What is Spiritual Direction?
A spiritual director helps people notice God’s movement in their lives, however they define God. While we are called ‘directors,’ we do not direct. We listen. We accompany. We trust that the Spirit directs. We provide trust, freedom, and safety to allow you to become more attentive to your experiences of God, and your responses to those experiences. We can help you connect more fully to God, your True Self, other people, and everything you encounter.
A fruitful spiritual direction relationship does not require particular knowledge or beliefs. It begins where you are, including doubts and questions and your unique experience of God. Many people today are searching for meaning and wholeness. Spiritual direction welcomes people committed to a faith tradition and also those who feel disillusioned with the religious faith of their past. The main prerequisite is a desire for a deeper connection with oneself, with God (however one understands God), and with others and the world. I am a contemplative Christian, situated firmly between the Catholic and Protestant traditions. I welcome clients from any (or no) spiritual tradition, from across the spectrum of faith traditions, and those who have given up on or never believed in religion (or faith, and there is a distinct difference).
Another way of saying this is that we guide people toward spiritual literacy:
A fruitful spiritual direction relationship does not require particular knowledge or beliefs. It begins where you are, including doubts and questions and your unique experience of God. Many people today are searching for meaning and wholeness. Spiritual direction welcomes people committed to a faith tradition and also those who feel disillusioned with the religious faith of their past. The main prerequisite is a desire for a deeper connection with oneself, with God (however one understands God), and with others and the world. I am a contemplative Christian, situated firmly between the Catholic and Protestant traditions. I welcome clients from any (or no) spiritual tradition, from across the spectrum of faith traditions, and those who have given up on or never believed in religion (or faith, and there is a distinct difference).
Another way of saying this is that we guide people toward spiritual literacy:
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“Spiritual literacy is the ability to read the signs written in the texts of our own experience. [It] enables us to discern and decipher a world full of meaning. [It] is practiced in all the world’s wisdom traditions. Medieval Catholic monks called it ‘reading the book of the world.’ Muslims suggest that everything that happens outside and inside us is a letter to be read. Native Americans find their way through the wilderness by ‘reading sign.’ From ancient times to today, spiritually literate people have been able to locate within their daily life points of connection with the sacred.”
- Mary Ann and Frederic Brussat, Spiritual Literacy: Reading the Sacred in Everyday Life |
Or, if even the word spiritual is activating to you, let’s say that I help clients see and find meaning, however you define that.
Who might want spiritual direction?
• People who want to be more attentive to the holy, however that’s defined for them.
• People who want to learn new ways to pray, or be more of their True Self.
• People who want to discern God’s unfolding plan for their lives.
• People whose work involves nurturing others and who want support and accountability as they attend to their own spiritual well-being, their own self-care.
• People who want to learn new ways to pray, or be more of their True Self.
• People who want to discern God’s unfolding plan for their lives.
• People whose work involves nurturing others and who want support and accountability as they attend to their own spiritual well-being, their own self-care.
I'm not religious, how could spiritual direction be right for me?
My clients range from those with traditional faith backgrounds to atheists and everything in between – including many mental-health professionals and other healers. Many have some kind of spiritual homelessness, or other trauma, that has left them in a liminal space, without an easy relationship with a particular denomination, deity, or even faith, but they feel a strong draw to contemplative practices. Some are priests, pastors, spiritual directors, or have taken religious vows. Some are LGBTQIA2+ and/or BIPOC; seeking to understand how those integral pieces of their identity fit with a faith that, well, seems to fit less well. Some are coming out of evangelical backgrounds, or fundamentalist cults. Across this broad spectrum of exquisite souls, many of whom have endured great suffering, I listen — bear witness — remain — while they learn how, and by whose measure, and in what capacity, to remain; in the words of Shelly Rambo, in her seminal Spirit and Trauma: "The challenge is to account for what remains—to provide a discourse of remaining that can speak to life in the aftermath and to the shattering of familiar frameworks by which persons and communities have oriented themselves in the world.” Whether your faith is intact, in shreds, never existed, or is in some form of recalibration of remaining, I listen. I compassionately accompany; in joy, sorrow, and all in between. Both.and.
What do we do in a session?
It depends on your needs and desires. Maybe you’re facing an important decision, a life crisis, or feel bored with the sameness of things. Maybe you want to know how God fits in with your job, or long for something you can't quite name. Whatever you bring, we will explore together how God is present there and how you are being invited to respond.
Any number of things might fill our time together. We might discuss what you’re reading and its impact on you. We might try different ways to pray. We might explore who or what God is for you now, and what your spiritual life is inviting you to pursue. You might want to unpack feelings about your church, your family, or a world problem. I begin where you are and facilitate your response to your own deepest hopes for yourself and the world.
Any number of things might fill our time together. We might discuss what you’re reading and its impact on you. We might try different ways to pray. We might explore who or what God is for you now, and what your spiritual life is inviting you to pursue. You might want to unpack feelings about your church, your family, or a world problem. I begin where you are and facilitate your response to your own deepest hopes for yourself and the world.
What do I need to know before we start?
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Spiritual direction is not the same as psychological counseling. I would be glad to say more about the differences and help you decide what is best for you. If you have genuine psychological needs, you will need to see a therapist. OR, if your needs stem from Primary Trauma, Secondary Trauma, Burnout &/or Compassion Fatigue (the convergence of Primary Trauma, Burnout, and Secondary Trauma), you can choose to begin work with me around those. I’m also a certified Clinical Traumatologist, certified Compassion Fatigue Specialist, and certified Compassion Fatigue Resiliency Educator. Ask me for additional agreement document(s) on those, if interested.
How do we begin?If you'd like to learn more about how I can accompany you on your spiritual journey, see the FAQ page or just hit the contact link above and let's connect. Or if you would like to gift someone a Spiritual Direction session with me, click here to purchase a gift certificate in their name.
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