"Prayer is standing in the presence of God with the mind in the heart; that is, at that point of our being where there are no divisions or distinctions and where we are totally one. There God's Spirit dwells and there the great encounter takes place. There heart speaks to heart, because there we stand before the face of the Lord,
all-seeing, within us."
~St. Theophan the Recluse
About HeartPaths
HeartPaths has been training spiritual directors since 1982. We believe the spiritual path with a heart is journey of the whole person (body, mind, spirit) to discover and respond to the mystery of God planted deeply within the life of each person and our world. It requires a seasoned awareness of the self and the self in relationship to creation and others. HeartPaths seeks to develop the awareness of God's mystery fully present in all human experience through the comtemplative practices of prayer, reflection and simple noticing.
The spritual path with a heart is also a journey that requires openness to the movements of God in human life and experience. As a sailor can only "tidy the craft, hoist the sail, and wait for the wind to blow", we must surrender our need to control and learn to cooperate with the leading of God's spirit in the real world. HeartPaths seeks to develop this centered and willing response to God via practicing spiritual disciplines, reflective awareness of how we engage life, and learning to discern the movement of God in self, relationships and community.
As you explore our web site you will find that our programs are experiential. We believe that spiritual leaders and spiritual directors can pass on only what they have discovered and deepened in themselves. For that reason our training programs and spiritual direction offerings blend experiential and intellectual learning to foster the spiritual formation of those engaged in these ministries.
Welcome into the living laboratory of HeartPaths. We hope you will find our programs are what you have been looking for in your quest to help others deepen their life of awareness of and response to God. We welcome your inquiries as to how we may serve you on your journey!