Contemplation is the stillness we need to be aware of God’s presence. Jesuit theologian Walter Burghart calls it “the long, loving look at the Real.” It is long because our relationship with God (like our relationships with people) takes time. We must devote ample time to this Person we love. It is loving because we need to shed our judgments and fears and open ourselves to love just as we are. It is a look because we must face it.... Read more
One prayer exercise to get in touch with our inner senses is called The Examen. The motto in Ignatian spirituality is to “find God in all things.” We do that by examining our life. As our lives unfold with each choice, our reactions to unexpected challenges, and our search for stability in the midst of change, we get glimpses of God’s loving guidance, companionship, and support. It’s as if Jesus says, “We have eyes to see.” We develop these special... Read more
Spiritual directors constantly weigh the pros and cons of marketing our service on the internet. As you can probably tell, I’m very pro marketing and encourage colleagues to use it in any way that suits them and honors the sacredness of the practice. Social media is one area that requires constant discernment for me. I waver between “use it, lose it, or abuse it.” Use it Yes, I’m on twitter (@teresa_blythe) mostly, and Facebook (facebook.com/phxcsd) now and then. And I... Read more
We live in a media-saturated culture. Each day thousands of promotional messages clamor for our attention. Television has become our national storyteller, with the TV screen becoming a focal point in most of our family rooms. But we can find prayer in our media culture — even “Star Wars.” What has prayer got to do with our media culture? Everything. Even if you were to “kill your television” and attempt to ban all brand-name advertising from entering your home, your... Read more
It is easy in our busy lives to begin to think that we “have” bodies rather than that we “are” bodies. All of our experience of God is filtered through some aspect of our bodies — usually involving our mind at some point. It makes perfect sense, then, to acknowledge and intentionally include our bodies in prayer. That includes breath. In Jewish and Christian thought, breath is closely related to Spirit. The Hebrew word ruach means breath, spirit and wind,... Read more
When meeting with a spiritual director, they may ask you what it is you desire most in life. That’s because our deepest, truest desires are one way God reaches out to us to say, “walk in this way.” Because of this, I recommend the Desire Prayer as a spiritual practice. The Desire Prayer The “Desire Prayer” is one of my favorite practices because it allows us to get our desires before God openly, unabashedly, and with feeling. In this prayer... Read more
Spiritual direction training programs are unlike any other school you might attend. They are a hybrid of a retreat, a spiritual formation class and intensive training. The Hesychia School of Spiritual Direction, which I run, just ended its 2019 program, and I’ve been reflecting on the effect these schools have on the aspiring spiritual director and some basic precepts you need to know going in. Spiritual Direction Training is Hard Training to be a spiritual director is not academically hard,... Read more
So often I’m asked, “Can you make a living off spiritual direction?” The answer is not simple because, of course, it all depends on the person, the market and the philosophy. Spiritual Directors International has now had two webinars on the subject (I contributed to the first one) and when you watch these, and I hope you do, you will get the long answer to your question. I will attempt to give you the short answer here. Can it be... Read more
Increasingly, people “done with Christianity” are showing up in spiritual direction. White evangelical Christian support for Donald Trump through a troubled presidency is causing some young adults to “break up with their church” and others to avoid church altogether.i I saw the statistics and heard lots of commentary on this, but it was a gut-punch to read what pastor and writer Jayson D. Bradley (@jaysondbradley) posted on Twitter recently.ii This post drove home to me how serious it is when... Read more
Within the Christian context, most of us know the passage in James that says “faith without works is dead.” And that is certainly true. But what I observe in many churches (especially progressive liberal ones) is that “works without faith are deadening.” Both are true — they are two sides of the same coin. We are over the age-old conflict that pits contemplation and action against one another (activists complaining that contemplatives need to get off their meditation cushions and... Read more
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