Tamara Shantz
Practicing Incarnation is...
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The moment to moment opportunity to become more fully here.
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To learn what it means to awaken to the presence of God in each moment.
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To discover that this body we inhabit is a gateway to wisdom. A doorway to the divine.
“The daily practice of incarnation [is] being in the body with full confidence that God speaks the language of the flesh.”
– Barbara Brown Taylor
You may have been raised in a religious tradition that kept you distant from bodies: your own, others’, the Earth.
My own tradition, Western Christianity, is starting to realize that we have lost our way in this respect. That for too long, we have focused more on ideas about God, rather than seeking to encounter God.
If you are like me, you long to know God….
in your body, in your heart, in your whole being.
And so we practice.
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It is my intention through all of my offerings to accompany others as we practice incarnation together.
As we practice receiving embodied love.
And listen for what God is saying through the language of the flesh.
My Story
Like many before me, I have become passionate about sharing with others that which has brought me life: prayer, silence, embodied practices, and the Enneagram.
While I have always been something of a ‘church geek’ with a high level of interest in talking theology, ethics, and social justice, I was quite disconnected from my own inner life. In fact, looking back, I think I was quite scared of my own self.
My first experience of spiritual direction and contemplative prayer were somewhat disastrous! Sitting in silence brought on such intense anxiety for me that I walked away and didn’t try again for 4 years.
Slowly, with more supported practice, silence has become a cherished companion and a place of transformation.
Love has found me in ways that were so unexpected, so beautiful, and really, so strange. I am not where I expected to be in life – and yet, I find that this is the place where, somehow, I most desire to be.
My faith has shifted from a set of ideas that resided outside of me, to a story that lives deep within my own being. I hope to spend the rest of my life journeying with this mysterious and liberating Spirit.
While I have encountered this Love on the Christian path and in the person of Jesus, I see this Love present in all of the great spiritual traditions, and would be delighted to accompany you wherever you encounter this Presence.
Qualifications
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Spiritual Direction training through the Ignatius Jesuit Centre (2016)
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Enneagram Teacher Certification with the Enneagram Institute (2019)
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Reiki Level II attunement (2015)
I hold a Master of Divinity degree and have a background in social work, peace and conflict studies, and religious studies.
and a little bit more....
I live on the Haldimand Tract (lands of the Haudenosaunee, Anishnaabe, and Neutral peoples) with my partner, Gini and our beloved cat, Melas.
I identify as Queer and count myself as a member of the beloved rainbow community.
I see social and ecological justice at the heart of the spiritual life. Any authentic inner journey always draws us deeper into community and the call for life and liberation for all.
Communities that formed me:
Ignatius Centre of Guelph
The Enneagram Institute
Like many of us, I have been shaped by many different thinkers and writers over the years.
Here are some of the books that have been most formative for me – you may like them too!
My Community of Books!
Tamara's Most Influential Book List:
Christian Theology/Spirituality:
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An Altar in the World – Barbara Brown Taylor
Christ of the Celts – J. Philip Newell
Let Your Life Speak – Parker Palmer (Quaker)
Queer Virtue – Liz Edman
Saving Paradise: How Christianity Traded Love of this World for Crucifixion and Empire – Brock and Parker
Shameless: A Sexual Reformation – Nadia Bolz-Weber
The Wisdom Jesus – Cynthia Bourgeault
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Prayer and Contemplation:
Centering Prayer and Inner Awakening – Cynthia Bourgeault
I am Here: Six Postures of Prayer – Kalyn Falk
Love Poems from God – Daniel Ladinsky
The Naked Now – Richard Rohr
To Bless the Space Between Us – John O’Donohue
Enneagram:
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The Complete Enneagram – Beatrice Chestnut
The Spiritual Dimension of the Enneagram – Sandra Maitri
The Wisdom of the Enneagram – Don Riso and Russ Hudson