The Aspen Path 

THE FOUR OBJECTIVES

Self-Awareness through Self-Reflective Practice

• You will explore a range of self-reflective models and how to implement these in your own practice to deepen your self-awareness and personal growth.

Deep Empathic Listening

• This underpins much of our curriculum, focusing on how we listen to ourselves, to Spirit, to the wisdom of the world’s faith paths, and to others. You will approach deep listening as an essential skill to both your inner development and your ministerial outreach.

Holistic Development

• You will journey through the development of the whole self by an active inner exploration of what spirituality means to you, implementing physical and mental practices to dive ever deeper into your self-development.

Ministerial Outreach

• Integrating all the above, you will embark on an enquiry into who, and what, community is, exploring the interconnectedness of all beings. In doing so, you will journey what it means to be of service in community, and the ways in which this may realise itself.

THE SIX STRANDS

FAITH PATHS AND WORLDVIEWS

We explore the core principles of the world’s religions and spiritual traditions, cultivating respect for all kinds of differences through empathy and a willingness to ‘walk in the shoes of the other’. Applying the deep listening skills at the heart of our curriculum, we celebrate freedom and diversity of spiritual belief while seeking the uniting and mystical core of profound love at the heart of so many spiritual paths. This exploration draws us further into our true nature, the soulfulness of humanity in relation to divinity, the finite and the eternal.

DEEP LISTENING SKILLS

We practise person-centred listening skills, drawing on a framework emphasising the importance of empathy, self-awareness and respect for diversity. We practise listening skills in different contexts, through paired or triad work, in class and study groups, with our guest speakers and in other opportunities for deep listening in daily life. This skill of deep listening has application throughout the rest of the curriculum and in many senses is at the heart of our work.

PSYCHO-SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT AND HOLISTIC SPIRITUAL PRACTICE

We explore helpful models, theories and practices and encourage grounded, holistic forms of spiritual practice, including physical forms of energy and body work. A key aspect of this strand is the development of self-reflective practice, exploring our own experience in relationship.

TRAINING STRUCTURE

Each year, we begin with an introductory phase which establishes key concepts, skills and practises for the time ahead. This will consist of a series of webinars (about 15 hours in total) spread over a two-week period. Following this, a more concentrated series of frequent meetings through weekly webinars to develop connection and momentum together.

After this opening phase, we progress through six gateways. Five of these are teaching gateways, and the sixth, over the summer period, is a largely independent study phase. During each teaching Gateway you will follow a six-week webinar rhythm, meeting on Wednesday evenings, 6-9pm GMT. Alongside this, there will be four check-in webinars across the year on Sunday afternoons, 3-6pm GMT.

YEAR 1 DATES

Your Introductory Phase will take place via Zoom:

• Wednesday 11 October 2023, 6-9pm
• Sunday 15 October 2023, 3-6pm
• Wednesday 18 October 2023, 6-9pm
• Sunday 22 October 2023, 3-6pm
• Wednesday 25 October 2023, 6-pm

Your weekly webinars will begin on Wednesday 1 November 2023 running until 24 July 2024 with breaks between each 6-week segment. Year 2 will follow the same structure, with the Introductory Phase dates to be announced later.

Aspen Path Training Fees

Option 1: tuition fees are paid in two annual instalments

Option 2: tuition fees are paid in 20 monthly instalments

Option 3: tuition fees are paid in 60 monthly instalments

CORE TUTOR

Your training will be led by OneSpirit Core Tutor Annie Heppenstall. A prolific writer, Annie has published ten books and many articles, reflections and liturgies, among which The Book of Uncommon Prayer (2015) captures the range of her inspirations most fully. Its subtitle reads: ‘Liturgies and Prayers exploring inclusive language and biblical imagery of the Feminine Divine and the natural world’.

Her degree and MA from Cambridge University, in Theology and Religious Studies, focused on “the beautiful, mystical core” in the sacred wisdom of different faith cultures. Her Postgraduate Certificate in Chaplaincy specialises in pastoral care in the community, self-reflective practice and diversity of spiritual experience.

Annie’s lifelong love of nature led her to study and be initiated as a druid with the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids, for whom she continues to mentor trainee druids. Her passion for experiential spirituality and for the heart-felt soul-connection of humanity has led her over the last three decades, into deep explorations of the world’s faith paths alongside practitioner-friends, including sharing in the peace of a Buddhist Sangha, the warmth of welcome into neighbourhood Islamic communities, and an elected leadership role in a Franciscan Christian contemplative Order.

Annie is an experienced Spiritual Accompanier/Coach, having trained with and taught on the Birmingham Diocesan course for spiritual accompaniers, and since 2014, has also been a spiritual care practitioner with an NHS interfaith mental health team, for the last five of these as the chaplain and manager of a therapeutic community garden project working in a grassroots context among vulnerable members of society including people seeking asylum. With a professional background in education, a side-line in mural painting and a heart for equality, social justice and sacred activism, Annie has lived for 30 years in the culturally diverse inner cities of Yorkshire and the English Midlands.