What is spiritual direction?

Prayer

May 19

A compassionate guide on your journey of faith

Pet Peeve

Hate to be a downer, but I feel the need to kick off this blog with a big pet peeve of mine - the word ”direction,” as in spiritual “direction,” or spiritual “director.” It's misleading and confusing to most people.

A Spiritual Companion

A better word is Spiritual Companionship or Spiritual Companion. Spiritual Companionship is small community prayer.

spiritual direction coffee computer2.jpeg — Matthew 18:20

“When two or more are gathered together in my name, I am there in the midst of them” - even on Zoom!

Here, prayer is a conversation between God and two companions on the journey of faith. It’s why I’ve modelled my practice on the Road to Emmaus experience (Luke 24: 13-35).

Spiritual Companionship is a ministry of presence. The role of the Spiritual Companion is to create a warm and welcoming experience where you feel seen, heard, and accepted - as you are! Together, we enter into a Sacred space and time as we search for God in the people, places, and events of your daily life.

Spiritual Companionship is available to anyone desiring a personal and more intimate relationship with God.

What to look for in a Spiritual Companion

Like you, good Spiritual Companions are spiritual seekers, looking to find God in all things - in the people, places, and events of my life. Like you, they look to God for meaning, as they seek God’s desire for them, because like you, they know that in God they find peace, joy, and abundance of life.

But Spiritual Companionship is a vocation and ministry of the church which requires extensive formation and maturity. Spiritual Companions not only study theology but the skill and art of compassionate listening, sacred hospitality, gently drawing one out, noticing and savoring God’s presence, and discerning of the spirits. The goal is always to grow closer to God and this happens as the Spiritual Companion helps you become more aware of God’s active presence in your prayer and daily life.

Good Spiritual Companions understand that God is the one directing - as my professor would say, “God is the sage on the stage, and I am the guide on the side.”

God is the One Directing

This sacred time is governed by a strict code of conduct and ethics. All certified Spiritual Companions are bound by this code. At the heart of this code is to do no harm. Good Spiritual Companions accompany, not advise. This is not a counselling or therapy session. It is a time of prayer, relationship, exploration, and growth. A good Spiritual Companion:

Listens compassionately
Welcomes silence as God’s language as the Spirit speaks heart to heart
Reflects back, affirms, encourages, and draws out and in
Asks gentle questions that draw you deeper into God’s active presence. These questions could include, Where do you sense God in all of this? How did you feel when such-and such-happened? What do you think God is speaking to you in this situation? How are you sensing God’s presence now?

Benefits

Spiritual Companionship can enrich your faith journey by coming to a truer image of God and discovering your true self.

As you grow, you can better understand your spirituality and discover which types of prayer best open you up to the presence of God. In conversation, you can better recognize patterns and tendencies that bring you joy and those that leave you sad and empty. It is a time to discover your true self.

What to expect

You will typically meet with a Spiritual Companion monthly for an hour. The fee for this time is set between you and the Spiritual Companion. These meetings can be in-person or remote via video conferencing.

The session will begin with a short prayer that can vary based on what helps you most enter and claim this time.

Life-changing conversations where you are seen, heard, and accepted.

You can expect the Spiritual Companion to reflect back and ask gentle questions that draw you deeper into the presence in your life.

As we enter into the struggles and joys of your life, you can expect to laugh, cry, to feel angry, sad, indifferent - it’s your Sacred time, but the hope is that you always leave affirmed in God’s love for you.