Seeking deeper meaning and purpose in life is a universal human experience. Many people find that working with a spiritual director can help facilitate this inner journey of spiritual growth and transformation.
But what exactly is spiritual direction? And how does it work?
Defining Spiritual Direction
Spiritual direction is a process of companionship, discernment, and reflection with a trained spiritual guide. It creates space for an individual to explore their personal relationship with the sacred, however they define it. The focus is on supporting each person’s spiritual development through non-judgemental listening, insightful questioning, and spiritual guidance.
A spiritual director serves as a compassionate presence who helps others freely voice their inner experiences, stories, struggles and breakthroughs. They walk alongside individuals as they deepen their understanding of the divine and clarify their own truth. The relationship is confidential and the director adapts to each person’s needs and faith orientation.
Common Elements of Spiritual Direction
- Regular meetings with a spiritual guide (weekly to monthly)
- Prayerful reflection and contemplation
- Exploring Scripture, inspirational texts, or other spiritual wisdom
- Journaling, artistic expression, dreamwork
- Discerning God’s presence and call in one’s life
The director bears witness with care and helps another recognize God amid life’s joys and pains. They listen openly without judgement, assess spiritual needs, and pose thoughtful questions to aid growth and revelation through divine grace.
History and Origins of Spiritual Direction
Spiritual direction has ancient roots across religious traditions as seekers found wisdom by sitting at the feet of saints, shamans, gurus, revered elders, and desert mothers and fathers. In the Judeo-Christian lineage, Moses received divine direction as leader of the Hebrews and spiritual stalwarts like Teresa of Avila and St. Ignatius of Loyola offered spiritual guidance to the faithful in the 16th century.
Christian Roots
The Desert Fathers and Mothers were some of the earliest known Christian spiritual directors. These ascetic monks and nuns of the 3rd to 5th century AD lived in the wilderness of Egypt, Palestine, and Syria. They exemplified extreme devotion to God through solitary prayer, manual labor, fasting, and simplicity of life. Disciples traveled to learn from and live near these early Christian mystics to absorb their spiritual wisdom and direction.
Monastics & Mystics Through the Ages
As Christian monastic communities like convents and monasteries formed, their abbots, abbesses and other elder members continued offering spiritual counsel. Over the centuries, Dominican and Franciscan friars, Catholic priests and women religious have carried this contemplative charism. Prominent spiritual guides include Julian of Norwich, Brother Lawrence, Thomas Merton, Thomas Keating, Richard Rohr, Henri Nouwen, and Mary Margaret Funk.
Spiritual Direction Today
Today spiritual direction continues in the Catholic Church but has expanded beyond institutional borders. Many Protestant denominations and non-denominational guides in the contemplative tradition now companion seekers of all faith backgrounds on their sacred journeys. Training programs certify qualified spiritual directors to meet emerging interest.
Purpose and Goals of Spiritual Direction
Why engage spiritual direction? For starters, it is not counseling or therapy. The aim is not to diagnose or treat mental health issues. Rather it focuses on nurturing spiritual growth and discerning next faithful steps.
Typical goals include:
- Deepening relationship with the Divine / God / Higher Power
- Practicing spiritual discernment around life decisions
- Understanding one’s true self, gifts, and calling
- Healing past hurts that hinder spirituality
- Integrating spirituality into daily living
- Cultivating spiritual practices like prayer, meditation, inner stillness
- Wrestling with questions of meaning, purpose, and belonging
Other common reasons to enter spiritual direction:
- Life transitions – new job, relationships, aging parents, empty nest
- Painful experiences – health crisis, caring for ailing loved one, trauma or abuse history
- Faith challenges – doubt, wounds from church life, Vatican II impacts
- Personal spiritual crisis – burnout, ministry questions, struggling with one’s image of God
Spiritual friendship offers a healing balm. Having a non-anxious confidante who tends the soul with insight and care brings clarity during periods of complexity and change. Their steady comfort fosters hope, meaning, resilience and liberation.
Outcomes of Spiritual Direction
- Greater sense of closeness with the Divine
- Revelation, inspiration, inner truth
- Compassion, grace, and self-acceptance
- Wisdom for life decisions and relationships
- Depth, meaning and vitality
Spiritual Direction Process and Methodology
Spiritual direction typically involves:
- Initial Session – Build rapport, review process, clarify expectations, gather background on faith experiences
- Subsequent Meetings – Check-in on general wellbeing, reflect on spiritual highs/lows, discuss pertinent topics, employ selected spiritual practices, sit in silence/prayer, offer guidance
- Final Session – Assess progress made, suggest next steps for continued growth
It is common to develop a spiritual direction covenant outlining the relationship parameters including frequency, meeting length, location preferences, cancelation policy, and fee if applicable. Confidentiality is paramount.
Spiritual Direction Methods
Spiritual directors are trained in practices that promote inner awareness, sacred listening, discernment, and access to divine guidance. They draw from biblical annotations, the Ignatian Examen prayer, lectio divina Scripture reflection, centering prayer, dream interpretation, chanting, spiritual journaling, walking meditation, Celtic spirituality, the Enneagram personality typing, mystical poetry, and other contemplative traditions to companion seekers.
Opening New Horizons
Effective spiritual direction expands perspectives. The spiritual director listens closely for the subtle movement of Spirit then poses clarifying questions to stretch thinking and awaken truth from within. They help directees reflect, gain self-awareness and stand under life’s challenges in God’s grace.
Why engage a spiritual director? Those who devote time to intentionally tending their soul relationship reap profound rewards.
Possible benefits include:
- Deepening connection to the sacred
- Discerning personal truth, meaning and purpose
- Crystallizing core values
- Experiencing greater inspiration, intuition, inner peace, faith, joy and self-knowledge
- Healing emotional wounds and compulsions
- Truly knowing oneself as beloved child of God
- Discovering renewed direction and energy to serve family, church, world from overflow
In essence, spiritual companionship helps strip away excess to reveal one’s true spiritual identity. It serves as a mirror of self-awareness reflecting God’s light and seeing others through a lens of divine compassion. With practice, resting in this space of sacred union extending love outward simply becomes a way of life.
Dreams, spirit, growth – I explore them all. Laugh, learn, grow with me. Unlock your inner guru.
