InterSpiritual Mentor Training

Certification to Help Others Create their Own
7-Step ISM Practice and Spiritual Path

About the Program

The InterSpiritual Mentor Training program is designed for those who wish to guide students in both InterSpiritual Meditation and the InterSpiritual Mandala process. Trainees will join a mutually supportive cohort and be mentored by Dr. Ed Bastian and previously Certified Mentors. Mentors will be trained to use our process, materials and methodologies to help others to create their own spiritual paths and contemplative practices.

The length of this training process is six months following the completion of the ISM and Mandala courses Mentors-in-training can begin after completing the InterSpiritual Meditation (ISM) course, the InterSpiritual Mandala Course and the Facilitator Training Program. The training qualification and certification process includes the following elements.

Requirements

The InterSpiritual Meditation (ISM) 8-Week Course.
The InterSpiritual Mandala 8-Week Course.
Capstone Papers for ISM Meditation Course.
Approved application to Mentor Training.
12 ZOOM sessions over 6 months.
Monthly dyad sessions with an InterSpiritual Mentor or Ed Bastian.
Practicum – Supervised mentoring of new students.
Practicum – Supervised Mentoring of Other Students.
Capstone paper or project.
Certification and Licensing to Use Website
Ongoing Site Membership.
Periodic ongoing sessions with other Certified Mentors.

Acceptance Code is required
for enrollment

$150

1. The InterSpiritual Meditation (ISM) Course

This eight-module online course includes weekly 90-minute live ZOOM calls led by mentors and Ed Bastian. These include guided meditation, teaching, Q/A and breakout group discussions. Candidates
for mentor training certification are required to participate in each of the eight-week course sessions.

In this course, a prospective mentor will use our Styles Profile Instrument, custom search engine, journal
worksheets and community practice circles to (1) learn how each of the seven steps are defined in diverse
spiritual and secular traditions, and (2) refining their practice of each of the seven steps. In so doing, they
will create their own InterSpiritual Meditation Mandala that summarizes their learning and practice.

This course begins by completing the Spiritual Styles Instrument. This instrument helps each student to
harness their archetypal styles in order refine their personal approach to each of the seven steps based on
the wisdom of their chosen spiritual and secular sources and their own life experience. They will learn to
practice the seven-step InterSpiritual Meditation to cultivate health, happiness, gratitude, transformation,
love, mindfulness, wisdom and service to others.

Capstone Paper: Those who wish to qualify for the mentor training program will need to attend the
weekly online course sessions, and complete a capstone paper or project. This paper or project
will summarize the wisdom gained f rom at least three spiritual/secular sources for each step, summarize
at least three spiritual styles they have harnessed and balanced, and summarize the contemplative
practice they have developed for each of the seven steps.

3. The InterSpiritual Mandala Course

This eight-module online course includes a 90 minute live ZOOM call, led by mentors and Ed Bastian,
that will include guided meditation, teaching, Q/A and breakout group discussions. Candidates
for mentor training certification are required to participate in the eight-week course.

In this course, our Styles Profile Instrument, custom search engine, journal worksheets and community
practice circles help each participant to define their own spiritual path and meditation practice by
drawing on the wisdom of the world’s great spiritual and secular traditions. They create their personal
InterSpiritual Mandala that contains the wisdom and practices defining their personal spiritual path.

This course engages prospective mentors in an exploration each of the 12 families of spiritual styles,
questions and traditions outlined in the InterSpiritual Mandala. We begin with the Spiritual Styles and
Questions Profile instruments for self-assessing and harnessing individual learning/practice archetypes to
find answers and practices that define our spiritual paths. Participants explore and share their personal
styles and questions and develop a long-term process for spiritual and meditative fulfillment. They also
engage in the seven steps of InterSpiritual Meditation to cultivate health, happiness, gratitude,
transformation, love, mindfulness, wisdom and service to others.

Capstone Paper: Those who wish to qualify for the mentor training program will need to attend the
weekly online course sessions, and complete a 1,000 word minimum capstone paper or a project
combined with an explanatory paper. This paper/project will draw f rom their journal writing on a
minimum of three styles, three questions and three sources. The answers do not need to be final, but
they should describe the process and sources leading to a present state of knowing.

4. 12 Cohort ZOOM Sessions

During the training period, there will be 12 biweekly, 90-minute ZOOM sessions over a period of 6 months.
Each session will include mentor lead discussions with the trainees (on meditations, styles,
and questions), practical advice from Certified Mentors and Ed Bastian, and case studies presentations/
discussions based on the trainees’ experiences working with clients.

5. Pairing Certified Mentors with Trainees

Each trainee will work individually or as a dyad partner with one of our previously certified mentors.
These sessions can include (1) personal work and (2) trainees’ work with their own clients.

(1) Personal Work
Here, trainees will share journal writings on each of the 12 styles, questions and sources, and on each step
of InterSpiritual Meditation.

(2) Work with New Students
Here, trainees work with new students with supervision from an assigned mentor. New students will
become members of our website and use the journals as part of their process of learning and practice.

(3) Private mentoring sessions with a Certified InterSpiritual Mentor or Ed Bastian.
Each mentor trainee will received periodic guidance from a certified InterSpiritual mentor and Ed Bastian.

6. Practicum – Trainees will Mentor Other Students

During this practicum period, each mentor-in-training will work with their own mentee(s). Periodically,
they will have supervision sessions with their InterSpiritual mentor and Ed Bastian.

7. A Capstone Paper

Each mentor trainee will write an extensive paper that includes the following: (1) Summaries of their
journal writings on the 12 styles, 12 questions, 12 sources and the 7-steps of ISM. (2) Case studies of their
experience mentoring others. (3) Descriptions of how they are integrating and applying ISM and the
Mandala Process in their own lives. (4) Examples of how these processes have become a useful adjunct to
their professional work in such fields as psychotherapy, health care, yoga instruction, spiritual direction,
ministry, chaplaincy, public service.

8. Mentor Retreats

Our hope is to hold an in-person retreat each year for mentors-in-training to get to know each other, to
share their styles, questions, sources and meditations, to share their experiences working with clients, and
to engage in meditations, rituals and creative expressions of our combined work. These retreats might
include graduation ceremonies for those who have completed the program.

9. Certification and Licensing to Use the Website and Workbooks

After successfully completing the mentor training process, a certificate will be awarded to each graduate.
They will receive a license to use the workbooks and websites for working with their own mentees. They
will be expected to continue communicating each other, following the ethical and discussion guidelines
when working with their students, and sharing experiences and best practices for InterSpiritual
Mentoring with their fellow Mentors.