Kathleen Opon is a Certified Spiritual Guide, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Abbess of the Gnostic Celtic Church Monastery who kindly agreed to an interview with Mystic Mag. Below, you can learn more about her work and services she offers.
When did you first know that spiritual direction was your calling and how did it come about?
Five years ago I had never even heard of spiritual direction! I first learned of the practice when it was suggested by my mentor when I was in formation for the priesthood within the Gnostic Celtic Church, the religious branch of the Ancient Order of Druids in America. In my search for a spiritual director I found that this was an almost exclusively Christian offering, which did not suit what I needed as a seeker within a nontraditional religious setting. However, I was able to find a person willing to work with my “alternative” spiritual views and after one meeting with her I knew that I wanted to offer the people in my Druid community this wonderful spiritual gift.
Fortunately I was able to find an inter-religious/inter-spiritual spiritual direction training program through the Spiritual Guidance Training Institute. This was a life-changing experience for me on both a personal and professional level. I have been a licensed clinical social worker for almost 40 years. Spiritual direction fits in perfectly with my skills and my innate desire to help others find and deepen their spiritual path. I became certified as a spiritual guide early in 2020.
What services do you offer?
Spiritual Guidance, or some may prefer to call it Spiritual Companionship, is my main focus. I offer individual sessions to people desiring to explore an already established spiritual practice as well as those who are confused and/or feel lost in their search for a spiritual focus. My specialty is people in non-traditional and/or alternative religions, but my practice is open to all. Spiritual guidance helps people discover, develop, and deepen their relationship to the Divine, in whatever way they experience that.
Another service I offer is as an instructor for the Dolmen Arch, a study course in the Druid Mysteries, which is offered as a correspondence course. The course consists of seven lesson packets, each correlating to a grade of initiation. During the first four “grades” the student is introduced to what are referred to as “The Lesser Mysteries”; the last three grades immerse students in “The Greater Mysteries”. After completing all seven grades the student is qualified to become an instructor of the course.
What is Animal Chaplaincy and what drew you to the field? How will this work fit into your spiritual path?
Animal Chaplains are trained to provide support through ritual; ceremony; and spiritual companionship, for both animals and humans. This includes honoring grief when a dear companion is lost; joy, in welcoming new animal companions into the home; and deepening the human-animal bond with not only companion animals, but all of nature. The work is non-denominational and is dedicated to working with all, regardless of religious or spiritual outlook.
I was drawn to Animal Chaplaincy after meeting Reverend Sarah Bowen, the director of the Animal Chaplain Training Program (part of the Compassion Consortium), at the Spiritual Directors International 2022 Conference. Initial skepticism evolved, through discernment, into a realization that becoming an Animal Chaplain is a logical step for me. Many years ago, when I first entered university, I wanted to be a veterinarian. Poor math skills and lack of initiative derailed that hope. However, my spiritual journey has led me right back to my love of animals and my desire to work with and help them and their human companions
Becoming a Certified Animal Chaplain in February of 2023 and then, in June of 2023, being ordained as an Animal Chaplain, are the next steps on my spiritual path. My plan is to offer my services to local veterinarians and pet cemeteries, as well as to veterinary training programs; animal shelters; and animal rescue services, thus providing another way for me to share spiritual guidance with even more people (and animals) in new ways.
Tell us about your work with the Gnostic Celtic Church Monastery.
The Gnostic Celtic Church Monastery is a culmination of over seven years of working with the Gnostic Celtic Church. In 2015 I joined the Ancient Order of Druids in America specifically to become a member of the Church. Within two years I was a Deacon and by September of 2019 was ordained as a GCC priest. By March of 2020 I had been recruited to become the Preceptor of the Church when the previous Preceptor stepped down. During my time as Preceptor I expanded the GCC clergy curriculum to include a path of service for those desiring ordination as priests. In mid-2020 I was approached by a member of the GCC priesthood with the idea of designing a contemplative, monastic path within the Church. When this idea was approved I began another life-changing spiritual journey as the Abbess of the new Monastery!
The Gnostic Celtic Church Monastery has its own curriculum and requirements, but remains fundamentally tied to the Gnostic Celtic Church as a choice for clergy formation. Aspiring monks must first be Deacons within the GCC, since the monastery and contemplative practices in general are a bit more advanced. As a Monk within the GCC Monastery there is a focus on meditation; personal discernment; and commitment to community. To aid Monks in developing their meditation practices, to promote unity within the monastic community and to offer support to the general membership of the AODA, I conduct weekly online group meditations. We rotate between meditation modalities, inviting the general membership to a monthly Contemplative Meditation and a monthly Sacred Reading Meditation (Lectio Divina) as well as a “monks only” monthly Healing Meditation and a monthly GCC Monastery “Meeting of the Monks” where we discuss whatever comes up and practice different meditations that vary month by month. In addition to leading the meditations, I support the monks in their discernment and process along their spiritual path as not only the Abbess, but a Spiritual Guide.
What is the most important detail in maintaining a relationship of mutual trust with clients?
Honesty and non-judgement are the most important details in maintaining a relationship of mutual trust with clients, and with people in general. This includes doing what one says they are going to do, being reliable, and knowing when and what to self-disclose to the seekers one works with. And it is important that this expectation of honesty and non-judgement is understood by seekers as extending to them also!
What do you love most about your profession?
The thing I love most about Spiritual Direction is igniting the spiritual spark within people and nurturing its growth. That look on a seeker’s face when they begin to experience a sense of spiritual unity with all beings; when they become open to the Divine and it shines from within them. There is nothing like it. The entire space feels like it is being enveloped in a warm hug. All of the benefits received by seekers are reflected back to the spiritual guide, making it a mutually beneficial experience.
Within the Gnostic Celtic Church Monastery this takes on another dimension, as I see that spark work within clergy to stretch them and transform them into deeply contemplative spiritual beings.
Basically, I guess, the thing I love most about my profession is witnessing and participating in its impact on others. It is truly a mystical, magical, profound experience.
