Mary Lou Schneider...
is a Spiritual Director who has been companioning women on their spiritual journeys for 20 years through retreats, classes, groups and one-on-one work.  Mary Lou co-created the popular Tools for Transformation course for women and appeared on a nationally-broadcast radio program focused on women’s spirituality.  In addition to her training in spiritual direction, Mary Lou’s work draws upon her studies in Reiki, Kundalini energy, Sacred Texts; meditation; codependency issues; Celtic Spirituality and contemplative dance. 

• How do you define soul?

• What does it mean to progress spiritually?

• How are spirituality and religion related?

• What are your spiritual values and how can you create a life that reflects those values? How can developing a regular spiritual practice enhance your daily life?

Consciously creating a spiritual practice that meets the needs of your unique soul is a courageous endeavor, and it helps to have support.  Experience how having a soul friend. can enhance and deepen your solitary practice. 
 

The Celts consider a woman without a soul friend a body without a head.  A soul friend is an attentive listener who affirms the best in us and challenges us when we are stuck or self-absorbed.  Through an ongoing process she can help her friend identify areas where she needs to stretch and grow, let go and surrender.  The soul friend helps a woman look at what John Cassian called “all the corners of the heart.”  When someone seeks a soul friend (spiritual director) these are some of the questions or issues that may present themselves:  Why has God abandoned me? My prayers seem dry and stale. My life seems good, but I keep feeling there must be more. What is the difference between prayer and meditation? I have problems reconciling myself with the religious tradition of my childhood. There never seems to be time for myself. I seem to have more questions than answers.  Why is that? I would like to do some spiritual reading.  What can you recommend? I’ve never studied Scripture or sacred texts of any kind?  Where do I begin?

• Listening to your faith journey

• Suggesting appropriate resources

• Supporting you as you learn:
      to discover your authentic self
      to trust your feminine intuition
      to honor your channel to the Divine

• Challenging you to broaden your images, perception, and study of the Divine

• Fostering a reverence for the diversity of religious expression

An experiential course for women.  Over the course of one year discover the tools you need to transform your life.  Includes group and individual sessions.

Available for weekend or one-night retreats. Explore through meditation, sharing, and ritual themes such as the following:

• Embracing the Shadow
• Our Sacred Bodies
• The Divine Feminine

Training in: reflective listening, creating ritual, forming a spirituality group.