Welcome! I am delighted that you have landed on our website and hope that we can connect in a meaningful way.

Over the past 10 years, it has been a joy and a privilege to walk alongside those who seek a renewed sense of spiritual vitality in daily life through spiritual direction, the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises and creative spiritual renewal retreats.

I have always loved listening more than speaking, which may be why I find the prayerful practice of deep listening as I companion others on their spiritual journey to be one of life’s greatest blessings. I know that meeting with my own spiritual director helps me keep my eyes and ears open for God’s presence in my life. I pray it does the same for my directees as well.

Exploring creative new ways to pray is an important part of my own faith journey. I have been particularly drawn to the spiritual practice of contemplative coloring as a way of focusing my often distracted mind and entering more deeply into prayer. I have published two books on this practice: Praying with Mandalas:  A Colorful, Contemplative Practice (winner of a 2018 Living Now Book Award) and Mandalas, Candles and Prayer:  A Simply Centered Advent. It has been an honor and a delight to share workshops on contemplative coloring across the US and beyond through Spiritual Director’s International, the Wild Goose Festival, Weird Church Camp, a school in Liberia, a local women’s prison and many other beloved, diverse communities.

Every summer I hold a Belly of the Whale Spiritual Renewal Retreat. This 3 day/3 night silent retreat guided by the story of Jonah is a highlight of the year for me! It has become a beautiful opportunity to come together in sacred silence and pause from the perpetual motion of daily life so that we can be still enough to know and bold enough to go wherever God is calling. I look forward to sharing this retreat more broadly in the years to come.

In terms of the “education/credentialing” piece of my story, I was ordained an Elder by The United Methodist Church in 1997 and ecclesiastically endorsed for the specialized ministry of spiritual direction in 2014.  I hold graduate certificates in Spiritual Direction (Ignatian Spirituality Institute of John Carroll University), Diversity Management (Cleveland State University), and Ecumenical Studies (World Council of Churches).  My B.A is from Swarthmore College (1989) and M.Div. is from the Methodist Theological School of Ohio (1995).

Perhaps it is more meaningful; however, to share a bit of the “personal” piece of my story. I was born and raised in Oregon (still an Oregonian at heart!), have been blessed to live & travel widely (including 2 years as a peace corps volunteer in Benin, West Africa) and now call Cleveland, Ohio my home base. I cherish spending time with family and friends, getting dirt under my fingernails in the garden, kayaking, throwing pottery on the wheel, singing loudly, taking long walks with our beloved dog, and seriously seeking the world’s best wood-fired pizza (recommendations welcome!).

Overall, I feel deeply blessed to meet folks wherever they are on their journey of faith and partner with them toward a deeper, more meaningful and revitalized spiritual life.  I look forward to sharing this journey together with you.

With strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,

Sharon

Rev. Sharon Seyfarth Garner

Director and Founder, Belly of the Whale Spiritual Direction & Retreat Ministries

About Our Name.

"Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the whale."  Jonah 2:1

Just as Jonah encountered God in the

"belly of the whale,"

we also long for

a safe space

to encounter God -

space where we can

express our spiritual longings,

ask the challenging questions,

and nurture a genuine relationship with God.

Spiritual Direction and Spiritual Formation Retreats

provide just this sort of safe space

- amidst our often stormy and busy lives -

to nurture a deeper and more meaningful relationship with God.