Common Bound Spirituality is not a Practice. Common Bound Spirituality is who we are together; it is the world that we move around in, in all of its Mystery and Wonder. In it we are joined to infinite Grace and Mercy by our God who wants only to return us to our truest selves.
I Invite You to Come and See
-Tom DeZell
Recommended Reading
Reading materials for anyone no matter where you are at in your own spiritual journey
Thomas Dezell
A brief summary of myself and my own path. For latest info try @thomasdezell.
About Common Bound Spirituality
This was not my first choice for a domain name for my website but like most of what occurs in my life; things get revealed in time as delightful surprises. This is the case with the meaning of common bound spirituality. At the time it was chosen, it was perhaps a default as other domains were unavailable. Now it just rings true.
One of the literal meanings of common is that something pertains or belongs equally to an entire community. When something happens frequently it is understood to be common. And lastly, for something to be common means that it is familiar and readily available to all of us.
To be bound is to be made fast as if by a band or bond, secured within a cover. To be held with another element, substance or material in chemical or physical union is to be bound. Being bound also implies having a specified initial point or connection as well as magnitude and direction. Lastly to be bound is to be inseparably connected with.
So with little intent on my part I have been given a very accurate website name for a kind of Spirituality grounded in generous Love that is available to every one of us. It is a Spirituality of looking at one another with a merciful heart, willing to continue walking together in amazement, not judgment, at our differences. In this common bound spirituality, we are not required to agree on the particulars of what we believe but rather rejoice in the generosity that occurs in our willingness to respect what each of us believe.
And the bond that we are searching for is God. It is not my God, it is our God. Our God is not limited by our language, imaginations, egos and fears. It is our God that we have always longed for, our only God that can return us to ourselves. It is our God, big enough to hold all of it, and all of us, in sacred mystery. It is our God that lives at the center of each of us reaching to another. It is our God that longs for us to reach beyond what we are comfortable with to the vastness of what we cannot know, and there we find our God waiting for us, willing to journey with us asking only that we remain common bound.
Spiritual Direction
Part of the work that I am embarking on springs from the theme of common bound spirituality. In July I completed a three year course of study in spiritual direction at the Franciscan Spirituality Center in La Crosse, Wisconsin. I feel that I have been called to do this work and every step of my 66 year journey has led me to this very place. My quest to make sense of and grow in the experience of God in my life has shown me that I want to help others do the same.
My walk with God compels me to want to walk with you as the God of your understanding is revealed to you in the particular circumstances of your life. Primarily I would be a listener, honoring your soul as your relationship with God unfolds in front of us, knowing that God is present in all of it. I would simply hold a sacred space open so that it would be available to you as you grow in your intimacy with God. Our conversation would be about your life in the light of your faith, rooted in prayer. It is my heartfelt belief that spiritual direction is at its core about helping you to understand all that God has already placed inside you. It becomes a matter of becoming aware of the gifts that God has already given to you. Spiritual direction is not counseling or therapy. It is a deep listening so that we can develop discerning hearts to better respond to the invitation from God. The journey toward discovery is full of revelation, it will last a lifetime and I think that you will find that it is the best work you will ever do.
I would welcome any and all questions that you might have about spiritual direction. Typically a person would meet with their director once a month. There is an agreed upon stipend for spiritual direction.
I am a current member of spiritual directors international and I adhere to their Guidelines for Ethical Conduct.