Spiritual Directors International is an inclusive, global learning community of people from multiple faiths and nations who share a passion and commitment to the art and contemplative practice of spiritual direction, known as spiritual companionship, spiritual guidance, anam cara in Gaelic, and mashpiah in Hebrew. For more than twenty years, SDI has served this community through publications, educational events, and outreach programs, helping people connect with one another and with the Sacred. As a registered nonprofit charity, our mission is to tend the holy around the world and across traditions.
All are welcome to join this rich learning community. SDI has a vibrant membership of more than six thousand individuals on six continents who represent more than fifty spiritual disciplines, from Anabaptists to Zen Buddhists and many spiritual traditions in between.
Members include students, ministers, spiritual directors, theology and rabbinical school faculty, chaplains, health care providers, and many others involved in spiritual care:
- Spiritual directors, companions, and guides
- Theology faculty and students
- Seekers
- Pastoral and spiritual care providers
- Hospice and healthcare providers (nurses, doctors, physician assistants, pharmacologists, etc.)
- Chaplains
- Holistic body-mind-spirit health care providers
- Lay and ordained clergy
- Social workers
- Art therapists
- Life coaches and mindfulness trainers
- Mental health providers
- Mindful lawyers, social justice workers, peacemakers, and more
- Contemplatives who work in academic settings
- Contemplatives in the first half of life
Mission Statement
Throughout human history individuals have been inspired to accompany others seeking the Mystery that many name God. SDI is a learning community that educates and supports this service around the world and across traditions.
Purpose
Spiritual Directors International is an inclusive, global learning community that serves and supports the ministry and service of spiritual direction. As a multi-faith organization, we share a common passion, concern, and commitment to the ministry and service of spiritual companionship. From a small gathering of spiritual directors of Christian faith at Mercy Center in Burlingame, California, USA, in 1989, our community has grown to include over six-thousand members on six continents who represent more than fifty spiritual disciplines.