Joanie Spain
Red Raven
holding space for the inner life
Spiritual Direction | Grief Companioning
Sacred Listening
Offering attentive presence for those navigating faith, loss, transition,
and the deeper questions of life...
Spiritual direction / companioning is not therapy, religious instruction, or pastoral care. It is a supportive, reflective conversation for people who want space to tend their inner lives.
At Red Raven, spiritual companionship centers on listening—listening to your story, your questions, your grief, and the quieter movements beneath the surface of everyday life. My role is not to direct, advise, or interpret your experience, but to offer attentive presence and gentle reflection as you notice what feels meaningful, tender, or alive within you.
People come to spiritual direction for many reasons: navigating loss or change, living with unanswered questions, exploring faith or doubt, or simply sensing a desire to slow down and listen more deeply. You do not need to have a particular belief, spiritual background, or clear goal to begin—only a willingness to show up as you are.
“The human soul doesn’t want to be advised, fixed, or saved. It simply wants to be witnessed — seen, heard,
and companioned exactly as it is.” -Parker J. Palmer
Joanie
Joanie’s spiritual life has been shaped by an eclectic and deeply rooted background. With paternal grandparents in the Catholic tradition and maternal grandparents who practiced Spiritualism and Theosophy, she was exposed early to a wide spectrum of spiritual expression. She grew up attending a Methodist church on Sunday mornings and a Spiritualist church on Sunday evenings, forming a foundation that honored both structure and mystery.
In 1986, her only child was born with a complex congenital heart condition and underwent open-heart surgery at just eight days old. During this tender and uncertain time, Joanie experienced a series of profound mystical moments that deepened and renewed her spiritual walk. A lifelong seeker, she eventually found her home within the New Thought tradition. She currently serves as a Prayer Chaplain at Unity of Bloomington (Indiana).
Joanie has spent more than two decades walking with others in her professional life as a career advisor in the arts. Since 2016, she has been part of the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, where she now works exclusively with alumni. She is also an exhibiting artist at the Bloomington Creative Glass Center and volunteers with Sojourn House, supporting women in recovery from human trafficking and exploitation.
She holds a Certificate in Spiritual Direction from Unity Worldwide Ministries, is a Certified Grief Companion (with additional training in group facilitation) through The Metta Center / Dr. Jan Lundy, and is a member of Spiritual Directors International. Her approach is grounded, compassionate, and shaped by both formal training and lived experience.
Joanie and her husband John share five tranquil acres with their goofy basset–beagle mix, Toby, and a rotating cast of deer and wild turkeys.
Photo credit: Sarah J. Slover
some favorites
for spiritual exploration
for grief work
for being human
Center for Courage and Renewal
Insights at the Edge (podcast)
Stoic Coffee Break (podcast)
Can I Walk With You? (podcast)
Authors to explore:
Exploring Creativity
Creativity
&
Healing
Creativity is one of the ways the soul continues to speak, even in seasons of loss or transition. Creative practices can offer a gentle pathway into healing —especially when words are not enough. Creative expression can help give shape to grief, insight to experience, and space for growth to emerge. You don't need to be an "artist" to engage in this process - there are endless ways for the soul to express.
My creative practice includes glass art. Glass fusing serves as a powerful metaphor for grief - taking "broken" beautiful pieces of glass (my life) and allowing the heat of the kiln (grief) to forge them into something new...and also beautiful.
Together, we may gently explore creative practices as a form of prayerful attention: a way of honoring your story, tending what aches, and making room for transformation to unfold at its own pace.
"I got half-a-dozen paintings from that shattered plate." Georgia O'Keeffe
What I feared has come upon me; what I dreaded has happened to me. Job 3:25 (NIV)
Red Raven Origin Story
Four years before my son, and only child Wil, died from complications of a complex congential heart condition, we had a series of unusual encounters with a raven while visiting Acoma Pueblo - "Sky City" - in New Mexico.
After his passing, I returned to that experience and the photograph we took, which led me to explore the significance of the raven in Native American spirituality.
Wil's death profoundly changed and deepened my spiritual walk. His favorite color? Red. I use the name "Red Raven" to honor him - the journey we shared in this life, and the one I believe continues beyond it.
Peace, Joanie