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	<title>Spiritual Direction 101</title>
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	<description>How to Hear God, Every Day</description>
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		<title>Finding the Right Spiritual Direction Training Program</title>
		<link>https://www.patheos.com/blogs/spiritualdirection101/2026/02/finding-the-right-spiritual-direction-training-program/</link>
					<comments>https://www.patheos.com/blogs/spiritualdirection101/2026/02/finding-the-right-spiritual-direction-training-program/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Teresa Blythe]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 25 Feb 2026 21:21:40 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[spiritual direction]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[vocation]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.patheos.com/blogs/spiritualdirection101/?p=2992</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Training to become a spiritual director is essential. Here are some tips for finding the right program. Before even searching for programs, ask yourself:   Why do I want to be a spiritual director? What has been my experience of being in spiritual direction? (Traditionally, programs have required applicants to have significant experience as a [&#8230;]]]></description>
		
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			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
			</item>
		<item>
		<title>How Many Before Mary? An Advent Tale of Consent</title>
		<link>https://www.patheos.com/blogs/spiritualdirection101/2025/12/how-many-before-mary-an-advent-tale-of-consent/</link>
					<comments>https://www.patheos.com/blogs/spiritualdirection101/2025/12/how-many-before-mary-an-advent-tale-of-consent/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Teresa Blythe]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 12 Dec 2025 21:04:45 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Advent]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[angels]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.patheos.com/blogs/spiritualdirection101/?p=2978</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Before the teenaged Mary said YES to the angel Gabriel’s invitation to give birth to God’s son, how many young women took a pass? Consent can never be coerced. If you will be punished for saying NO, it’s not consent. So, when 15-year-old Abby considered the invitation and preferred to marry her fiancé and have [&#8230;]]]></description>
		
					<wfw:commentRss>https://www.patheos.com/blogs/spiritualdirection101/2025/12/how-many-before-mary-an-advent-tale-of-consent/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
			</item>
		<item>
		<title>Thinking vs. Feeling: What&#8217;s the big deal?</title>
		<link>https://www.patheos.com/blogs/spiritualdirection101/2025/10/thinking-vs-feeling-whats-the-big-deal/</link>
					<comments>https://www.patheos.com/blogs/spiritualdirection101/2025/10/thinking-vs-feeling-whats-the-big-deal/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Teresa Blythe]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 30 Oct 2025 21:51:55 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[spiritual direction]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[spirituality]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.patheos.com/blogs/spiritualdirection101/?p=2966</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Spiritual directors are taught to notice, reflect back and ask clients about feelings they are experiencing as they share their stories. As a result, many directors become frustrated when clients, as they put it, “stay in their heads.” Personally I think it is fine for directees to stay wherever they feel safe and comfortable. But [&#8230;]]]></description>
		
					<wfw:commentRss>https://www.patheos.com/blogs/spiritualdirection101/2025/10/thinking-vs-feeling-whats-the-big-deal/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
			</item>
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		<title>Visit from an unexpected Spirit Messenger</title>
		<link>https://www.patheos.com/blogs/spiritualdirection101/2025/09/visit-from-an-unexpected-spirit-messenger/</link>
					<comments>https://www.patheos.com/blogs/spiritualdirection101/2025/09/visit-from-an-unexpected-spirit-messenger/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Teresa Blythe]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 18 Sep 2025 22:16:49 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.patheos.com/blogs/spiritualdirection101/?p=2948</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[By guest blogger Anne Randerson Like many of my colleagues, I offer online spiritual direction sessions, and each day, I realize how lucky I am to be able to work with directees living anywhere in the world. I also realize how fortunate I am to meet regularly with professionals who offer the same services as [&#8230;]]]></description>
		
					<wfw:commentRss>https://www.patheos.com/blogs/spiritualdirection101/2025/09/visit-from-an-unexpected-spirit-messenger/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
			</item>
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		<title>Flickering Leaves and Glee</title>
		<link>https://www.patheos.com/blogs/spiritualdirection101/2025/08/recognizing-the-divine-in-leaves-gardens-and-flowers-an-essay-by-aline-lindemann/</link>
					<comments>https://www.patheos.com/blogs/spiritualdirection101/2025/08/recognizing-the-divine-in-leaves-gardens-and-flowers-an-essay-by-aline-lindemann/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Teresa Blythe]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 11 Aug 2025 17:57:58 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[nature]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.patheos.com/blogs/spiritualdirection101/?p=2927</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Artist, poet and spiritual director Aline Lindemann offers this reflection on finding God in nature. Aline is an apprentice with the Phoenix Center for Spiritual Direction. The sun shines not on us but in us. The rivers flow not past, but through us, thrilling, tingling, vibrating every fiber and cell of the substance of our [&#8230;]]]></description>
		
					<wfw:commentRss>https://www.patheos.com/blogs/spiritualdirection101/2025/08/recognizing-the-divine-in-leaves-gardens-and-flowers-an-essay-by-aline-lindemann/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
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		<item>
		<title>Accepting the Easy Task</title>
		<link>https://www.patheos.com/blogs/spiritualdirection101/2025/07/accepting-the-easy-task/</link>
					<comments>https://www.patheos.com/blogs/spiritualdirection101/2025/07/accepting-the-easy-task/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Teresa Blythe]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 09 Jul 2025 22:24:38 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[discernment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[healing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[peace]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.patheos.com/blogs/spiritualdirection101/?p=2918</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Not everything we do needs to be so hard. When you think about what God may be asking of you, allow yourself to believe it might be the easier road. Consider ease Spiritual directors sometimes see people who assume God wants them to suffer, or at least break a sweat, when they consider God’s invitation. [&#8230;]]]></description>
		
					<wfw:commentRss>https://www.patheos.com/blogs/spiritualdirection101/2025/07/accepting-the-easy-task/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
			</item>
		<item>
		<title>What is our Core Self?</title>
		<link>https://www.patheos.com/blogs/spiritualdirection101/2025/06/what-is-our-core-self/</link>
					<comments>https://www.patheos.com/blogs/spiritualdirection101/2025/06/what-is-our-core-self/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Teresa Blythe]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 06 Jun 2025 18:47:50 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.patheos.com/blogs/spiritualdirection101/?p=2909</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[In many books on spirituality you see the terms True Self, Core Self or Higher Self referring to the part of us connected to the Divine. In this post, I want to share what I’ve learned from my Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapist, Mike Phillips, about the Core Self (my favorite term). Internal Family Systems [&#8230;]]]></description>
		
					<wfw:commentRss>https://www.patheos.com/blogs/spiritualdirection101/2025/06/what-is-our-core-self/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
			</item>
		<item>
		<title>Saving One Life</title>
		<link>https://www.patheos.com/blogs/spiritualdirection101/2025/05/saving-one-life/</link>
					<comments>https://www.patheos.com/blogs/spiritualdirection101/2025/05/saving-one-life/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Teresa Blythe]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 07 May 2025 18:27:02 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[religious diversity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[spiritual direction]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[transgender]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[LGBTQ]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[suicide]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.patheos.com/blogs/spiritualdirection101/?p=2875</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Spiritual direction has the potential to save lives. I’m not talking about religious salvation but literally saving a person from personal destruction. Listening Saves Lives What good spiritual directors do–the very act of prayerfully and deeply listening to someone as they share their joys, their challenges and suffering in life–might be all an individual needs [&#8230;]]]></description>
		
					<wfw:commentRss>https://www.patheos.com/blogs/spiritualdirection101/2025/05/saving-one-life/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
			</item>
		<item>
		<title>Choosing a Spiritual Direction Training Program</title>
		<link>https://www.patheos.com/blogs/spiritualdirection101/2025/01/choosing-a-spiritual-direction-training-program/</link>
					<comments>https://www.patheos.com/blogs/spiritualdirection101/2025/01/choosing-a-spiritual-direction-training-program/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Teresa Blythe]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 09 Jan 2025 20:49:07 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[spiritual direction]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[spiritual direction training; formation and training; online spiritual direction]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.patheos.com/blogs/spiritualdirection101/?p=2870</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[People wanting to become spiritual directors need training. So how does one find the right training program for themselves? Before searching for programs, ask yourself a few questions: Why do I want to be a spiritual director? What has been my experience of being in spiritual direction? (Traditionally, programs have required applicants to have significant [&#8230;]]]></description>
		
					<wfw:commentRss>https://www.patheos.com/blogs/spiritualdirection101/2025/01/choosing-a-spiritual-direction-training-program/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
			</item>
		<item>
		<title>The Gifts of Consolation and Desolation</title>
		<link>https://www.patheos.com/blogs/spiritualdirection101/2024/12/the-gifts-of-consolation-and-desolation/</link>
					<comments>https://www.patheos.com/blogs/spiritualdirection101/2024/12/the-gifts-of-consolation-and-desolation/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Teresa Blythe]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 03 Dec 2024 20:40:25 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[spiritual discernment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[consolation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[desolation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[discernment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ignatius]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.patheos.com/blogs/spiritualdirection101/?p=2866</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[An important part of any spiritual journey is remembering consolation, appreciating the joy and experiencing the gratitude we have for our relationship with the Divine. It’s also helpful to reflect on our “valley” experiences of disconnectedness from God, known as desolation. Both principles offer opportunities for spiritual growth. The terms consolation and desolation to describe [&#8230;]]]></description>
		
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			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
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