Kristen Hobby

 

1. What books or movies changed your life?

The book that began my spiritual journey was M. Scott Peck’s The Road Less Traveled. It came into my life after a particularly difficult time in my first full time job around the age of 21 or so. It made me think about the possibility there is more to life than I had assumed. The book that changed my life as a Spiritual Director was Margaret Guenther’s Holy Listening, a beautifully written book about how we tend the holy In our role as Spiritual Directors. She writes about the importance of tending to our own journey, and how we need to regularly clean out the issues and baggage so we have room for others, particularly our pilgrims.

 

2. What started you on the spiritual journey?

I had a dreadful experience with my first full-time job. I was working for a very difficult and bully of a manager who made me doubt myself and my abilities. It was during this time that I realised I just couldn’t do it all on my own. I began to take my inner journey seriously. Once you began that journey it isn’t easy to stop as they say ‘the journey in is the longest journey of all!’

 

3. How has Spiritual Direction impacted your life?

Spiritual Direction for me is that safe place where I can just be me. I can look at those deeper longings, deeper nudgings of the spirit. I just love thinking about that question – ‘what is happening right now?’ It allows me precious space and time to explore what is happening for me at a deeper level. I always come away from my sessions feeling affirmed, and with a clearer sense of who I am.

 

4. How do you nurture your spirituality?

I meditate an hour every day, journal regularly, read nourishing and challenging books, see my Spiritual Director monthly, attend peer supervision.

 

5. What are your favourite online resources for tending your inner life?

Spirituality and practice has some wonderful e-courses where they take a writer or presenter such as Henri Nouwen, Thomas Merton, Jane Venard, the Dalai Lama, Pema Chodren and they send an email each day for 40 days containing a little pearl of wisdom or a pratice. (www.spirtualityandpractice.com)

YouTube has some wonderful resources for meditations and reflections. Click here for more information.

The intensive journal by Ira Progoff is a very detailed but amazing tool for journeying. I use it to dialogue with events or people, help make decisions, record goals and dreams.