Spiritual Direction
What is Spiritual Direction for? What does a Spiritual Director do? How would it help me? Do I need it? All these are fair questions.
What is it? Spiritual Direction is an ancient tradition forever being renewed, and valuable in our own over-complicated world where we are liable to overthink and become overwhelmed. Some prefer the title of ‘spiritual accompaniment’, suggesting a fellow-pilgrim also negotiating life and faith. A spiritual director is less about someone much holier and more knowledgeable advising you what to do, as offering guide -posts on your own particular journey, so you can find your own way, in your own way, as you deepen your faith. And which one of us hasn’t lost track of our route, or become lost, or even wondered if we are heading for the right destination anyway?
What do spiritual directors do? They engage in attentive contemplative listening, receptive not only to what you might say, but also hearing underneath the words. “Contemplation” means “sacred space” and spiritual accompaniment invites a third presence, that of the Holy Spirit, to join hands on the journey. David Augsberger said,”being heard is so close to being loved… they are virtually indistinguishable.”
To reflect a little more on Spiritual Direction, I offer the words of John V Taylor, a late Bishop of Winchester. “It has long been my conviction that God is not hugely concerned as to whether we are religious or not. What matters to God, and matters supremely, is whether we are alive or not. If your religion brings you more fully to life, God will be in it…” Separated by eighteen hundred years, he picked up on the words of St Irenaeus, ‘For the glory of God is a living man; and the life of man consists in beholding God.” Both focus on our developing relationship with God, and how that might make us fully alive. For each of us, of course, that will be different in its detail. However, Spiritual Direction ultimately, and for everybody, is about accompaniment on our faith journey to discover how we “might have life and have it abundantly”, (John 10:10) the purpose of Jesus’ life and ministry. (If we are uneasy or anxious that we are not religious enough, then just remember that Jesus came to make us fully human, not fully religious. In fact, he was quite suspicious of that idea!)
My hope and intention is to offer Spiritual Direction in a year or two. Currently in formation with the London Centre for Spiritual Direction’s course, Encounter, I have faith that that is bringing about the transformation we all need to undergo repeatedly on our pilgrimage through life. All blessings to you, on yours.