Aspen Path: Class of 2025
Welcome to the Aspen Path: Class of 2025 Ministry Training course!
“We all have the same root and are connected. To tap into this connectedness we must go within”
Summerlyn Guthrie
The Six Strands of the Aspen Curriculum
Faith paths and worldviews
We explore the core principles of the world’s religions and spiritual traditions, cultivating respect for all kinds of difference 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.
Ministry of Ceremony
Inspired and informed by the diversity of ceremonies of the world and our own personal experience, we reflect on the power of ceremony at the heart of family, faith and community, as we journey through the stages of life and death. We focus on sacred elements of ritual and on the major rites of passage and how we bring our own creativity to these timeless expressions of humanity.
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.
Ministry of Spiritual Accompaniment
A key application for our listening skills is through the profound and ancient ministry of spiritual accompaniment. This ministry is found in many faith paths, as a soul friend walks alongside another, held in conversation together in a spiritual field of love. We reflect on and practise this sense of spiritual companionship as we journey together, and it becomes for many a key aspect of their ministry.
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.
Ministry of Spiritual and Pastoral Service in the Community
OneSpirit arose from post-holocaust initiatives among faith leaders of different religions to cultivate connection based on mutual respect, empathy and a desire to promote peace. We explore our capacity for peace and reconciliation using conflict resolution processes within and amongst ourselves, and as a potential area of ministry in community. Our vision for peace-making and conflict resolution is inclusive of the whole community of life, the planetary ecosystem, as we align with others around the world intent on cultivating a sustainable future, in service to and with reverence for the great mystery of life.