What Is Spiritual Direction for Belonging?
“Everyone knows loneliness. Some may experience it more often. Some may find relief from it more quickly. Some may deny or avoid it. But I don’t think any of us escapes its company entirely…” - Charlotte Donlon, The Great Belonging: How Loneliness Leads Us to Each Other
Loneliness Can Be Confusing
Loneliness can be confusing. Sometimes it’s hard to name and pinpoint loneliness because it can mean different things to different people. And our experiences of loneliness can change depending on our circumstances and season of life.
Regardless of our ability to wrap words around our feelings of connection and disconnection, it’s safe to say we all struggle with various forms of loneliness. But we also know belonging. We belong to ourselves, others, the divine, and the world. And things like art and the places we inhabit can grow our different belongings.
Loneliness and belonging can shift and settle and explode and resettle daily (or hourly!). If we know what helps us feel alone and what helps us belong, we can make decisions, engage with rhythms, and develop practices that directly affect our levels of loneliness and belonging.
We Can Grow Our Belongings
We can become better at determining how to put ourselves in the way of people, places, and things that help us feel connected while limiting those that make us lonelier.
Spiritual Direction for Belonging
Spiritual direction is a transformative process that can play a vital role in cultivating a sense of belonging in one's spiritual journey. It is a contemplative practice wherein a trained spiritual director companions an individual as she reflects on matters of the soul and how her daily lived experiences intersect with the spiritual.
During One-on-One Spiritual Direction for Belonging sessions, Charlotte provides a sacred space for you to explore and deepen your belongings to yourself, others, the divine, and the world. Spiritual Direction for Belonging is an opportunity to navigate belief, doubt, and mystery. And it’s a chance to notice how things like the places you inhabit and various forms and genres of art broaden your belongings.
Through the practice of spiritual direction, you will move toward self-discovery, self-reflection, and self-acceptance. You will move toward greater integration and away from disintegration. You will move closer to freedom and further away from oppression. You will have a safe space to explore the questions, uncertainties, sureties, and joys that arise on your spiritual path and find solace in the presence of a compassionate and nonjudgmental companion. During Spiritual Direction for Belonging sessions, Charlotte will encourage you to give attention to God’s presence in your life, honor your intuition and thoughts, and listen to your body, your longings, and your discomforts.
A Framework for Belonging
It’s not necessary to read Charlotte’s first book, The Great Belonging: How Loneliness Leads Us to Each Other, but it won’t hurt! The book is foundational for Charlotte’s framework and the language of belonging she uses with her spiritual direction clients. Charlotte has been reading, writing, thinking, speaking, and teaching concepts related to loneliness and belonging for more than five years. Her unique approach to these topics has helped hundreds of people embrace a more restful approach to their loneliness and belonging.
The Spiritual Direction for Belonging Method
One-on-One Spiritual Direction for Belonging with Charlotte Donlon Packages:
Spiritual Direction for Belonging Method (THREE Sessions)
$350 | Each session is 50 minutes | All three sessions must occur within two months of purchase
During the three Spiritual Direction for Belonging Sessions, you will explore the following:
Session One Primary Focus: Belonging to Yourself & God
Session Two Primary Focus: Belonging to Others
Session Three Primary Focus: Belonging through Art
Spiritual Direction for Belonging Method (FIVE Sessions)
$499 | Each session is 50 minutes | All five sessions must occur within three months of purchase
During the five Spiritual Direction for Belonging Sessions, you will explore the following:
Session One Primary Focus: Belonging to Yourself & God
Session Two Primary Focus: Belonging to Others
Session Three Primary Focus: Belonging through Art
Session Four Primary Focus: Belonging to Your Places
Session Five Primary Focus: Belonging through Rituals & Rhythms
Please Note: If you purchase a Spiritual Direction for Belonging package and decide you don’t want to complete all of your sessions, you will receive a prorated refund.
Schedule a Free Spiritual Direction for Belonging Introductory Call
All are welcome to set up a free 15-minute introductory phone call to see if it’s a good fit. People from all faith traditions along the belief/unbelief spectrum can do Spiritual Direction for Belonging. Charlotte is a Christian, but she has several clients who don’t hold her same beliefs. And she has several clients who don’t even know what they believe or don’t believe.
Please email Charlotte at charlotte@charlottedonlon.com to set up an introductory call to discuss the Spiritual Direction for Belonging method and see if it’s a good fit.
What Happens During One-on-One Spiritual Direction for Belonging Sessions?
Every spiritual director has their own preferences for how to conduct their spiritual direction sessions. Charlotte tries to use the same format for each meeting with her Spiritual Direction for Belonging clients. Sessions take place online via Zoom or in person.
Before every spiritual direction session, Charlotte creates an atmosphere that helps you know you are setting apart time and making space to notice and give your attention to how God is at work in your life, your loneliness, and your belonging.
Next, Charlotte will pray or read a poem then ask you to take as much silence as you like to prepare for your conversation.
During your spiritual direction conversation, Charlotte will inhabit a posture of prayer, listen a whole lot, and ask a few questions. She may pause for a minute or two of silence. She may invite you to do a guided contemplative practice or journaling exercise.
In addition to the spiritual direction conversation, Charlotte may offer suggestions for contemplative practices, nourishing rhythms, books to read, or journaling prompts to do between your scheduled Spiritual Direction for Belonging sessions.
At the end of each session, Charlotte will close with a prayer or a poem.
For New Spiritual Direction for Belonging Clients
Please email Charlotte at charlotte@charlottedonlon.com to set up an introductory call to discuss the Spiritual Direction for Belonging method and see if it’s a good fit.
For Existing Spiritual Direction for Belonging Clients
If you’re an existing client and would like to schedule your next spiritual direction session, please email Charlotte at charlotte@charlottedonlon.com to set up your next session.
Charlotte Donlon helps her readers and clients notice how they belong to themselves, others, God, and the world. Charlotte is a writer, a spiritual director for writers, and the founder of Spiritual Direction for Belonging™, Spiritual Direction for Writers®, and Parenting with Art™. Her essays have appeared in The Washington Post, The Curator, The Christian Century, Christianity Today, Catapult, The Millions, Mockingbird, and elsewhere. Her first book is The Great Belonging: How Loneliness Leads Us to Each Other. She’s currently writing her next book, Spiritual Direction for Writers, which will be published by Eerdmans in 2024.