Companions on the Journey:
Forming a Spiritual Journey Group

By Elizabeth Willey

Embarking on a spiritual journey can be a lonely experience because in our culture it is often uncomfortable to share our spiritual experiences with others, even the people we have known for years. As a spiritual director, I have found that creating a safe context for individuals to come together to share their stories with each other can be a profound and enriching process for deepening spiritual growth.

Such a group can be formed within a church of any denomination or outside of a particular faith tradition. It is not necessary that members share the same beliefs. As participants learn to listen non-judgmentally and to honor each other’s deepest connection to the Divine, their own understanding is expanded profoundly. I have relished the opportunity to not only help create sacred space and time for such groups, but also to participate myself in the rich shared experience. As God’s spirit moved among us, we each found a renewed self, one focused on the centrality of Divine love, peace and guidance in our lives. A spiritual journey group forms a sacred community where we may share in the celebration of the mystery and beauty of each life. The experience offers time for individual reflection and time to listen to and learn from each other, fostering both self-compassion and a sense of connection to soul friends.

The journey includes the challenge of sorting through belief systems, relationship issues, old wounds, and other blocks that keep us from embracing God’s love and grace. As these challenges are recognized and released in creative and prayerful ways, our spirit is free to grow in joy and creativity. The authentic self begins to emerge with more courage and strength to co-create life with God. Our inner experience becomes more connected to the lived reality as we seek to align belief and action within the context of faith.

A spiritual pathway often begins within the context of the beliefs and rituals of a particular religious tradition, but this can move from belief to knowing, through direct and personal experience. It calls for the honoring of others’ experiences, even though their pathways may be different. An alive spirituality is the capacity of the human spirit to receive, reflect, and respond to the spirit of God. It involves a conscious awareness of choices of belief, value commitments, patterns of life, and practices of faith that allow people to fully realize their spiritual potential. Learning to listen in silence, we can allow the mystery of life to unfold as we are guided by indwelling spirit. This activity draws us to something larger than ourselves, so that our faith is alive through connecting to other souls and taking action in the world. Integrating transcendent mystery into our daily lives leads to both transformation and freedom. As one cultivates a personal relationship with God as a source of strength and vision, we place the self where God can give blessings and guide transformation from inside out.

It is most effective if each gathering follows a particular format such as the one I suggest:

• An opening time of silence and centering.
• The opportunity for each participant to share briefly how they are coming to the gathering. Other than the first two gatherings which have an introductory focus, two questions are suggested for the remaining gatherings:
  
  How are you in mind/body/spirit?
  What has been your experience of the Divine since we last gathered?
  
• A variety of readings and quotes related to a chosen theme to be read out loud by group members. These are not meant to open up a lengthy discussion, but to offer instead a variety of viewpoints and to focus attention on the given theme.
• An experience of prayer sometimes followed by journaling, drawing or movement.
• An opportunity for participants to share what they felt or learned during the prayer time. This is a time of “holy” listening, or being present to each other in an open, nonjudgmental way.
• A closing blessing.

It is my hope that these ideas will richly bless the lives of all who decide to embark on the search for more spiritual meaning and guidance in their lives.

Elizabeth Wood Willey is a high school teacher and spiritual director. She leads spiritual journey groups and facilitates retreats and classes for youth and adults related to the deepening of the spiritual life. Footprints of the Soul: A Creative Guide for Spiritual Journey Groups and Individuals is a compilation of her experiences in teaching and spiritual direction. www.footprintsofthesoul.com