About

About This Site
www.earthlygoodness.one is a monthly blog and private practice site launched in July 2025 by Mary Shelden, spiritual writer and guide. Subscribe if you'd like to be alerted when a new blog post is published.

About Mary's Practice
Spiritual Direction is the ancient practice of time set apart with a compassionate and skilled companion to explore our spiritual lives. Mary holds space for clients through deep listening, curious questions, compassionate reflection, and the gentle suggestion of particular spiritual ideas and practices supportive of the client's own evolving spiritual journey. Mary is called to work with men, women, trans and non-binary folks, and LGBTQIA+ people of every stripe and intersection of identity. She has deep experience working with youth, young adults, and elders. She's had significant practice working with fellow educators and religious professionals. Mary's own spirituality is grounded in the sacred inter-connectedness of all being, and in embodied spiritual practices such as deep breathing, seated and walking meditation, and reflective writing. She is available for either one-on-one companioning or group facilitation.

Mary is:
- a credentialed spiritual director, trained at Meadville Lombard Theological School's leadership institute (commissioned May 2025);
- a certified interfaith facilitator (Interfaith America, December 2024)
- an experienced religious educator, credentialed (May 2020) through the Unitarian Universalist Association and the Liberal Religious Educators Association) with eight years' experience as a religious professional, currently leading professional development courses in history and philosophy for colleagues in religious education;
- a longtime educator with a doctorate in English (2003, Northern Illinois University), formerly an associate professor at Virginia Commonwealth University, currently teaching writing at Aurora University;
- a lifelong, second-generation Unitarian Universalist;
- a skilled facilitator and consultant with particular training in pastoral care, grief following trauma, and conflict transformation.

To schedule a free initial consultation with Mary, see the Contact page here: https://www.earthlygoodness.one/contact/