Like prayer, meditation, and retreats, spiritual direction is another kind of spiritual practice that focuses on your relationship with the divine. There are many different names for God – Holy Mystery, Higher Power, Divine Mother, Jesus, Adonai, Allah, Yahweh, Sophia, Creative Life Force, Eternal One. What is central to spiritual direction is not the specific name(s) you have for the divine but your desire to have a deeper relationship with the source of your being, however you understand or define that for yourself. Spiritual direction is about encountering that source more consciously and more deeply in your everyday life and experiences and then giving voice to those encounters with another person – a spiritual director – as a way of building and nurturing your relationship with the divine.

People may seek a spiritual direction for a variety of reasons. You may be experiencing a spiritual hunger or emptiness that needs a container or sanctuary – the spiritual direction relationship – in which it can be explored and understood. Sometimes a critical event in your life – like a new career, divorce, the death of a loved one, or retirement – will precipitate the search for a spiritual director to explore how the event is affecting or changing your relationship with the divine. Religious oppression can also be a catalyst. You may feel alienated from organized religion but are longing for a connection with the divine and spiritual community. Seeking out a spiritual director can also help you examine religious wounds. Spiritual direction can initiate a movement toward healing in many aspects of your life.

Entering spiritual direction may simply arise from a desire to deepen your spiritual life, too. One of the underlying beliefs of spiritual direction is that the divine can be active at any moment and in any experience of your life. Consequently, you may choose to talk about your inner prayer life, interpersonal relationships, or the different roles you have in your life (as child, parent, spouse/partner, employee, church member, etc.). Thoughts, feelings, intuitions, sensations, memories, dreams, faith experiences, and spiritual beliefs are all possible topics to share and explore in spiritual direction.

Whatever your motivating reason, the focus of spiritual direction is to explore and deepen your understanding of the divine’s presence through a long, loving look at your unique personal life experiences in a confidential setting. Through intentional listening and compassionate respect, a spiritual director can assist you in illuminating deeper aspects of your relationship with the source of your being.