Templates

For Individual Exploration

On the alternating weeks when small groups gather, community members can also opt to pursue their own inner work with topics and practices of their own choosing. It is an opportunity to practice, learn, and grow in the way that is best suited for each person. Making space for individual spiritual exploration is an important balance to and catalyzer for our communal work at Fetzer. The ability to focus on self is part of spiritual life. We come together in community and we also deepen individually and develop personal relationships with Spirit or God. 

Individual community members nurture their spirituality through contemplative practices like meditation, yoga, prayer, and journaling. They write poetry, walk Fetzer’s wooded paths, paint, and knit. Some staff study and deepen their own faith traditions and practices. Some engage in interfaith explorations, studying Islam, Hinduism, Jewish scripture, African philosophies, liberation theology, astrology and tarot. Others dedicate their time to community service and care for others. Staff can request funding for materials to support their personal spiritual development activities. 

Fetzer’s Director of Spiritual Care is available to help staff shape how they choose to use their individual spiritual exploration time. At Fetzer our Director of Spiritual Care is an ordained spiritual leader. Her training and expertise have been invaluable. By asking questions, pointing staff to intention setting resources (e.g., art supplies, intention setting apps, conversation cards, individual spiritual directors or companions), and making connections amongst colleagues, the Director of Spiritual Care helps people identify the elements that help them feel more connected to Spirit. 

It is important to note that the Director of Spiritual Care is not directing, supervising or taking responsibility for individuals’ spiritual formation or beliefs, as may be the case in a house of worship or faith community. Instead, her role is to create the conditions, offer support, and connect people with practices and opportunities that empower them to chart their own spiritual path.

How Individuals Are Guided in Shaping Their Inner Work

Individual spiritual exploration is highly personalized. Staff are invited to be playful, to try things out, and to follow what piques their interest. They are encouraged to: 

• Contemplate how the Sacred can be found in all aspects of life and that different people connect with the spiritual in different ways. 
• Consider the many different options available for personal growth and connecting with that which is larger than oneself. 
• Start to explore practices that cultivate curiosity, wisdom, and connection by taking a range of initial steps, such as:
  • Talking with colleagues about activities and resources they have found helpful.  Organic sharing and connection is one of the main ways of opening up new avenues for individual spiritual exploration. 
  • Consulting Fetzer’s library for books and resources that others have found useful.
  • Taking an online course using one of Fetzer’s recommended resources.
  • Doing a contemplative art activity such as coloring or using clay.
  • Watching a spiritual film and taking time to reflect, talk, or write about the themes it explores.
  • Working with a Spiritual Director or Coach either during COFG time or their own time.

In addition, we create scaffolding for individual spiritual exploration when we come together as a full community. For instance, on individual/small group exploration days, we come together as a full community for an opening practice before stepping into self-directed exploration (whether in small groups or as individuals). Then, we close the morning with a shared lunch. These bookends help create an intentional container for the self-directed work.