Anne Solomon
BA MA CPsychol AFBPsS
Anne Solomon
I am an experienced spiritual director based in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, offering spiritual direction online via Zoom. I am also a Chartered Psychologist and hold an MA (Distinction) in Religion and Society, with a particular focus on Christian theology and spirituality.
Over many years, people have sought me out to explore the questions, challenges and deep movements within their spiritual life. This led me to undertake formal training in the art of spiritual direction. I subsequently worked for more than a decade as a tutor on the Gloucestershire Spiritual Direction Course, and now act as a course consultant, guest teacher, and foundation trustee of the Gloucestershire Spiritual Direction Trust.
I draw on over thirty years of experience in spirituality, depth psychology and theological reflection to support the unfolding of people’s inner life with depth, gentleness and discernment.
I have been involved in lay leadership in the Christian tradition for many years,
but have also enjoyed time on a Hindu ashram in India, connected with followers of Islam in mosques in the Middle East, and joined with Buddhists in interfaith meditation retreats. ​From a theologically conservative background, my own faith journey has developed in a more contemplative direction. However, I deeply value and can connect to all expressions of the Christian faith. And, while I clearly identify as Christian, I am committed to exploring with my clients their inner journey in whatever direction it unfolds.
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I work from the conviction that what is deepest in us is the presence... spirit... breath of God. In our work together, I seek to offer a spacious, grounded place in which you can listen for—and gain a heartfelt sense of—the sacred Source at the core of your being.
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As a wife and mother of two adult children, and having begun my career in the City, I understand the very real tensions, demands and vulnerabilities that shape our inner life. Drawing on both Christian contemplative wisdom and contemporary psychological insight, I have developed a grounded understanding of the processes people encounter on the spiritual path—the ups and downs of the spiritual path as it unfolds in people's lives: the seasons of clarity and obscurity, longing and resistance, movement and stillness, loss and renewal.​
'You have within yourself the answer to every question you propose - if you only knew how to look for it.'
Anthony de Mello
'The spiritual director is concerned with the whole person, for the spiritual life is not just the life of the mind, or of the affections, or of the ‘summit of the soul’ – it is the life of the whole person.'
Thomas Merton
I offer compassionate support to hold and accompany this process, enabling your individual journey to unfold in a grounded and authentic way. My aim is to come alongside you as you seek to find and sustain a spiritual connection that anchors your values, vision and way of being in the world. I hope to support, encourage and resource you to be true to your innermost sense of truth.
Over the years, as well as working with people from Gloucestershire, individuals have travelled from other parts of the UK to meet with me — including Bristol, Oxford, Wales, Bath, Birmingham and Worcestershire. For some, taking time away from familiar surroundings is part of the value of spiritual direction. I now also offer spiritual direction online via Zoom, welcoming those from across the UK and internationally. Alongside this, I enjoy running online workshops for experienced spiritual directors and offering webinars on aspects of spiritual direction practice.
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To stay rooted in my own spiritual life, I go on regular retreats shaped by silence and solitude. I also take my professional development seriously, participating in supervision, workshops, and ongoing study and reflection.
I am on the ecumenical list of directors for Gloucestershire, the UK Community of Spiritual Directors with the London Centre for Spiritual Direction, the Clifton Diocese network, and listed as a director for the WCCM. I am also a member of The Retreat Association and Spiritual Directors International, and follow SDI's guidelines on professional and ethical practice. ​You can view my SDI profile here.
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If you feel drawn to explore spiritual direction or Depth Spiritual Direction, you are very welcome to contact me.