
Susannah Crolius, M. Div. (she/hers) is a spiritual companion, creative practitioner, retreat leader and certified Spiritual Literacy facilitator.
For over 25 years, Susannah was an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ, serving as pastor and as chaplain before choosing to step away from denominational identity and institutional ministry to explore more generative forms of spiritual formation, community and practice. She is the founder of the art + soul community of seekers and creatives, a largely virtual gathering place of hospitality for the deeper stories.
Through her own pilgrimage, Susannah is well aware of how fluid and surprising the Spirit can be. She began her spiritual exploration as a Unitarian Universalist and graduated seminary from Starr King School for the Ministy (Berkeley, CA). A series of mystical experiences invited her to begin walking the way of Christianity, which she continues to do. The Celtic imagination is particularly resonant to her soul.
Susannah is deeply curious about how people imagine, language and engage their spiritual identities. Since 2013, Susannah has been exploring and reimagining the many expressions and languages of the soul, whether through the words, images, the senses, or simply through the longing to better articulate one's deepest soul stories. Often, these are hidden stories of grief, longing and belonging.
As an artist, Susannah is passionate about the profound relationship between creative process and spiritual deepening. Her own practice is that of creating of altars, shrines and contemporary icons from found objects. She also creates interactive public art installations which offer spaces for reflection and ritual. Susannah is currently shaping a mentorship program for those who want to more intimately explore how spirituality and creative process nurture each other.
Susannah leads an eclectic variety of retreats and workshops.
She is a guest teacher at the Chaplaincy Institute of Maine. She has enjoyed collaborations with the Springfield College Art Therapy Department, Smith College, the national Reimagine Campaign (conversations on grief and on issues of end-of-life), many faith communities, social service and community organizations. In 2023, Susannah was invited as a guest artist to the Wild Goose Festival in Union Grove, NC where she offered her installation of unbinding called The Relic-Query.
Susannah lives in Western Massachusetts in a house from 1812 with her rescue dog Lucy. She is a member of Spiritual Directors International, the International Expressive Arts Therapy Association and is certified as a Spiritual Literacy facilitator through the organization Spirituality & Practice.