Lorie Conway has a passion for deep listening and accompanying others on their spiritual journeys through spiritual companionship, contemplative small groups, and spiritual retreats. As we get ready for a silent retreat weekend with Lorie we hope you enjoy this message from her.
“Holding Space is what we do when we walk alongside a person or group on a journey through liminal space. We do this without making them feel inadequate, trying to fix them, or trying to impact the outcome. We open our hearts, offer unconditional support, and let go of judgement and control.” —Heather Plett, author of The Art of Holding Space
Most of us have experienced what it is like to hold space for someone else — even if we did not realize it at the time or use those words. Think for a moment about a time when you simply sat with someone and listened — with no agenda, no need to give advice or offer solutions, with no idea where the conversation or the journey might go. You simply offered the gift of your entire presence. It may have been a 5-minute conversation with a neighbor or the journey with a loved one nearing the end of their life.
From the beginning of time, people have found a way to say, “You are not alone. We don’t really know what you need or where this journey will lead, but we are here for you. We will walk with you, sit with you, hold you, carry you…” As a spiritual companion, this is part of what I do in companioning others on their spiritual journey and is also the gift I receive from my own spiritual director. Animals seem to have an instinctive ability to hold space. Have you ever had a beloved dog, cat, horse, or other furry friend just come to be with you when you really needed them? Not to play or beg for treats — just to be with you? I suspect they do it for one another, too.
We are living in a time when Hope may feel a bit more elusive or difficult to hold on some days. On the “Holding Space for Hope” silent retreat weekend, we will consider what it is like to find and hold space for Hope in the gift of spacious silence and sacred community. Can we offer Hope the same gift of our entire presence that we might offer a loved one, or our dog might offer us, with no agenda or clear destination or potential outcome?
I hope you can join us. If not, I encourage you to find your own moments of spacious silence where you can hold space for hope.
“When life is heavy and hard to take, go off by yourself. Enter the silence. Wait for hope to appear.” —Lamentations 3:28-29 (The Message)
https://bonsecoursrcc.org/event/holding-space-for-hope/
Lorie Conway