Free Spiritual Companioning: Journey Your Path with a Trained Guide
9-month spiritual direction opportunity with students from the Cherry Hill Seminary Spiritual Direction Certification Program
👉 Click here to meet the students and make an appointment
Maybe you've been feeling something...
Perhaps you're navigating a spiritual transition and don't quite have the words for what's shifting inside you. Maybe your old religious containers no longer fit, but you're hungry for sacred connection and meaning-making. Maybe you're exploring earth-based practices or multi-faith spirituality, and you'd love someone to witness your unfolding without trying to convert you or fix you.
You sense there's wisdom in your own experience. You're craving space to reflect, to wonder, to ask questions that don't have easy answers. You want companionship on your spiritual path, not someone traveling ahead telling you where to go.
What you're seeking exists. It's called spiritual direction—and right now, you can experience it at no cost through our student practicum program.
Two young people with backpacks traveling a road together (Pakistan) by Tamhasip Khan (Pexels)
Discover Your Spiritual Direction
A 9-Month Journey of Sacred Companioning
Free sessions with supervised students in the Cherry Hill Seminary Spiritual Direction Certification Program
What is Spiritual Direction?
Spiritual direction (also called spirit tending, companioning, or soul work) is a supportive relationship where you explore your spiritual life with a trained guide. This isn't therapy, and it's not about advice or dogma. It's about deep listening, nurturing growth, and helping you stay present to your own unfolding wisdom.
Your spiritual companion doesn't travel in front of you, leading the way. They accompany you, helping you notice what's already there.
My Highest Intentions for You
Through this spiritual direction experience, I hope you will:
- Gain greater clarity about your spiritual path and identity
- Develop confidence in your own inner wisdom and sacred connection
- Create or deepen personal rituals and practices that nourish you
- Feel truly witnessed and accompanied during life transitions or spiritual questions
- Cultivate a deeper, more intimate relationship with the sacred—however you understand it
This is infrastructure for your soul. Whether you're navigating a major life change, exploring a new spiritual path, or simply craving deeper meaning, you deserve companionship that honors your wholeness.
Who This Experience Is Really For
This free spiritual direction program is designed for you if you:
- Are 18 or older
- Are new to spiritual direction (not a repeat participant from previous CHS cohorts)
- Are seeking spiritual exploration and growth (not crisis intervention)
- Can commit to monthly 1-hour sessions for 9 months
- Are willing to provide thoughtful feedback at year's end
Especially:
- People who identify as spiritually independent, multi-faith, Pagan, mystical, or earth-based
- Those whose spirituality doesn't fit traditional religious containers
- Anyone craving sacred companioning that honors your unique path
Who This Experience Is Not For
This program isn't the right fit if you:
- Are currently in acute crisis (we're not trained for crisis intervention)
- Participated in a previous CHS spiritual direction cohort
- Are seeking therapy or problem-solving rather than spiritual exploration
- Cannot commit to the monthly session schedule
If you're in crisis, please reach out to appropriate mental health resources. If you've already experienced CHS spiritual direction, we honor that journey and encourage you to find ongoing companioning with a credentialed director.
Why This Approach Works
Unlike programs rooted in a single religious tradition, Cherry Hill Seminary welcomes earth-centered, Pagan, mystic, and eco-spiritual practitioners. We believe spiritual direction should be rooted in justice, consent, and curiosity—never coercion.
Our students are trained in:
- Multi-faith hospitality and respect
- Trauma-informed practices
- Consent-based approaches to spiritual work
- Deep listening as sacred practice
- Honoring the whole person: body, story, culture, and spirit
Your spiritual companion is a student in training, grounded in ethical practice and receiving monthly supervision. This creates a rich, sacred partnership of mutual respect and curiosity. You can expect gentle guidance, witnessing presence, and encouragement as you explore your own spiritual landscape.
What You'll Experience
Monthly 1-hour sessions for 9 months
- Conducted via Zoom
- In-person options may be available in: Hilo (HI), Texas Hill Country, Kentucky, Buffalo (NY), Kutztown (PA), Salt Lake City, Cork (Ireland).
- Scheduled at times that work for you and your companion
A space to:
- Share spiritual experiences, questions, or doubts
- Explore art-making, ritual, or contemplative practice
- Be witnessed without judgment
- Discover your own wisdom and connection to the sacred
A companion who:
- Journeys beside you, not in front of you
- Listens deeply without trying to fix or convert
- Is committed to creating safer space
- Receives ongoing supervision and support
What's Not Included
This is spiritual direction, not therapy. Your companion is trained to support spiritual exploration, not to provide crisis intervention, mental health treatment, or problem-solving for life situations.
About Your Companions
Your spiritual companion is a student in Year 2 of the Cherry Hill Seminary Spiritual Direction Certification Program. They're completing 500+ hours of formation that includes:
- Contemplative practice and theological reflection
- Multi-religious approaches to spiritual care
- Trauma-aware, justice-rooted frameworks
- Supervised practice with real seekers
- Ethics and professional standards
All students receive monthly individual supervision and participate in group supervision, ensuring your experience is held with care, skill, and integrity.
Click here to meet the students and read their bios
Potential Benefits You May Experience
Through this 9-month journey, previous participants have discovered:
- Greater self-awareness and clarity about their spiritual path
- Increased confidence in their spiritual identity and inner wisdom
- Deeper relationship with the sacred in everyday life
- Support during life transitions and spiritual questions
- New or renewed personal rituals and practices
- A sense of being truly held and accompanied
How to Begin
Ready to take the first step?
- Meet the students and read about their backgrounds and approaches
- Choose a companion whose style and presence resonates with you
- Schedule an exploratory appointment to explore whether it's a good fit
- Begin your 9-month journey of spiritual companioning
Have questions first?
Contact us here and we'll be happy to answer them.
If You'd Like to Continue Beyond 9 Months
At the end of your 9-month journey together, you have options:
- Find another spiritual companion through professional directories
- Transition to working with your companion at their regular rate (if they're offering sessions post-graduation)
- Take what you've learned and continue your spiritual practice independently
Want to Learn to Offer This Kind of Care?
If you're someone friends turn to for spiritual support, perhaps you're called to become a spiritual companion yourself.
The Cherry Hill Seminary Spiritual Direction Certification Program is a 24-month formation that trains spirit tenders to provide professional spiritual companioning for earth-based, Pagan, multi-faith, and justice-oriented communities. Learn about the Spiritual Direction Certification Program
Meet the students and sign up for an exploratory appointment.
We can’t wait to accompany you on this journey.
Beloved, you are whole, holy, and worthy.
—Rev. Amy
Beloved, you are whole, holy, and worthy.
—Rev. Amy
For Further Exploration
The Cherry Hill Seminary Spiritual Direction program is committed to creating a safe and inclusive space for all explorers. https://abeltaine.blogspot.com/2025/01/cherry-hill-spiritual-direction.html
Click here to meet the students and make an exploratory appointment: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1wufJHonR7Qj7FECRgYaxGQSTZ68GJEUG6GyBlonXDtk/edit?tab=t.0
Finding the Right Spiritual Companion: Safety, Trust, Nourishment https://abeltaine.blogspot.com/2025/02/finding-right-spiritual-companion.html
Spiritual exploration for earth-centered practices. https://abeltaine.blogspot.com/2025/01/the-earth-whispers-your-name-exploring.html
✨ Want to Learn to Offer This Kind of Care?
If you’re someone friends turn to for spiritual support, perhaps you’re called to become a spiritual companion yourself! Learn about the Spiritual Direction Certification Program at CHS https://cherryhillseminary.org/certificate-programs-at-cherry-hill-seminary/spiritual-direction-certificate/
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