What is spiritual direction?
Spiritual direction is a way of companioning with people in their life with God. Spiritual directors offer the gift of listening to both the directee and listening to the movement of Spirit. The practice takes the shape of an honest reflection in the presence of a co-pilgrim. Together we notice those places that are moving toward integrated Life and those places that are stuck.
Spiritual direction is a way to pursue God with all our heart and a way to respond to God, who is pursuing us. In direction we gather many threads together. We bring diverse prayers, impressions, and experiences into direction conversations to invite the Spirit of God to reveal themes and patterns, movements and countermovements that affect our spirit and life.
-Bakke, Jeannette A.. Holy Invitations (p. 22). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
Soul hospitality is also a gift of safety. Think of feeling safe enough with another person that without weighing words or measuring suring thoughts you are able to pour yourself out, trusting that the other person will keep what is worth keeping and, with a breath of kindness, blow the rest away.'
-David G. Benner. Sacred Companions: The Gift of Spiritual Friendship & Direction (Kindle Locations 413-415). Kindle Edition.
Spiritual direction is focused on increasing awareness of God in the midst of life experience.
-David G. Benner. Sacred Companions: The Gift of Spiritual Friendship & Direction (Kindle Locations 905-906). Kindle Edition.
Questions such as the following can help us reflect:
What do I think God has been trying to say to me in the recent past?
How has God been present for me in recent weeks?
When did God seem to be absent?
What spiritual practices have been particularly meaningful to me in recent weeks?
Which have been less meaningful than usual?
What do I seek from God at this point in my life?
-David G. Benner. Sacred Companions: The Gift of Spiritual Friendship & Direction (Kindle Locations 1716-1718). Kindle Edition.
Each of us has been longed into being by Love. We are born with a deep longing to connect with God, our own precious selves and others.
I have been accompanying folks on their faith journey since I recognized I was having one myself. My spiritual direction training is from Portland Seminary. I am a member in good standing of Spiritual Directors International.