Spiritual direction is a cultural practice of co-listening for anyone who wants to deepen their awareness of and relationship with God. It allows space for curiosity, discovery, and held silence. It’s a space where both people submit to the movement of God and where one person listens without an agenda.
Spiritual direction will invite your spirit to slow down, observe, notice, feel, hear, touch, breathe, and more
Spiritual direction will invite your soul to open boldly, sincerely, honestly, deeply, wholly, reverently
Spiritual direction will invite your entire being investigate truths, forgiveness, mercy, hope, patience, solitude, transformation, beauty, pain, healing, suffering, greed, injustice, and...
Spiritual direction will invite you to consider meditation, prayer, singing, dancing, chanting, tree bathing, sound healing, active imagining as spiritual practices
Spiritual direction will invite you to be with mystery, wonder, awe, serenity, peace and all the emotions of living and dying
We will meet in person or virtually for approximately 50 minutes once per month.
I encourage you to use the remaining 10 minutes of the hour after our formal session concludes to "be with" what was present for you.
Before returning to your routine, you might use this time to journal, draw, sing, move, meditate, or pray, allowing your sense of that which is larger than you to continue to speak to you.
During our session, my primary responsibility is to serve as an instrument and to listen deeply.
There may be occasions when I ask a provocative question, invite us to pause, or suggest that you journal or pray.
I may also bring your attention to your body language or gestures to help give voice to what is being spoken.
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Pastor Jacqueline K. Duhart (pronouns – she, her, they, them) serves as the Director of Spiritual Care. She holds a M.Div. from Starr King School for the Ministry alongside a Certificate of Spiritual Direction from the Interfaith Chaplaincy Institute (Berkeley, CA) and a Master of Science in Social Work (MSSW) form the University of Texas – Arlington, Texas. She also serves our shared world as a Spiritual Director. June 2019, Pastor Jacqueline retired from parish ministry. For ten years she served in various ministry positions at the First Unitarian Church of Oakland; the last three years as their called full-time parish/interim minister. This call proved to be one of the most rewarding and meaningful ministries positions she has ever held.
Pastor Jacqueline is retired from the United States Air Force in 2000. During her 21 years of honorable service as a clinical social worker, she and her family managed many difficult separations to include her deployment in Oman during the Gulf War. Other career highlights include eight years of chaplaincy at the Federal Corrections Institute, Dublin CA, 5 years at the American Friends Service Committee advocating to end the death penalty, and a private practice in Anchorage, AK. As a licensed clinical social worker, she supervised masters level interns and conducted Critical Stress Debriefings with the Anchorage Fire Department. These experiences honed her capacity to be with the sorrows, joys and mysteries of life while living with bright hope.
In support of spiritual development, individuals are asked to contribute between $150-300/month. This includes one 50-minute session (in person or on Zoom) and cell and text support as needed.
If you are hesitant to pay for this type of spiritual care - let’s talk!