Join Carla Orlando for Part Three of Art of Discernment, June 8 at 6pm PT.
“Above all, trust in the slow work of God/We are quite naturally impatient in everything to reach the end without delay/We should like to skip the intermediate stages/We are impatient of being on the way to something unknown, something new/And yet it is the law of all progress/that it is made by passing through some stages of instability—/and that it may take a very long time.”
Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, SJ
Art of Discernment: Coaching
What should I do?
Our everyday lives involve small and large decisions regarding schooling, career, work, relationships, and life commitments. How do we make choices? Weigh competing values? Discern the right path to take?
This three-part series will introduce a contemplative, creative approach to spiritual decision-making using tools that incorporate visualization and imagination. Drawn from both Ignatian spirituality and PRH International School of Adult Development, these effective methods of discernment respect the experience and uniqueness of each person, helping them to make good decisions and to become discerning people. Participants learn to clarify the various elements and important influences in making a decision, develop the capacity for stepping back from a situation with greater freedom, and experience a greater sense of satisfaction and peace.
Method: Discernment Coaching
In this third evening together, we will deepen our discernment methods by guiding one another in a discernment coaching process. After a brief review of the tools used in this series (topography and voices/visualization), participants will take some quiet, individual time to prepare their personal question, discernment, or situation. Guidelines for discernment coaching will be taught as a preparation for all participants to practice in small groups of two and three.
Each participant will be offered the opportunity to practice in the roles of being helper, being helped, and/or being an observer to the discernment coaching process that we will use.
We will create a safe place for all. Trust that you and your hopes and fears will be held. All participants are encouraged to be open and free with our discernment process.
Self-Preparation:
Choose a question, decision, or situation to re-visit from earlier in this series or identify a new one to bring for our evening. (Do not worry about finding the perfect one; this is an experiment, not a final decision. Also, do not be afraid to choose one that seems particularly close to your heart.)
Examples might be: How will I spend my upcoming vacation time? How will I best live this work or personal relationship? How am I being called to care for my ill friend or family member? What is my next chapter asking of me?
Materials:
Simple, easy, and inexpensive, meant to encourage freedom and use, located in or around home or found at a local drug store or craft shop. Please do not feel pressured to go to any significant effort or expense to prepare for this program.
- Sketchbook or plain paper, any size
- Notebook or lined paper
- Writing pen
Optional: any creative expression materials found or used at home: colored pencils or paint, collage, or mandala-making materials.
Wednesday, June 8 at 6pm PST, via Zoom. Register here. (If you registered for session one or two, you don’t need to re-register.)
Catch up with session one resources and video here.
Catch up with session two resources and video here.
Our Guide:
Carla Orlando, M.Ed, is an educator and spiritual director who teaches discernment, reflective writing, and contemplative prayer at Seattle Pacific University and at the Grunewald Guild for art and spirituality. Carla’s ministry includes Spiritual Direction Services at the Ignatian Spirituality Center, the Spiritual Exercises of Everyday Life retreat, the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, and the Jesuit Restorative Justice Initiative. Carla’s somatic method, training, and supervision with PRH (Personnalite et Relations Humaines) International School of Adult Development is integral to her personal approach and guides her work with university students, faculty, organizational professionals, and people of faith.
Questions? Email Sylvia Sepulveda.
Contemplative Creativity meets the the second Wednesday of each month at 6pm PT, via Zoom.