These days, lots of people are curious about spiritual direction. We don’t all need therapy, but sometimes something just doesn’t seem right. Maybe there’s a yearning or a discontent that is stirring in you? A longing for greater freedom or peace?

In short, Spiritual Direction is exploring what God is doing and saying in your life. If you prefer to leave triggering religious language out of the definition, then joining your outward observation with inner intuition alongside an experienced spiritual companion, could be another.

Spiritual direction, or spiritual companioning, explores our yearnings and longings in a way that reveals and dissolves our obstacles to flourishing. It’s a tool for exploring the sacred as an ultimate guide to fulfilling a more satisfying and peaceful life. Acclaimed Dutch priest, author, and spiritual director Henri Nouwen tells us, “The whole purpose of spiritual direction is to penetrate beneath the surface of… life, to get behind the façade of conventional gestures and attitudes which he presents to the world, and to bring out his inner spiritual freedom… ” “the goal of spiritual direction is spiritual formation — the ever-increasing capacity to live a spiritual life from the heart. A spiritual life cannot be formed without discipline, practice, and accountability. There are many spiritual disciplines. Almost anything that regularly asks us to slow down and order our time, desires, and thoughts to counteract selfishness, impulsiveness, or hurried fogginess of mind can be a spiritual discipline.”

Spiritual Direction is practiced across religions and faith traditions, and it’s for both non-religious and religious people. From ancient Greeks to progressive Christians and everything in between, spiritual direction has been a part of spirituality for thousands of years. But the Desert Mothers and Fathers are most often attributed to as the originators of spiritual direction. These individuals felt the only way to be a true disciple of Jesus was to turn away from the distraction of the world, give up their worldly dependencies, and practice silence and unceasing prayer. The Desert Mothers and Fathers and their communities are the origin of today’s Christian monasteries.

As word got out about these men and women, others sought to be with them to receive spiritual help and guidance. In this scenario, younger monks were guided by older monks who had demonstrated “conquering thoughts that disturb the peace of the soul.”

This practice of journeying with others as they “conquer thoughts that disturb the peace of the soul” is at the heart of contemporary spiritual direction. Spiritual direction is the art of companioning others as they reconcile their spiritual values with their external world. Contemporary spiritual directors serve as “Sherpas” who, through specialized training and traveling the terrain of their own spirituality, can guide others on the journey. Good spiritual directors recognize their own development is key to serving those they companion, so they regularly see a spiritual director of their own.

There is no official regulatory oversight organization for spiritual directors, but it is widely acknowledged that spiritual directors should complete a program of study from a reputable and recognized program, remain in spiritual direction supervision while they practice, and agree to a code of ethics. The code of ethics most widely used is one developed by the Spiritual Directors International organization.

When discerning whether to develop a relationship with a spiritual director/companion, it may be helpful to research their profile on the Spiritual Directors International website, review what school or under what discipline they trained (if that information is available) and then reach out for an initial session. You can find my profile here. If what you see about me resonates with you, we can get together for an initial session.