“Sometimes, we think we don’t have the courage to take that next step in our lives,” said Melanie Weidner, Quaker artist and teacher. “Whatever you have, you can give it to God and the universe, and it will grow.”

From March 18-21, Weidner came to Guilford as a part of Guilford’s Initiative on Faith and Practice, which was one of the many events scheduled for Guilford’s 2010-2011 theme year, Green and Beyond.

Weidner first realized that her calling was helping people find their spiritual direction when she was studying at Earlham School of Religion. Originally planning to become a pastor, she realized that was not the path for her.

“When I first walked into that class, I had an ‘I’m not supposed to be here’ feeling. I dropped the class the next day,” said Weidner.

Weidner realized that becoming a spiritual advisor was her true path. Since 1998, her workshops have channeled this desire to help people find their spiritual direction through art and creativity.

“I love art and realized after a short time of doing this that they [art and creativity] work together and you can’t take them apart,” said Weidner. “Overall, creative and spiritual connection is an essential part of human beings.”

During Friday’s workshop, Weidner had a sheet of paper with a list of words such as trust, reflection, justice, compassion and generosity. She cut them up, and then each student selected a strip at random and made a collage in response to that word.

Friday’s workshop was an opportunity to explore the possibilities,” said Weidner. “Learning to practice spiritual qualities is a foundation for finding out who you are and what you’re passionate about, and pursuing that passion to discover a way to serve in the world that has meaning for you and your community.”

During Weidner’s five-day stay at Guilford, she hosted a number of workshops and lectures, including a lecture during the College Meeting for Worship, entitled “Blooming is Risky, but Seeds are Too Small.”

During this event, Weidner talked about how she picked a word for the year — seed — as a metaphor for her “blooming” experience while displaying a slideshow filled with her paintings of seeds and blooming flowers.

“Melanie is a gifted spiritual director who speaks to people … through her art and her skill in enabling others to map their interior spiritual landscape,” said Director of the Friends Center and Campus Ministry Coordinator Max Carter in an email interview. “She also represents a wonderful combination of ‘identities’ that helps us understand that we can’t pigeonhole folks.”

“My hope (for Weidner coming to Guilford) was that she would enliven the conversation around spiritual issues on campus — and she certainly has done that in many settings,” said Carter.