Do you desire to find the unique way each day that you are called to live, love and lead with God and strive daily to hear God’s voice during a big decision? Are you accompanying others? St. Ignatius states the goal of our life clearly: to live with God forever. God invites us to find the unique and personal way we are called to live out this goal and provides us with Rules of Discernment so we might become intimately aware of how the spirits move within our day-to-day lives.
This series of Going Past the Shallows covers the Second Set of Rules of Discernment: The Greater Discernment of Spirits. In this set of rules, St. Ignatius gives us wisdom on how the spirits work as we mature in our faith. He suggests these rules are for the “greater discernment of spirits” because our discernment is about discerning between true consolation, given to us by the Holy Spirit, and false consolation, the attempt of the false spirit to disguise as “good” and then draw us away from God.
St. Ignatius gives us language to understand that the false spirit flips his tactics. Instead of showing up as the desolation we understand in the first set of rules, the false spirit attempts to diminish our spirits for the greater yeses of our lives. St. Ignatius gives us tools as Jesus says to let our “yeses mean yes and our no’s mean no.” (Matthew 5:37)
We’ll dive into the second set of rules which contains eight Ignatian discernment principles to help us in this greater discernment of spirits. By intentionally walking through each of the rules over four monthly sessions, you will learn and practice how to better notice and discern both the Holy Spirit’s movement in your lives and the false spirit’s movement as you grow deeper in your faith life. Ignatian discernment wisdom offers us practical tools that invite us to pay attention to how these movements are at work in our daily lives. With the knowledge that they are present, we can discern the movements of consolation and desolation. Discernment of spirits gives us the power to reject what is not from God and what doesn’t lead us closer to God. It also gives us the tools to embrace what is from God and what leads us closer to God.
You’ll go deeper and learn:
- How to grow in profound intimacy with God
- How to strengthen your service to God and live your “yeses” with clear focus and without distraction
- To better know the movements of both the Holy Spirit and false spirit when the false spirit flips his tactics and appears under the guise of good
- To discern between true and false consolation
- To better know and understand the movements so you can also walk with and lead others, while hearing and seeing the movements of spirits in your family, friends, directees and those you accompany.
- To guard against the false spirit’s attempts to diminish your spirit for the well discerned “yeses of your life”
What to Expect from this Series
Going Past the Shallows: The Second Set of Rules of Discernment: The Greater Discernment of Spirits includes a total of 6 hours of direct virtual learning from Ignatian author, trained spiritual director, and teacher, Becky Eldredge – 90 minutes once a month over four months. Her expert guidance will lead you past a foundational knowledge of Ignatian spirituality to advance deeper into Ignatian discernment; not just to guide your own heart, but to equip you to guide others you encounter in ministry. Becky has been accompanied by spiritual directors in her own life for 25 years and knows the ongoing journey of listening, guiding and discerning. She knows and lives the desire to want to live with God forever.
In addition to the live content, each month you will receive a workbook full of resources that you can use in your own life and in walking with others.
All sessions will be delivered live via Zoom and the full recordings will be available within 24 hours for all who are unable to attend live.
Session I: February 26, 2025
12:30-2:00pm Central Standard Time
Rules 1-2
Session II: March 26, 2025
2:30-2:00pm Central Daylight Time
Rules 3-4
Session III: April 30, 2025
12:30-2:00pm Central Daylight Time
Rules 5-6
Session IV: May 28, 2025
12:30-2:00pm Central Daylight Time
Rules 7-8
What's Included:
- Four live 90-minute sessions via zoom with Becky Eldredge
- Access to video recordings of the monthly sessions
- Gathering with other deep-water seekers and ministry leaders
- Downloadable workbooks with dozens of replicable resources
- Additional resources, such as guided audio prayers, blog posts, songs, and more to equip you to utilize these tools in your life and ministries
Cost:
Don’t miss this opportunity to work with Becky Eldredge in a small group setting. Register now for this virtual class on the Second Set of Rules of Discernment for $240 with options to pay in one payment or split payments (2 payments of $120 each or 4 payments of $60 each).
Access to this course will expire on June 28, 2025.
Your Trusted Guide
The path of Ignatian prayer & discernment is not meant to walk alone. St. Ignatius anchored his wisdom in the need for a guide to help us into deeper waters of faith.
Building on insights from her over twenty-five years of experience as an Ignatian-trained spiritual director, teacher of the interior life, and retreat facilitator, and the work of her two award-winning books, Becky Eldredge has a profound knowledge and deep lived experience of scripture, the Catholic faith, and the Ignatian path of prayer and discernment. In all areas and every day of her life, she lives the Ignatian principles of discernment. Her work as a spiritual director, retreat facilitator, and spiritual direction instructor give her the opportunity to teach others to pray, discern, and accompany others daily.
Becky is eager to accompany you beyond the shallows and onto a path that leads to greater hope, clarity, and peace. It is a path you can walk, you can lead from, and you can also offer to those you are called to serve. Learn more about Becky at Beckyeldredge.com.
Course Curriculum
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is this series for?
This series is for all who desire to hear God’s voice and follow it and who are seeking to widen their knowledge of discernment of spirits. As we all learn and live these principles it can be helpful for not only our own lives but for those we live with, love, and lead. It is for all who want to walk the Ignatian path with a trained guide and who are also called to accompany others in their faith. It for those desiring to say "yes" to God's call into deeper waters of faith.
When are the classes held?
Going Past the Shallows runs from February through May, with monthly live virtual meetings via Zoom on February 26, March 26, April 30 and May 28. The recordings of each meeting will be posted within 24 hours if you cannot attend live.
All meetings are held from 12:30pm-2:00pm Central Time.
How is this different from other offerings Becky has done in the past?
Going Past the Shallows is not a retreat, but rather a live virtual class where Becky is teaching from her expertise. It includes prayer and wisdom drawn from her twenty-five years of ministry rooted in Ignatian spirituality. The goal is for you to leave with greater knowledge and the tools to journey on the Ignatian path of prayer & discernment for yourself so that you can also accompany others on this path to God.
The Second Set of the Ignatian Rules of Discernment is the fourth series of Becky's Going Past the Shallows. The first series, held in 2023, was a six month deep-dive into the Fundamentals of Ignatian Prayer. The second series followed in early 2024 on the Fundamentals of Ignatian Discernment. The third series took place in late 2024 on the First Set of the Ignatian Rules of Discernment. That content is not a pre-requisite for this series, but it is expected that it will be offered again in the future.
Do I have to attend all the sessions?
Going Past the Shallows is a four-class series. When you register, you are able to attend all four sessions and get access to every recording. Attendance is not necessary, but highly recommended to learn from the wisdom in the community gathered. The recording will be available if you are not able to attend live. Access to the recordings and materials will be available through June 28, 2025.
What if the cost is too much?
One of our goals is to make the wisdom of Ignatian Spirituality available to all who want to learn and incorporate it into their daily or ministry lives. We don’t want the financial aspect to prevent you from attending one of Becky’s classes or our Ignatian Ministries’ retreats. Due to the generosity of our donors, we can offer some financial assistance to those who wish to attend our offerings but are not able to afford the full cost. If you need assistance with the registration fee, please email us at [email protected]. We will contact you to discuss a scholarship. We will give you a scholarship code, that will allow you to pay what you can.
Can I receive certification credit from my diocese or archdiocese for participating in this course?
If you would like certification credit, we are happy to send proof of your completion for you to submit as needed. Please reach out to [email protected] for questions or support with this.
How can I access the classes and materials? Is there an app?
The classes will be delivered via Zoom and accessible via the Zoom app. The course platform, which holds all of the details and materials, is Teachable. If possible, please opt into emails from Teachable so that we can send updates and notify you that new content is available. You can access the course through logging into Teachable.com on a computer or laptop. There is also a free Teachable iOS app for Apple devices. Note that through the app, you will not have access to the community wall and will have limited access to the handouts. If you have trouble downloading the handouts, please reach out to us at [email protected].