Show Notes
In this week’s episode, Matt Whitney speaks with Paul Burgmayer on a History of Spiritual Direction and Supervision that he has been working on. Paul is working on a comprehensive history of spiritual direction and supervision in North America, and is seeking assistance with anything that can help him fill in the gaps in his research. If you can help him by providing missing details, or know of someone who might be able to help, please send him an email at [email protected]. --- Paul Burgmayer has been accompanying others in spiritual direction for fourteen years now. A former industrial researcher and retired high school teacher, he has a master’s degree in Holistic Spirituality and a certificate in spiritual direction from Chestnut Hill College, certificates in the supervision of spiritual direction from Together in the Mystery and Mercy Center, Burlingame, and trained at Chestnut Hill College and the Ignatius Jesuit Centre in Guelph, Canada to accompany others in the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius of Loyola. A member of Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church for many years, he has developed and taught a number of adult education classes. Paul lives in Wayne, PA with his wife, Sharon, a piano-playing chemistry professor at Bryn Mawr College. In his spare time, Paul enjoys gardening with Sharon, woodworking, learning jazz improvisation on his trumpet, singing, and writing.
More from SDI Encounters
What happens when we step away from the noise of ordinary life and enter a landscape that invites us to listen more deeply? In this conversation, Executive Director Rev. SeiFu Singh-Molares, and author Mirabai Starr, explore the contemplative life through the powerful images of striving, yielding, and returning. Drawing on the metaphor of a salmon pushing upstream, they consider the tension between effort and surrender—and the surprising possibility that both are essential to the spiritual path. And, they share about facilitating SDI's upcoming six-day retreat at Ghost Ranch in New Mexico, April 4-9, 2027. What does it mean to “push the river” when life asks more of us than we feel capable of giving? When is it time to stop striving and listen for the current beneath us? And how might presence, even in the midst of difficulty, become an expression of love? Together, we’ll consider what our spiritual practices are really for—not to protect us from the difficulties of life, or to help us rise above them, but to teach us how to remain present and responsive when life asks more of us than we imagined we could give. Through contemplative practices, teachings, silence, writing, time in nature, conversation, and community, we’ll explore the wisdom of multiple spiritual traditions and the possibility that even our struggles can become part of the path. And we’ll do it together. You are invited to join Mirabai, Rev. SeiFu, and other spiritual companions in Ghost Ranch, April 2027! Learn more, including registration details, at https://www.sdicompanions.org/product/ghost-ranch-retreat-2027/
On this brief episode we talk about SDI's upcoming webinar series, The Tao and the Art of Spiritual Companionship.
Dear Community, During these deeply disturbing, harrowing and convulsive times, what are spiritual directors and companions to do? How can we respond? Please listen to this episode for a special message I wanted to share with all of you. We need to stand together as a community, faithful to our calling and practice, because spiritual direction and companionship heal, and are needed now more than ever. Warmly, Rev SeiFu, and the SDI Team
Cinema Divina is the creative, contemplative practice of media artist and writer M Freeman. M re-imagines the ancient ritual of sacred reading or lectio divina in today’s audiovisual vernacular as Cinema Divina—a contemplative screening process designed to increase access to one’s deeper wisdom, healing, and peace.
In this episode hear from Christina Roberts, author of My Spiritual Journey, a new children’s activity book designed to help kids explore wonder, stillness, and the gentle presence of Divine Love. Christina shares the inspiration behind the book, why children are naturally attuned to the sacred, and how simple practices like drawing, gratitude, and quiet reflection can nurture a child’s inner life. Whether you work with children, care for children, or simply want to reconnect with your own sense of wonder, we hope this new activity book from SDI invites you into a deeper appreciation of the spiritual wisdom children carry and the gentle ways we can help it bloom.