Seminary of the Wild Earth: Year Two
Eco-Spiritual Direction
Certification Program
Introducing the first certificate program dedicated to the practice of spiritual guidance in reverent conversation with a sacred world.
Eco-Spiritual Direction is an emerging vocation that honors the vital role of nature in the human spiritual journey. This approach to the ancient practice of spiritual companionship draws on a holistic understanding of what it means to be guided by Spirit in intimate connection with the living world.
Whether you are an established spiritual director or feel a new calling toward this path, this certificate program helps develop the skills for ecologically-attuned companionship. This discipline mirrors traditional spiritual direction while introducing perspectives and practices rooted in relationship with the sacred wild.
In many religious traditions, the vocation of spiritual companionship has been embodied by those who feel a call to walk alongside others in their spiritual journeys. These spiritual leaders are seasoned practitioners in the arts of holding space, listening with reverence, and responding with curiosity and kindness, with deep respect for the particular path of each person they sit with.
Through this program, you will acquire the specific tools of this lineage—including discernment, dreamwork, and the art of holding space—all shaped by deep ecology and the wisdom of the living world.
A Landmark Partnership
Created through a partnership between the the Center for Wild Spirituality and Stillpoint, a leader in spiritual direction training for over forty years, this curriculum combines deep tradition with wild wisdom. Elizabeth Rechter, former director of Stillpoint, joins CWS founder, Victoria Loorz, in co-creating the curriculum and guiding the process, along with a team of passionate and creative Eco-spiritual Directors who serve as guides and companions. We are members of SDI, Spiritual Directors International.
Upon completion of the program, you will be equipped to companion people with confidence as an EcoSpiritual Director and begin working with directees right away!
Year One: Foundation
The path to Eco-Spiritual Direction begins with Seminary of the Wild Earth. This foundational year-long journey is designed to deepen your own eco-spirituality and connection to the Place you inhabit.
It is a space of deep inner work within a circle of wider belonging, an invitation to enter into conversation with the land.
Through regular wandering with the land, wild practices and resources, shared ritual, guided council groups, and a cohort of support, you cultivate the nourishing roots required for the vocational work ahead.
Year Two: Vocation
The vows made at the end of the first year mark a threshold crossing, a recognition that your presence and gifts are being called into service to Earth and your community.
Year Two transitions from personal transformation into the professional craft of Eco-Spiritual Direction, learning from seasoned practitioners, your own rewilded soul, and the wisdom of the land.
Through an immersive practicum, peer supervision, and deep-dive cohort sessions, you acquire the tools to companion others with confidence and reverence.
Monthly Rhythm
WEEK ONE: SEEDING
The full cohort gathers for live online "seedings" focused on the specialized craft of Eco-Spiritual Direction. Led by seasoned Eco-Spiritual Directors and guest luminaries, these sessions are a deep dive into the art of 1:1 companionship in relationship with the wild earth. Participants learn to facilitate "sacred conversation" for others, gaining the tools to invite directees into deeper relationship with the Holy Wild.
WEEK TWO: COUNCIL
Gathering in councils is the heart of the program, bringing together a consistent circle of fellow practitioners. These sessions provide a sacred space for mutual support and witness as you step into the role of Eco-Spiritual Director. Here, the community processes the internal shifts and professional challenges of the vocation, offering solidarity as each practitioner brings the wisdom of the Holy Wild into their work with others.
WEEK THREE: PRACTICUM
Participants meet in triads to practice the craft through direct experience. Within this container, each person rotates through the roles of "director," "directee," and "observer." By listening deeply to peers and witnessing what rises beyond words, practitioners learn to hold space for the Holy Wild in real-time, gaining the confidence and intuition needed for 1:1 companionship.
WEEK FOUR: PEER SUPERVISION
Every month, you'll meet with your council to contemplatively reflect on your experiences of sessions with your directees. How did you invite the holy wild into the session? Where did you get stuck or receive inspiration? As we process these experiences, we are learning from each other and building a portfolio of practices to use in our future vocational work.
Comparing traditional spiritual direction
and Eco-Spiritual Direction
The Shift in Perspective
Eco-Spiritual Direction invites a different way of seeing the "directee" and the world. Rather than approaching them as an individual separate from the living world, we view them as a part of an ecosystem. This shift is rooted in the understanding that the whole of nature is animate, communicative, and a vital participant in the unfolding of a person’s spiritual journey.
As with traditional spiritual direction, there is no problem to solve, no advice-giving, and no metric for success. Instead, the focus is on deep listening, tracking the directee’s sharing alongside their encounters with the living world, and inviting them into deeper relationship with the holy wild.
The Third Chair
In traditional spiritual direction, practitioners often refer to the "third chair" as the presence of the Holy. In this vocational path, that presence is the Holy Wild. Eco-Spiritual Directors offer questions that open the directee toward greater awareness of their lived experiences as interconnected beings, looking through the lenses of dreams, encounters, and the synchronicities that meet us on our paths.
Wild Ordination Ceremony
Wild Ordination is a ritual of radical commitment. It is a vow of fidelity made not to a human institution, but to your own soul and the Sacred Wild herself. Our journey culminates in an optional five-day in-person gathering, a time of wandering, deep ritual, and communal witnessing as you present your "living offering" to the world. Through the ceremony of Wild Ordination, we ritually mark your "sacred yes" to the unique calling you are carrying into a world in transition. (Note: the in-person experience is optional and carries an additional cost. Those who can't make it will still be Wildly Ordained virtually.)
