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Prayer group

Holy Listening

Sharing and listening, with a desire to meet God through one another.

How often
Monthly
Length
45–60 minutes, depending on the number of people
Where
Online, by video call
Offered
Freely, at no charge

What is Holy Listening?

We can connect to God in many ways and through all our senses: in what we see or hear, through our body or emotions, in art, music or dance, in a person, an animal, or part of God's creation. Sometimes it is easy to connect; other times it is dry and nothing comes to heart or mind.

Being attentive, quieting yourself, and making the time and space for God to show up is an important part of connection. A Holy Listening practice consists of sharing and listening with a desire to meet God through the others you are practicing with and your attentiveness in the session.

How the practice works

  1. The group gathers, and Robin offers an exercise to prepare your heart and mind for the time together.
  2. A period of silence.
  3. You reflect on the last 24 hours or so of your life and let come to mind something, somewhere or someone where you experienced an unexpected joy, happiness, and more.
  4. Each person is invited to share what came to mind, usually for about 2–3 minutes.
  5. After each sharing, the group takes a time of silence. The listeners then reflect on what they heard and share something that came to mind for the storyteller, without judgment, advice or opinion.

Each person has time to share and time to receive. In running through the ordinary moments of your day, you are listening to discern God's presence in them, much as in the Daily Examen.

What preparation is needed?

A commitment to arrive with an attitude of openness, attentiveness, and an invitation for the Holy Spirit to be present within you. Judgments, advice and opinions are not part of this practice.

Our covenant

What is shared in the circle stays in the circle. Robin never refers in a group to anything shared in one-to-one direction.

Upcoming dates

New dates will be posted here, with times in Eastern Time (ET). To hear about the next one, write to Robin; she replies within 48 business hours.

Ask about the next date

Have others who want to join?

Robin will gladly help you start a Holy Listening group. Write to Robin.

The phrase “holy listening” is also the title of Margaret Guenther's classic book on spiritual direction, Holy Listening: The Art of Spiritual Direction (1992). This group is a shared prayer practice, not formal group spiritual direction.

Hear about the next date

Write to Robin and she will reply within 48 business hours.

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