The combination of spiritual direction and creativity produces transformative experiences. It provides space to be with what is in our hearts, and space to create something beautiful out of nothing. It gives participants room to share deeply with one another, and, instead of responding with words, the group responds musically. I co-lead such groups with Julie Lipson, a skilled music therapist, and we improvise making sounds with and without words that reflect what the speaker said or what arose in us from what the speaker said. We musically echo back the spirit of what the speaker talked about.

Magic happens when we let the process unfold. We listen as our different ideas harmonize. The process of creating something that wasn’t there before is simply joyful—and all too often missing in many of our lives. As adults in our quick-paced, modern life, we often forget what it feels like to craft something new and beautiful. Here, we are creating, and creating together. Also, because the process is in response to a person’s offerings, it feels especially generous and life-giving. When good and bad things happen to us in our lives, often all we can do is accompany one another on the journey. In group spiritual direction, we accompany and also make something gorgeous along the way.

In group spiritual direction, the group holds the space so that God can enter. When we add music, God is afforded another channel to join us.

View more information about our current music and spiritual direction group.

Read article about our music group that appeared in Presence.