The Self Within
A six-week contemplative exploration of the influences that shaped us and the deeper Self that remains.
Wednesdays, July 29–September 2, 2026
5:30–7:00 PM Central / online via Zoom
The Self Within is a six-week online contemplative group for anyone longing to live from a deeper, truer place within themselves.
The Self Within is a six-week online contemplative group for anyone longing to live from a deeper, truer place within themselves. Together, we will explore the roles, expectations, inherited stories, and spiritual narratives that shape how we see ourselves — and gently listen for the deeper Self beneath them.
Each session will include a short reflection, a guided contemplative or creative practice, spacious conversation, and optional prompts for personal reflection between gatherings. This is not therapy or a class with right answers, but a supportive spiritual direction group for noticing what is stirring within you and discerning what may be ready to emerge. People of all spiritual paths, religious backgrounds, questions, doubts, or no religious affiliation at all are warmly welcome here, as are people of all races, cultures, genders, sexual orientations, neurotypes, abilities, bodies, ages, and life experiences. WELCOME!
Week 1: Arriving & Listening — creating a spacious container and beginning to notice what is stirring within.
Week 2: The Roles We Carry — exploring the identities, expectations, and responsibilities that shape us.
Week 3: Inherited Stories — gently examining family, cultural, and spiritual narratives we have absorbed.
Week 4: Meeting the Deeper Self — listening beneath performance, people-pleasing, and achievement.
Week 5: Worth Beyond Usefulness — reconnecting with belovedness, creativity, and inner aliveness.
Week 6: Living From Within — discerning what wants to be carried forward into daily life.
Practical Details
Dates: Wednesdays, July 29–September 2, 2026
Time: 5:30–7:00 PM Central
Location: Online via Zoom
Cost: $147.00
Format: Online small group via Zoom
Length: Six weekly sessions
Session Duration: 90 minutes weekly
Group Size: Limited to 10 participants
A small group size allows for meaningful conversation and a supportive atmosphere.
About Barbara
Barbara Graves is a spiritual director based in San Marcos, Texas. Her work focuses on creating contemplative space where people can explore their inner lives with curiosity, compassion, and honesty.
She has a particular interest in the ways personal identity is shaped by family systems, cultural narratives, spirituality, and the deeper currents of the psyche. In her work as a spiritual director, Barbara sees her role not as an expert or instructor, but as a witness and companion who helps create the conditions for meaningful inner discovery.
Barbara works with individuals and groups seeking a thoughtful, spacious approach to spiritual exploration.
If something in you feels drawn to this exploration, you are warmly invited to join.
Many of the most meaningful discoveries about our lives do not happen through effort or analysis, but through moments of quiet attention—when we slow down enough to listen to what has been present within us all along.
The Self Within offers a small, thoughtful space to do exactly that: to reflect, to listen, and to encounter the deeper Self that continues to unfold beneath the surface of everyday life.
Group size is limited to ten people.