What is Spiritual Direction?
If you have found your way to this website, then chances are you are a seeker. You have questions. You have begun to recognize that life is a journey comprised of more mystery than certainty. Perhaps you have questions. Perhaps you wonder about God’s presence in your life. Perhaps you long for a deeper relationship with this Divine Being. If so, you may be ready to explore the ministry of spiritual direction.
Recognizing that our lives are formed in a myriad of ways, the heart of spiritual direction is a prayerful relationship in which one person supports, encourages, and assists another to notice, to become aware of, how God is present and moving through the nuances of their daily life.
The purpose of spiritual direction is to prayerfully discover how to
- pay attention (self awareness)
- to God’s personal communication (God-awareness)
- and to live in response to this relationship by growing in love of God, Others and Self
Spiritual direction encourages a life giving rhythm as a follower of Christ by assisting in the integration of spiritual practices, community life, and service to others.
Why Spiritual Direction?
If you are facing questions or concerns like these…..
- How do I grow in my relationship with God?
- Why does God seem so distant?
- How do I sense God’s presence?
- Where is God in my day to day life?
- I don’t feel like I know how to really pray
- Where is God when people suffer?
- Is God more judging or loving?
- How do I discern God’s love for me?
- What are my gifts and how can I serve others?
Or if you just desire personal spiritual growth and accountability, then spiritual direction may be for you.
Who Are Spiritual Directors?
Spiritual Directors are persons who have received training in:
- Spiritual formation
- Theological education
- Psychological development
- Spiritual direction skills
Spiritual directors meet with individuals typically once a month for an hour or so for the purpose of prayer, discernment, deep listening, and support. A typical session may include a mix of some of the following: silence, prayer, reflection on the scriptures, conversation, reading from sacred poetry, listening to music, labyrinth walking, and other forms of contemplative prayer practices. All the tools used in spiritual direction are for the purpose of guiding the directee inward ( deeper knowledge of self) upward (deeper communion with God) and outward (renewed for service to the world)
What Does it Cost?
Many spiritual directors work on an honorarium basis. This means that a directee offers some form of payment to the director that honors the director’s preparatory work and time. A general guideline many operate under is whatever an hour of your time is worth is what you should offer your director as compensation. Spiritual direction is indeed a calling, but directors have expenses related to their practice which include paying their own directors, fees for monthly supervision sessions, continuing education costs, and professional membership expenses. Thus, a payment to your director helps to offset these expenses. The goal of most spiritual directors is to make this service accessible for all who wish to avail themselves of a relationship with a director, so the cost is typically very fair and reasonable. No one is ever turned away for want of funds.