Spiritual Direction School

Liberated Together Spiritual Direction School trains and empowers women of color, queer women of color, and non-binary folks to facilitate one-on-one and group spiritual accompaniment

What We Do

Liberated Together School of Spiritual Direction trains and empowers WoC/QWoC and non-binary folks to facilitate one-on-one and group spiritual accompaniment through a 9-month training program. The program is open to all women of color and non-binary folks of color who are comfortable in a space that centers around the lived experience of women of color.

At the end of the 9-month training, students receive a certificate of spiritual direction and are equipped to serve as spiritual directors or spiritual care practitioners.

The 2023/2024 Cohort is currently meeting. Applications for the 2024/2025 year will open in late spring 2024.

What is Spiritual Direction?

Spiritual direction is a practice in which we meet with a trained spiritual care practitioner in order to intentionally connect with our sacred selves and open our awareness to divine movements in us, around us, and in our communities. The rhythm of spiritual direction/guidance acknowledges the slow, contemplative pace of divine movements. Traditionally, this practice is facilitated through one-on-one conversations that meet once a month, for one hour each session, in order to give ample space and time for our sacred movements. Our approach expands to include communal spiritual practice and group facilitation. We train spiritual care practitioners that center the experiences of WoC/QWoC and non-binary folks.

How the Program Works

Program Details

Dates

The program is 9 months and runs from September 2023 through May 2024.

Frequency

We gather twice monthly

  • On the first Saturday of the month from 9am-2pm PT/ Noon to 5pm Eastern. Due to Labor day our Setpember gathering will be on September 16th.

  • Two hours once a month for practice and supervision groups. That time will be set by the group and facilitator.

ASSIGNMENTS

There are spiritual practices, readings, and other assignments required for each month.

VIRTUAL PLATFORM

We will use a virtual platform to connect with each other throughout the month.

OPTIONAL IN-PERSON RETREAT

We will offer an in-person retreat at the end of the 9 month program where students can meet other members of their cohort and also meet alumni and experienced spiritual directors of color. The retreat and travel costs are an additional expense and are not covered in the 9-month training program. 

Program Requirements

attendance

Attendance at all monthly sessions and monthly practice/supervision groups is required to complete the program.

spiritual direction

Students are required to meet monthly with a spiritual director through the duration of the program. Costs for one-on-one spiritual direction is at the student’s own expense.

practice sessions

After the first 4 months, students are required to meet monthly with 2 individuals one-on-one to practice spiritual direction under the supervision of one of the program mentors. (These sessions will be free to the directees while the student spiritual director is still in the training program.)

Program Curriculum

Self-Encounter and Ancestral Traditions

Contemplative Listening, Witnessing, and Honoring Trust

Embodied Sacred Awareness

Starting a Spiritual Direction Practice

Imagination and Sacred Encounter

Spirituality for Collective Liberation
Decolonizing Spiritual Practices

Holding our Intersecting Identities

Trauma and Healing

TUITION & PAYMENT

Tuition: $4,000 (Scholarships are available)

Deposit: There is a $400 non-refundable deposit to secure your spot in the school. This is included in the $4,000 total. After the deposit, the balance can be paid in one, three, or nine payments.

Payment Options
One-time: $400 deposit + $3,500 payment
Quarterly: $400 deposit + 3 payments of $1,200 in September, December, and March
Monthly: $400 deposit + $400/month for nine months, September 2023-May 2024

Here are some of the values that we hold when it comes to setting the cost of the program and offering scholarships.

  • We believe that WOC/folks should be paid fairly for their labor and expertise, so that the work is just and sustainable.

  • We are committed to working collaboratively and as a team. That means that we have more instructors who participate in our program. Learning from multiple voices is an important part of our approach to liberative spiritual practice, but it does mean we are paying more people.

  • We also want this program to be accessible to as many people as possible and understand how systems of race, gender, and capitalism give us different access to resources. And so we work to offer scholarships as needed.

FAQ

  • In this way, Spiritual Direction, as I understand it, is an intentional touchpoint to both honor and grow our collective capacity to hold space for all of life.

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  • I can’t describe in words what it feels like to align my natural gifts and lived experience with a practice I love - for myself and for the communities the Spirit calls me to accompany.

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  • We are reclaiming a spirituality that is rooted in the wisdom of our elders, queer ancestors, movement leaders, organizers, mothers, aunties, and grandmothers who modeled an inner life rooted in communal care, indigenous wisdom, activism, and healing.

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  • Seven questions to help you discern.

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  • We believe that spirituality and the practice of spiritual direction can be a liberating experience when our own embodied experiences are centered.

    Read More →

How to Apply

Application Form

Fill out the application form

References

Submit Two References from
Your Spiritual Director (preferable) or a spiritual mentor if you have not yet started meeting with a spiritual director
A soul friend (someone that you share your inner life with).

Send this link to your two references to fill out for you: reference form

Scheduled Call

After we have received your application and two references, we will schedule a call with you for a conversation to continue discernment together.

Decision

Receive an email letting you know if you have been accepted to the program. Pay $400 deposit to secure your spot in the cohort.

Our Practitioners

Meet our spiritual care practitioners. A team of them will be leading our school, and others will be providing spiritual care groups inside the Liberated Together online community starting Fall 2023.

Our Spirituality

Women of Color

We Draw from WOC Theology

Liberative

WE ARE COMMITTED TO LIBERATION

Queer

WE CENTER QUEER WISDOM

Ancestral

WE HONOR OUR ANCESTRAL TRADITIONS

Collective

WE HOLD A COLLECTIVE SPIRITUALITY

Embodied

WE PRACTICE EMBODIMENT