Spiritual Direction

What is Spiritual Direction?

Spiritual Direction is the practice of spiritual companionship by which one person (a trained director) comes alongside the other person (sometimes referred to as the directee) in their spiritual journey to help them grow in greater awareness of the presence of God in their life. Spiritual Directors create a loving, trusting & sacred space where one can come and ‘just be’ without pretense or judgement.

William A. Barry and William J. Connolly defines it as:

“… help given by one Christian to another which enables that person to pay attention to God’s personal communication to him or her, to respond to this personally communicating God, to grow in intimacy with this God, and to live out the consequences of the relationship.”

What can Spiritual Direction help me with?

  • Fostering a deeper relationship with God
  • Becoming more aware of what God wants to teach you
  • Finding peace, healing, wisdom and meaning for your life
  • Exploring spiritual practices and ways to pray that can expand your experience
  • Learning how to respond to God’s transformative power
  • Discerning God’s will and making difficult choices

What Does Spiritual Direction Look Like?

What that looks like practically is a series of conversations, lasting about 40 min-1 hour each. The person seeking direction shares stories of his or her experiences with God, in prayer times, or how he or she is experiencing spiritual issues. The director listens and asks questions to assist the directee in his or her process of reflection and spiritual growth. Spiritual direction develops a deeper relationship with the spiritual aspect of being human. It is not counseling, discipleship, mentoring or coaching.

Every session is different – sometimes it may include thought provoking questions and verbal processing; other times it may include a contemplative exercise such as silence, lectio divina or centering prayer. Often it is a combination of both as Holy Spirit directs. After initially contacting us, we will contact you to set up a free 15 minute phone consultation. If it is determined that Spiritual Direction is right for you in this season, we will meet (either in person or via video chat) once a month.

How do I know if Spiritual Direction is for me?

  • Are you seeking ways to grow spiritually and to have a deeper relationship with God?
  • Have you been searching for a deeper connection with God and with others?
  • Are you trying to discern what steps you should take to move forward?
  • Do you long for a safe and prayerful place where you can explore your questions, concerns, feelings and experiences and find God’s perspective?

“The whole purpose of spiritual direction is to penetrate beneath the surface of a person’s life, to get behind the facade of conventional gestures and attitudes which one presents to the world, and to bring out one’s inner spiritual freedom, one’s inmost truth, which is what [Christians] call the likeness of Christ in one’s soul.  This is an entirely supernatural (spiritual) thing, for the work of rescuing the inner person from automatism belongs first of all to the Holy Spirit.” ~ Thomas Merton

Next Steps

If you are interested in learning more about Spiritual Direction, please contact us with any questions or to set up a consultation.