Spirituality for Times Like This – Session 1
Well, we find ourselves in trouble. Or did it find us?
Trouble seems to find you when it’s most unjust.
~ Slim Dunlap, Times Like This
I invite you to participate in Spirituality for Times Like This. Spirituality and the inner life have heightened importance in trying times. Knowing oneself – who we are inside and out – directly impacts how we respond and choose to live. Spiritual mystics share that inner life can directly affect others, events, and the outer world.
Robert A. Johnson writes in Owning Your Own Shadow of Rhinelander mystic Dr. Carl Jung and the significance of the inner life. “People often asked Dr. Jung, ‘Will we make it?’ referring to the cataclysm of our time. He always replied, ‘If enough people will do their inner work.’ This soul work is the one thing that will pull us through any emergency.“
Richard Rohr reminds us in Adam’s Return that we have our spirituality, the inner life and transformation. “All great spirituality is about what we do with our pain. If we do not transform our pain, we will transmit it to those around us.”
I know all these complex words! I’ve already mentioned mystical, spirituality, shadow, outer world, inner work, and soul. Mysticism is an encounter with the divine within our soul. (Divine can mean God, the universe, love, everything, however you imagine ultimate concern.) Spirituality is our process of inner work and attention to respond to the divine and other forces. The shadow is the part of our inner life that contains everything we’ve rejected about ourselves. Mystics teach that our soul connects to the outer world and the souls of everyone.
The inner life has historically been dismissed and ignored in the West because of its association with Original Sin and darkness. According to some, this has contributed to the decline of religion and the cataclysm of our time, which Dr. Jung addressed.
Spirituality is taking responsibility for your whole life, inside and out. You become who you were created to be. If humans are unaware of the mysterious powers in their depths, or if fear prevents engagement, these energies can work behind our backs, and we unwittingly add to the darkness in the world. Bringing the light of consciousness to them allows acceptance and integration. Even more, the gifts of the inner life are often described as “gold.”
Spirituality for Times Like This
Meets on Zoom
Monday evenings
7-8:30 pm (Central)
March 3-April 7, 2025
- March 3 Spirituality & Mysticism
- March 10 Times Like This
- March 17 Suffering
- March 24 Inner Life
- March 31 Co-Creation
- April 7 Transformation
Sessions will include an introduction to the topic with relevant definitions of ideas and supporting readings. I also will share examples of my inner work. Discussion and questions are integral to each evening.
This group actively welcomes members of different professions, races, ethnicities, sexual orientations, socioeconomic realities, spiritual/religious beliefs and practices, gender identities, gender expressions, and family structures. The expectation is that we come together and try to hold each other’s diverse experiences with mutual respect. Those who may not participate accordingly are asked not to register.
I am using a new model and asking participants to contribute what they can to participate in this program. The suggested donation is $120 for the six sessions, and I invite additional contributions from those who can.
I can’t wait to come alongside you and share this life-giving work. Please email me a revwendyvie@gmail.com to claim your spot.
Pastor Wendy Vie Trittin is an ordained pastor of the ELCA and a Spirituality Guide and Life Coach. She is a member of Spiritual Directors International, Clergy Voyagers, and the Minnesota Jung Association.