Who we are
Jane Gillies and Katie Ogdon are facilitators at The Inner Wilderness and created this contemplative spiritual community because they believe that exploring our true selves through quieting, listening and sharing will lead us to be more compassionate and understanding toward ourselves and others.
“The faith journey is not an alone thing. It is your own faith journey, but you have to work it out in community in order to see God at work consistently. Both Scripture and new scientific research confirm this insight: Loneliness kills; friendship saves.”
— Barbara Bradley Hagerty, Surviving the Wasteland of Faith
“Nothing strips you down to your essential humanity and inherent dependency quite like submitting to the elements, surrendering to the wild. In the wilderness, you find out what you are made of and who your friends are. You are forced to leave behind all nonessentials, to quiet yourself and listen”.
- Rachel Held Evans, Inspired
”Belonging is a practice that requires us to be vulnerable, get uncomfortable, and learn how to be present with people without sacrificing who we are”.
- Brene Brown, Atlas of the Heart
Thoughts from Katie
The next ten steps. That has been a mantra of The Inner Wilderness as we have set out to create a spiritual community where all are welcome. While we can’t predict outcomes or always understand the emotions that come with the un-knowns, we can find solace in the next ten steps while we are on our journey. It’s easy to rush through what’s being presented to us, but when we slow down and listen, we can trust the flow of God’s mystery pouring into us as we explore and evolve..
The Inner Wilderness offers an opportunity to build a bridge from ourselves to community, to empower us on our own uniquely given path in an inclusive and compassionate space. To learn and share our experiences in a safe community, builds courage and confidence while bringing clarity so that when the next ten steps are presented, we’ll be open to it and have a community of loving people cheering us on.
We strive to be empowered through revolutionary love because when the doors of love burst wide open, your true self can thrive. This opens up God within you, God surrounding you, God fighting for you, God pouring into you. Here, you are free to un-learn, re-learn and love to learn.
“We’re in a spiritual crisis, and the key to building a true belonging practice is maintaining our belief in inextricable human connection. That connection—the spirit that flows between us and every other human in the world—is not something that can be broken; however, our belief in the connection is constantly tested and repeatedly severed.
— Brené Brown, Braving the Wilderness
“Reason is in fact the path to faith, and faith takes over when reason can say no more”.
- Thomas Merton
“Authentic spirituality is always about changing you. It’s not about trying to change anyone else.”
- Richard Rohr
Thoughts from Jane
There is always an element of risk as we search within for spiritual meaning in our lives. As we search for this meaning, we may discover that true religion is not about possessing the truth, as no religion does that. It is rather an invitation into a journey that leads us to the mystery of God. Part of our pilgrimage is building a new framework for our spiritual lives. We rest and we breathe. We wander through a map of multiple dimensions in the heart, mind, soul, and physical world, always with new horizons to be discovered.
Resting and breathing is also a way of living in the moment, an important part of the journey. Our soul speaks to us in this quiet time, making our authentic selves visible. Our authentic self and our spirituality together bring us into wholeness.
By living in the moment and resting, we also yield ourselves to God. Love and peace are evidence of a life yielded. So, we sit and we breathe and let the message travel in. With every breath out it sinks in that we are here, safe, alive, and loved. Our time is first of all to be. To be alive. To be peaceful. To be compassionate. To be loving. We all need a place to exhale and rest, and to be. This is where the spirit lives, and this is where we find meaning along the journey of the mystery of God.