Why Spiritual Direction?

It is a thing. Spiritual direction has been around for centuries, and is becoming more widely known and valued as a contemplative practice that helps people grow in awareness, prayer, and discernment.

Ironically, unlike a coach, a spiritual director doesn’t do much directing, advising, or answering. We mostly listen, and reflect back the spiritual movements we see in the directee. We listen deeply, we make space for silence, and ask questions to help a person come to better understand, articulate and respond to truths and desires at work within them. 

By listening, we find out what God is doing…

“The assumption of spirituality is that always God is doing something before I know it. So the task is not to get God to do something I think needs to be done, but to become aware of what God is doing so that I can respond to it and participate and take delight in it.”

Eugene Peterson

WHAT DOES A SPIRITUAL DIRECTION SESSION LOOK LIKE?

 It will often start with silence or a brief centering exercise, and then the "content" of the meeting will be whatever is arising from the directee's life that seems interesting to explore further. The director will mostly listen, ask clarifying questions, reflect back to the directee what they are hearing, and make space for discernment together about God’s presence and work in the directee's life.

HOW IS IT DIFFERENT THAN COUNSELING OR SPIRITUAL FORMATION COACHING?

Although the one-with-one nature of spiritual direction can look a lot like therapy, pastoral counseling, or life/spiritual formation coaching, it is actually quite different. Spiritual direction is not "problem" focused, but rather "life" and "prayer" focused, and is not sought only in times of crisis or transition (and indeed a spiritual practice which can be engaged in for a lifetime). 

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?

My fee for a 60-minute individual spiritual direction session is $80/hour (we typically meet once a month for direction).

Payment can be made by Interac e-transfer or Paypal anytime in the week after the date of the session.