) 639-3711
Are you willing to do spiritual direction by phone or other distance methods? Yes
Root tradition (i.e., Jewish, Roman Catholic, Muslim, etc.): Jewish
Where you locate yourself now, spiritually. This may be same as above: Jewish Renewal with an emphasis on Kabbalah and the rich Jewish mystical teachings.
Your experience with interspiritual spiritual direction: The Claritas Institute Interspiritual Mentor Training Program prepared me to practice interspiritual direction. It is my delight to companion those who are seeking a more intimate, soul-filled relationship with the Divine. I currently have the privilege of mentoring those who are Christian, Jewish, and unaffiliated who are yearning to explore a deeply personal connection with Spirit.

Name: Julie Wiggin
Gender: female
E-Mail Address: jbwiggin@comcast.net
Telephone: 603-772-8203
Spiritual Direction over the Phone: I would be willing to do direction over the phone
Root Tradition: My root tradition is Catholic
Currently Locate Yourself Spiritually: I come from a very interspiritual perspective now but aware of my Catholic roots and inquiring inside about that meaning for my highest good. My experience with Interspiritual Spiritual Direction: has been profound. I have gained a deeper appreciation for my own spiritual longing and connection with the Divine. This deepening has also allowed me to connect and see the Divine essence in others. I am grateful for all that surrounds me and look on hardships as learnings. Finally and most importantly I found my lost child-like love for the Divine.