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Thomas Aquinas said that a mistake in our understanding of creation will lead to a mistake in our understanding of God. Our worldview and our theology are deeply intertwined - which makes sense if we understand creation to be a revelation of the Divine Self, created in the "image and likeness of God" as the Christian tradition holds.

And so in the Spiritual Guidance Training Program at Siena, we begin our journey together by grounding ourselves in what we know about creation. Advances in science over the past hundred years, and even now the James Webb telescope, are changing the way we tell the story of creation, the story of our universe. This opens up expansive and transformative new possibilities in Christian theology and spirituality. 

The Universe Story forms the foundational worldview of our program. This places us squarely in the eco-spirituality realm, but also holds implications deeper and broader, reaching into all of our relationships. Yes, even shaping how we accompany others as spiritual guides. 

As a program, we see our commitment to this worldview to be one of the things that sets us apart from many of the other training programs around. Being present to the ever-emergent realities in front of us, and tending to the spiritual implications, is embedded at every level of our program - from the planning process the team engages in, to the way that we come together as a community.

If you feel drawn to explore what I mean by the Universe Story, I invite you to join me in reading Journey of the Universe by Brian Swimme and Mary Evelyn Tucker. See below for more details on the book discussion group I will be offering on the book in March.

In wonder and awe,

Nicki Nelson

SGTP Coordinator

REMINDER: PRAYING OUR EXPERIENCES DISCUSSION GROUP TODAY!

Join me in discussing the book Praying Our Experiences by Joseph F. Schmidt, FSC from 4:00-5:30pm CST. Whether you have read the book or not, feel free to jump on our zoom call HERE.

WE ARE ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS!

If you would like to request an application, please email me at  nnelson@sienaretreatcenter.org. We will set up a 30 minute phone call to talk through the process and then I will get you the application materials.