An ancient practice defined in many ways.
I prefer to think of spiritual direction as a journey shared between two people with a special focus.
The director, through active listening, supports a person’s gentle unfolding and unpacking of his or her life’s experiences. Through this deep listening, the person opens to drawing meaning from these events and to being transformed by them.
The journey is usually shared by meeting monthly or quarterly over a long term. Experience suggests that one-hour sessions are best.
Reasons for Entering Spiritual Direction
What desire is awakening your heart these days?
Often our introductory motivation leads us into deeper explorations.
To foster deeper awareness in one’s life
To probe experiences of suffering, loss, and transition
To grow in one’s capacity to give and receive life and love
To discern important choices
To respond to the surprises that awaken the heart
To open oneself to the mystery of one’s own life
To enrich one’s practice of prayer
To support a life of ministry in the Church
To accompany the work of healing from traumatic injury
To discover forms of engagement for service to one’s community
To experience the fruits of joy, kindness, and peace in one’s life
To accompany one’s commitment to a spiritual practice
Finding a Good Fit
The first few sessions of any spiritual direction relationship are a provisional time for both people to discern the rightness of the fit for each other. When the fit is good, a periodic check-in review (perhaps annually) becomes the norm for the ongoing monitoring of the health of the relationship. If the fit is deemed not to be good, then it’s best to acknowledge this at the start. Both can then support the search for a different director.
Financial Considerations
I consider it reasonable for spiritual directors to be paid for their services. A donation on a sliding scale between $40 and $70 for a one-hour session is how I structure my financial compensation for this ministry.
Inability to pay is not an obstacle. Please discuss this with me if your financial circumstances dictate that you might not be able to meet these guidelines.
“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.”
Is your heart being led to Spiritual Direction?
Schedule a complimentary get-to-know-you session to help us determine if we’d be a good fit.
Disclaimer: Spiritual Direction is not mental health counseling and I am not a trained or licensed therapist. In our work together, we will focus on the spiritual aspects of your life experiences. If it becomes apparent that mental health therapy is something you might benefit from, I will offer support so you can find the additional care that you might need in order to heal.