What is Spiritual Direction?

What is spiritual direction?

Spiritual direction is a relationship in which a spiritual director accompanies
a directee in attending to God’s presence and call in all of life. Our lives are
sacred journeys, and God’s spirit is active and present in the midst of these
journeys. Spiritual direction is one way to help notice that activity and presence.
It’s a way to care for the soul by slowing down enough to listen for God’s
invitations.
Spiritual direction is for anyone yearning for a deeper connection to themselves
and their God. It’s for anyone wanting to look beneath the surface and see what’s
there. This desire can appear as a sense of longing for something more or a
sense of discontent with the status quo.
Spiritual direction sessions usually last about an hour and are most often
scheduled monthly. Fees vary but tend to be moderate. Although spiritual
direction is typically done with individuals, group and couples direction are also
helpful options.

The person seeking spiritual growth is called the directee. The person listening with the directee for the movement of the holy in their life is called the spiritual director.

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• Spiritual direction is concerned with helping a person directly with his or her relationship with God. (Barry and Connolly, The Practice of Spiritual Direction,  p.5)

• Spiritual direction is a way to give caring attention to our relationship with God – attention that is focused on life’s foundations underneath ordinary busyness. (Jeannette A. Bakke, Holy Invitations, p. 22)

• Spiritual Direction is a conversation in which a person seeks to answer the question: “What is spiritual growth and how do I foster it in my life?”  The exchanges that comprise a spiritual direction relationship focus on awareness of and response to God in one’s life.  But since God is the deepest dimension of all experience, the conversation will range over every area of existence.  Spiritual Direction concerns the movement of our entire lives in and toward God.  (Kathleen Fischer, Women at the Well, p. 3)

• I listen for how the holy penetrates lives.  I am there to help people discover the ways their lives are imbued with spirituality.  This is spiritual direction.  (Susan Phillips, Candlelight, p.1)

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For a more extensive discussion of spiritual direction, visit the Spiritual Directors International website.