Stories and Reflections
from the Stillpoint Community

The world is in such need of compassion and love right now. Stillpoint’s work feels more needed than ever. This sacred work of nurturing pathways to wholeness through contemplative living, faithful practice, and spiritual activism. The work of creating and offering spaces, individual and collective, for those seeking deeper connection with Divine Mystery. The work of holding a community that is open, inclusive, and enriched by many spiritual traditions. The work of forming deeply grounded spiritual directors and companions.

There I stood, feet on the sacred ground of Ghost Ranch – red dirt, ancient rock, and desert shrubs. For four years, I heard story after story about this land and the imprint it left on those who visited. It is often described as a thin place, and our Stillpoint Ghost Ranch faculty even speak of the land itself as a significant teacher to those drawn to our programs. I have sorted through many pictures of this land, yet it is true, you can’t fully grasp its beauty until you stand among the 130-million-year-old mesas beneath the breathtaking vastness of the sky.

We write today with deep gratitude and joyful news.

That small burning ember deep in my soul was ignited by the very breath of God and it revealed to me that I was not dead. It was a spiritual awakening a long time in the making. That spiritual ignition in my belly that day was the fuel that propelled me forward into a new way of life – one day at a time.

This meditation was written by Peter Hulit, a member of the Stillpoint faculty, and was read to open the January session of The Art of Spiritual Direction Year Two. We encourage you to not just read it, but take a few moments to pause and engage in this as a practice in solidarity with all in Southern California living with the aftermath of the wildfires that have ravaged the land and so many lives. It starts with the breath . . .

Stars of Hope: Companioning the Journey to Wholeness

We also made space to wonder about the pain and fear of those who had made choices different from our own. All the work we had done the previous day to practice compassion and deep holy listening, it showed.

As political, religious, and social landscapes continue to shift, our directees will bring all of it, especially an oppressive normative culture and all of the places that the system intersects, e.g., classism, homophobia, transphobia, sexism, and most profoundly, systemic racism. In all they bring to us our spiritual companions implicitly want to know we can hold space and provide a container to explore these oppressive conditions. Are we doing enough?