What is Spiritual Direction?
When we talk of spiritual direction we are talking of an ancient discipline where a “director”/guide companions you in the process of growing your soul. Maybe sometimes you don’t think much is happening, or you can’t detect a connection with something beyond yourself. As the director we listen to you and help you notice where and when in your life you are encountering Sacred Presence.It’s about walking with you and helping you notice and then respond to the movement of the Holy in you. As we listen to you we create a safe place where you can wake up to your life on the inside and to your life in connection with God’s Sacred Presence. The subject matter of spiritual direction is anything that has occurred in your life that has helped or hindered growth in your relationships with God, yourself, and others. In spiritual direction we help you take honest looks at your relationships as they are lived out in everyday life.
Spiritual direction allows for a client to both assess their present state of being, of mind, and relationship to God, and be provoked to think and question more deeply to the level of drawing upon their nature of the soul, rather than primarily the physical being. Spiritual direction takes into account persons come from a diversity of religious backgrounds and understanding of both God, life, and others, and seeks to enlighten the client to discover themselves more deeply in the process. Spiritual direction recognizes that difficulty in understanding God can result from a lifetime of fragmenting, whereby the soul goes from being broken into individualized pieces to feel safe, and (through a deeper understanding of God) returns to a state of wholeness.
Related Questions
- The distinction between Philosophical Counseling and Spiritual Direction is fairly obvious, but not so the distinction between Philosophical Counseling and Psychotherapy. Just how do they differ?
- Is Spiritual Direction available during private individual retreats? What role does it play?
- Is spiritual direction offered at Shantivanam?
