Shalem's Pilot Whales
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by Charlotte Moore
The pilot group of Shalem's Personal Spiritual Deepening Program gathered in the spring of 1993 to explore the awesome freedom bestowed by its "emphasis on direct, loving awareness and subtle integration of imageless and imaged dimensions of God and self." We likened our journeys to those of pilot whales who swim freely with ability to add another dimension to their lives by standing vertically in the water with head and upper portion of their flippers visible to command a view of the horizon. We courteously switched our awesome title to that of Pilot Whales, a relief from the alphabetic PSDP!Pilot whales exhibit strong social bonds. The adults are very devoted to their young and will not desert sick or injured companions. They stick together on the move but spread out for feeding. As their name implies, they are so accomplished at tracking and catching squid, herring, mackerel and capelin, they serve as pilots for dolphins, birds and even fishermen.
This freedom to explore the depths of the sea and to survey the horizon without losing caring, loving communication, seems to us to "embrace the interaction of different aspects of the spiritual life: thoughts, feelings, intuition, will, body, community and action in our world."
Each of us has been able to reach out to birds and fishes--fellow travelers who seek a pilot but shy away from a journey labeled, Personal Spiritual Deepening. The Pilot Whale concept lends itself well to the integration of different aspects of the spiritual life. It's a wondrous experience to be able to explore without the rigidity of imposed structure.
For example, during the eighteen months I have swum with my mentor, my spiritual director and close friends through deep waters, among the shoals, and risen atop the shining water to be caught up in the beauty of the setting sun. From that beauty came the suggestion of a picture journal. As we swam, we experienced a growing awareness of the symbolism of the water as the enfolding Love of God--and that cleansing, healing tears, too, are a part of that sea.
The idea of being a pilot whale sparks the imagination of those engaged in "formal" spiritual direction and those who reach out to others along the way. It can help lessen the pressure of shoulds, oughts and establishmentarianism. It enabled my daughter in Cheyenne to reach out to the minister whose wife had died of cancer.
We decided to gather these reflections to share with those who are currently engaged in the Personal Spiritual Deepening Program (and those who are interested in joining it) and above all to thank Rose Mary Dougherty who piloted us through the months of our creative, awesome journey.
Charlotte, an Episcopal laywoman, is a graduate of Shalem's Spiritual Guidance Program and the pilot Personal Spiritual Deepening Program.
© 2008 The Shalem Institute.