Your Next Threshold

The wonderful thing about spiritual directors is that spiritual directors are a wonderful blessing! As a spiritual director I need a spiritual director, one who is practiced and skilled at the art. Phil is my spiritual director, we have known each other a long time and Phil gets me.  Phil is good at asking insightful questions, posed in a timely manner that help me to look more deeply at myself and my spiritual practice.  Phil keeps me grounded in the here and now when I am prone to find myself off somewhere else.

My particular niche in spiritual direction is eco or terra-spiritual direction. As a recent graduate of the Seminary of the Wild certificate program, I am excited to introduce those whom I companion to the treasures of the more than human world. The rich opportunities present within nature call us to engage our experience of the divine within its bounties, as well as develop spiritual practices that enhance our sense of the holy as we walk that sacred ground. Guided nature meditation, sit spot practice, and breathing “in” at the base of a tree as it breathes “out,” afford us embodied and sensory rich opportunities to be more fully present to the more than human kin whom St. Francis called brother and sister, and with whom we share a specific local in a particular bioregion.

My other world is my full-time vocational work as a chaplain in long term care. This is richly rewarding as it affords me the privilege of listening to aging adults share their life experiences. Together we can affirm and celebrate them for the rich experiences they represent. I feel that in being a story catcher to their sharing I gain insight into the elder wisdom they bring in conversation that speaks of ways in which my own life can be more generative.
Phil is adept at helping me to bring my world and practice of spiritual companioning and chaplaincy into conversation. In what ways does my practice in each area inform the other? Are there points of convergence or distinct difference? Where especially may nature encounter be brought in contact with my residents’ spiritual lives for their pleasure and enrichment?

An especially fruitful session with Phil led to a new awareness and cross-pollinating of practices that indeed crossed the boundaries of my two worlds. When doing a woodland wander, my habit is to begin the walk by introducing myself to my more than human neighbors among whom I will spend time. I then ask (and listen) for their permission to do so. Before setting off, I discern a point between two trees or a fence post as a threshold that constitutes the entry point for my wander.

Centering myself, I imagine crossing this point which has been called the “threshold of connection” with a different state of consciousness.  Until I have returned beyond this point my senses are extended and acutely receptive, and I am conscious of being in an I/Thou mode of relating. My intent is to listen to, dialogue with and actively imagine that there is reciprocity in my way of being with and among these kin.

Of course, Phil is “curious” to know when exploring this practice if this can be transferred to my way of being a chaplain in my facility. So glad he asked!  It seems that when one reframes the hallways of a nursing home, they can become a kind of “woodland path.”  Each doorway can become a new “threshold” to cross. Before doing so, I take a deep breath, engage my heart chakra, and actively imagine leaving behind the conversation and concerns of my previous interaction. Now I am more fully present and attuned to my current resident and what will happen in this sacred encounter. I greatly value and appreciate this “new thing” the Spirit is able to create in my work with Phil as he holds sacred space for our monthly sessions. The wonderful thing about spiritual directors is that spiritual directors are a wonderful blessing!

One can imagine that our lives are full of “thresholds” which we may more mindfully cross and be present in a deeper way, bringing our enhanced “sense-tivity,” empathy, and appreciative perspective to our daily experiences. Whether in a natural environment or not, it is the intention and quality of our presence that can shift us into that contemplative and mindful way of being “with” in all our encounters. That next threshold for each of us is likely very close at hand.

Rev. Mark Chaffin is a certified Spiritual Director and the Interfaith Chaplain at Baptist Health, Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Scotia, NY.