What Exactly is Spiritual Direction?

Spiritual direction is an exploration of your spiritual path with a person trained in listening, deep reflection and discernment.

Those are all carefully chosen, important words so let’s break it down.

We explore with you. We don’t tell you what you need to know, do or have in order to be spiritual. It is essential that you feel the freedom that comes with exploration in spiritual direction.

It is your path we are exploring. No one else’s. The time you spend with a spiritual director is supposed to be about you taking the next step along your spiritual path. Not taking a step your director thinks you ought to take. We’ll talk a lot more about this as we progress.

The path is spiritual. We are not therapists poking around your psyche. All of life is spiritual—God is found in all our experiences. With that understanding we will explore with you many aspects of your life. But we keep the emphasis on spirituality.

We are trained in listening. Yes, training is necessary in order to listen well. In our culture today, listening is a lost art.

We are trained in deep reflection. Spiritual directors learn how to interact with you so that as you talk about your life, we can help you spiral deeper into areas where you find the most meaning.

We are trained in discernment. Within the Christian tradition lies a lot of wisdom about making faithful choices. A good director is trained in the principles of discernment.

In our next session, a very brief look at the historical origins of spiritual direction as a contemplative practice.