Jan Lundy ~ Up Close and Personal
My journey of awakening ...
This website, the spiritual direction/mentoring I feel privileged to offer, the books I write, the courses I teach, have all been been born of my lifelong quest for personal peace. I am a deeply contemplative person.
Though, I admit, for most of my life I have not been a peaceful person. I was a nervous and very sensitive child. I "felt" a lot and was deeply impacted by the settings I found myself in. Not knowing how to manage my responses to the world (my thoughts and feelings), over time, resulted in cumulative stress, especially worry and anxiety.
This came to a head in 1994 when I lost my health. I was the busy mother of three children, working outside the home (I am a former educator in the field of World Religions), basically, trying to do it all, to be it all for everyone. At a precipitous point, I had a spontaneous awakening; understanding that I was fully responsible for my inner peace or lack of it because of how I was responding to the circumstances of my life. I came to understand that if inner peace were to be mine, it would be choice by choice, one breath at a time. The first choice was to stop, slow down the pace of my life, and begin to walk a healing path. I took an entire "year off from life" and let go of nearly everything (except my beautiful family, of course!). 365 days, dedicated to recovering my health and gathering up the scatterings of my soul.
Though, I admit, for most of my life I have not been a peaceful person. I was a nervous and very sensitive child. I "felt" a lot and was deeply impacted by the settings I found myself in. Not knowing how to manage my responses to the world (my thoughts and feelings), over time, resulted in cumulative stress, especially worry and anxiety.
This came to a head in 1994 when I lost my health. I was the busy mother of three children, working outside the home (I am a former educator in the field of World Religions), basically, trying to do it all, to be it all for everyone. At a precipitous point, I had a spontaneous awakening; understanding that I was fully responsible for my inner peace or lack of it because of how I was responding to the circumstances of my life. I came to understand that if inner peace were to be mine, it would be choice by choice, one breath at a time. The first choice was to stop, slow down the pace of my life, and begin to walk a healing path. I took an entire "year off from life" and let go of nearly everything (except my beautiful family, of course!). 365 days, dedicated to recovering my health and gathering up the scatterings of my soul.
A Healing Path Unfolds
During that year, I feel deeply in love with Eastern teachings and mindfulness. Despite the fact that I was a trained teacher of world religions, and a student of yoga since my early twenties, living a true body, mind, spirit connection was more of a head response, than a heart (embodied) response. The work of Thich Nhat Hanh and the poetry of Rumi resonated, and I began to create a healthy new lifestyle for myself which incorporated silence, solitude, walking meditation, communing with nature, journaling, and more. My body/mind responded to these acts of "unconditional friendliness" toward myself and I got well—and I woke up a bit more. I can say without reservation that mindfulness saved my life.
In time, mentors came into my life, many amazing women who took me under their wings and guided me into a deeper, truer version of myself—into my essence—and inner peace began to be mine. Among the early mentors were Sue Patton Thoele and Daphne Rose Kingma.
Irony of ironies, at the darkest time in my life, when everything that could go wrong did (I wrote about this in my book, Your Truest Self,) a former Dominican sister handed me a book by Buddhist teacher, Pema Chodron, When Things Fall Apart, and another turning point came. Homecoming was at hand, I could feel it. Like a whirlwind, mentor upon mentor from many spiritual traditions came along, exactly when I needed them the most. Each offered something special—a treasure, a key, a doorway into the life I'd only dreamed of—a life filled with ease and love and true happiness. Most of these were sourced in Eastern teachings. These philosophies and practices gave birth to a greater peace than I had ever known before.
In time, mentors came into my life, many amazing women who took me under their wings and guided me into a deeper, truer version of myself—into my essence—and inner peace began to be mine. Among the early mentors were Sue Patton Thoele and Daphne Rose Kingma.
Irony of ironies, at the darkest time in my life, when everything that could go wrong did (I wrote about this in my book, Your Truest Self,) a former Dominican sister handed me a book by Buddhist teacher, Pema Chodron, When Things Fall Apart, and another turning point came. Homecoming was at hand, I could feel it. Like a whirlwind, mentor upon mentor from many spiritual traditions came along, exactly when I needed them the most. Each offered something special—a treasure, a key, a doorway into the life I'd only dreamed of—a life filled with ease and love and true happiness. Most of these were sourced in Eastern teachings. These philosophies and practices gave birth to a greater peace than I had ever known before.
Blessings and Grace
As did my training to become a certified Spiritual Director. It was in the midst of all this personal chaos that I engaged in a 3-year training program to learn how to companion others through difficulty and into a deeper understanding of the "Sacred." The former Dominican sister who "turned me on" to Pema Chodron was my spiritual direction teacher, Judy Hahn, which further proved to me the interspiritual, grace-filled nature of our journeys.
Another one of my guiding teachers has been Sylvia Boorstein, both a practicing Jew and a Buddhist meditation teacher. From Sylvia I've learned the practice of Metta (Loving-kindness) which forms the foundation of my spiritual life and the courses I teach. It is the one practice that continues to transform my life daily. Loving-kindness is a practice, a mindset, and a lifestyle. I studied with Sylvia for nearly four years now. In 2010, she encouraged me to teach Metta. I bow to this calling and thank her for her confidence in me to do so.
Another one of my guiding teachers has been Sylvia Boorstein, both a practicing Jew and a Buddhist meditation teacher. From Sylvia I've learned the practice of Metta (Loving-kindness) which forms the foundation of my spiritual life and the courses I teach. It is the one practice that continues to transform my life daily. Loving-kindness is a practice, a mindset, and a lifestyle. I studied with Sylvia for nearly four years now. In 2010, she encouraged me to teach Metta. I bow to this calling and thank her for her confidence in me to do so.
Living Out the Gifts
"Dalai Lama Afterglow"
In 2008, I traveled to Madison, Wisconsin, to receive 5 days of teachings/transmissions with His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Another major turning point in my life, as you can well imagine. I take what I learned from him quite seriously and try to live my life by it. It has rooted me in a passion for living an awakened life and supporting the spiritual well-being of others.
Today, I continue to serve as a Spiritual Director with an inter-spiritual focus in private practice and through the Dominican Center in Grand Rapids, MI (as well as mentoring Spiritual Directors in training there.) I companion people of all spiritual traditions. The Center continues to support my wide and circuitous journey to embrace "the All" as I have come to understand it. I am ever grateful for the Sisters' support.
When people ask me what religion I am, I cannot answer in a definitive way. I believe labels can diminish us and how we perceive one another. I am "independently religious." As a result of my life path choices, a unique blending of East and West, I sometimes describe myself as a contemplative and a mystic, having "Christian roots and Buddhist wings." Though my favorite term to describe myself is inter-spiritual.
(My spiritual unfolding has also been deeply influenced by these: mystics, poets, and saints of all traditions; Sufism, Hinduism and Yoga, Feminine spirituality, Earth-based spirituality, and more.)
In terms of personal spiritual practice, these are the foundational pieces in my life:
• mindfulness
• compassion
• loving-kindness (metta)
• Bhakti yoga (a devotional path: love of, faith in, and surrender to "God")
I am grateful to YOU for the entrustment you have shown by joining here with me. Your journey is very important to me and I consider our connection a sacred bond. I honor it and the beautiful way your spiritual life is (and will be) unfolding.
May we continue to embrace our essence—our truest selves—and embrace one another with grace and joy. And loving-kindness, always kindness!
Today, I continue to serve as a Spiritual Director with an inter-spiritual focus in private practice and through the Dominican Center in Grand Rapids, MI (as well as mentoring Spiritual Directors in training there.) I companion people of all spiritual traditions. The Center continues to support my wide and circuitous journey to embrace "the All" as I have come to understand it. I am ever grateful for the Sisters' support.
When people ask me what religion I am, I cannot answer in a definitive way. I believe labels can diminish us and how we perceive one another. I am "independently religious." As a result of my life path choices, a unique blending of East and West, I sometimes describe myself as a contemplative and a mystic, having "Christian roots and Buddhist wings." Though my favorite term to describe myself is inter-spiritual.
(My spiritual unfolding has also been deeply influenced by these: mystics, poets, and saints of all traditions; Sufism, Hinduism and Yoga, Feminine spirituality, Earth-based spirituality, and more.)
In terms of personal spiritual practice, these are the foundational pieces in my life:
• mindfulness
• compassion
• loving-kindness (metta)
• Bhakti yoga (a devotional path: love of, faith in, and surrender to "God")
I am grateful to YOU for the entrustment you have shown by joining here with me. Your journey is very important to me and I consider our connection a sacred bond. I honor it and the beautiful way your spiritual life is (and will be) unfolding.
May we continue to embrace our essence—our truest selves—and embrace one another with grace and joy. And loving-kindness, always kindness!