Spiritual direction is companionship for the journey. In spiritual direction, you cultivate a rich inner life.

A spiritual director or companion is someone to sit with you, to listen without judgment, and provide space for you — no matter where you are at in your journey. I encourage you to check out the Portrait of a Spiritual Director by Spiritual Director’s International.

There are many healing professions, and it’s important to remember that spiritual direction is different than therapy, coaching, pastoral care, etc.

I like how author Richard Foster describes it (italics mine):

"The spiritual direction relationship includes a director and directee, with the director often being called a ​“spiritual director” or companion.

While different directors have different approaches to their practice, typically they take an active/passive role, simply creating the environment for the direction to take place.

The director intentions to do more listening than talking, asking evoking questions as needed and appropriate. Times of silence are apropos and welcomed. There is very little actual direction given as this is commonly understood.

Rather, the spiritual director convenes a conversation during which a direction will be determined by the directee and director together, co-laboring with God or the divine as the directee understands it. Both directee and director explore together what God might be doing in the areas being discussed.”

A life coach is a type of wellness professional who helps people make progress in their lives in order to attain greater fulfillment. Coaching is results-oriented. While there may be overlaps between coaching and spiritual direction, ultimately I am not in the pursuit of results. In spiritual direction, we are cultivating a rich inner life and exploring our relationship with ourselves and the divine. This journey often leads to results such as finding meaning, healing, clarity, etc. But to use a cliche – it’s about the journey, not the destination.

Juniper comes from the poetry of Isaiah 55. “Instead of the thorn bush will grow the juniper, and instead of briers the myrtle will grow.” To me, this speaks to the promise of life and fullness and beauty in the face of loss.

House speaks to the importance of both metaphorical and physical space to my spiritual direction practice. One of the first books I read after being called to create this space was “Poetics of Space” by philosopher Gaston Bachelard. In it he says, “If I were asked to name the chief benefit of the house, I should say: the house shelters day-dreaming, the house protects the dreamer, the house allows one to dream in peace.” May it be so.

Juniper House is located inside Saint Nicholas Episcopal Church, and we can also do virtual sessions.

Saint Nicholas Episcopal Church is located on Dakota land, and I honor all the ancestral stewards of this land and their descendants. If you are interested in learning more about the struggle for justice in the Dakota Homeland, I recommend reading “What Does Justice Look Like?”

Esther M. Sternberg, M.D. says “healing and places intertwine,” and Juniper House seeks to embody this sentiment.

Spaces and ceremonies abound for death loss. There are funerals, cemeteries, and memorials. And that matters because these spaces help us find meaning in our loss. But this type of space can be hard to find for those experiencing disenfranchised grief and ambiguous loss, such as infertility, divorce, chronic pain, religious trauma, and so much more. It can also be fleeting for those who have experienced death loss. Juniper House is a physical and metaphorical space offering spiritual direction and space to heal—a place where you can simply be without answers, fixes, or opinions.

Typically, we meet for an hour each month. We start with a short contemplative practice such as a breathing exercise or reading. Then, it’s up to you! What do you want to talk about and explore — and how do you want to explore it? This is your time: You talk, I listen.

If you feel stuck, don’t worry! I created a set of sacred conversation cards we can refer to if needed. I will also have contemplative tools available that we can use together in the session.

I may reference resources throughout our conversation, but I commit to never offer advice or opinions.

Our time together is sacred. I will not reveal the content of our conversations unless I am required to do so by law or court order.

Here are just a few of the tools I use:

A contemplative, lectio divina approach to poetry and other readings

Visio divina

PhotoTherapy

Tarot and oracle cards (I don’t do readings, but we can always pull a card to discuss together through a contemplative lens)

Intuitive collage

Centering prayer

Meditation and breathing exercises

Meditative nature walking and labyrinth walking (let me know in advance of our session, so we can arrange to meet at a nature center or labyrinth)

Ritual (we can create a ritual together based on your needs)

Yes! I practice by the Spiritual Directors International guidelines for ethical conduct, which I will make available upon our engagement agreement. You can find it here. I have also completed Praesidium Academy Safe Church training through the Episcopal Church.

Yes! There is a nearly universal human search for meaning. That is what spirituality explores, while religion is a set of beliefs, practices and language that characterizes a community searching for transcendent meaning in a particular way, generally based upon belief in a deity.

Starting June 1, 2025, I will offer a sliding scale for 1:1 spiritual direction, and the range can be found on my spiritual direction page.

Each workshop and retreat costs different amounts based on a variety of factors, and the price for each workshop is listed when you sign up.