Spiritual Direction for A Woman’s Journey
What is Spiritual Direction?
Spiritual direction is the practice of spiritual and compassionate accompaniment for the seeker’s journey with the Holy One (God, the Divine Presence, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, etc.). The spiritual director is a companion to facilitate the discovery of how God is working in and through your life. Together the spiritual director and seeker rely on God’s guidance as they discern what is emerging…where there are blocks, and where there are openings to communing with God and how spiritual movement and growth are appearing.
In Christianity, spiritual direction has ancient roots connected with Christ’s early disciples, the Christian Desert Mothers and Fathers of the 3rd century. It also has roots in the monastic Rule of St. Benedict of the 6th century, and the Franciscan tradition that began with the teachings of St. Francis of Assisi.
The world traditions of Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Native Americans also weave spiritual direction through their formation and relationships with the Divine.
Spiritual Direction is …a process that helps us recognize God’s guidance
that is there for us, if only we are open to it…
Carol Ochs & Kerry Olitzky
Jewish Spiritual Guidance
Spiritual Direction is….
the ancient practice and process of listening to God with another
the noticing of God’s Presence in your life
the journey of seeking the face of God
the spiritual director’s reflection of a vibrant relationship with the Sacred, as one standing contemplatively in faith and love with the seeker as that relationship reveals itself
a complimentary process that can work in tandem with psychotherapy and/or 12 Step programs.
Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you. -- Matthew 7:7
With a careful and prayerful shift of perspective, keeping God as the focus, a spiritual director is to the faith journey much like a personal trainer is to a fitness program. When one is ready to take the step from group exercise classes to more in-depth personal fitness, she seeks the support of a personal trainer.
Likewise, to take the leap of faith from group spiritual workshops, or solitary self-help, to the joy of self-permission to ask a spiritual director to join her journey, the seeker begins a program of soul-fitness, supported through spiritual direction.
Then you will know the truth,
and the truth will set you free. ---John 8:32
Come to spiritual direction to begin to create peace with life’s pieces. Come with your questions and doubts, dreams and desires, challenges and joy, faith or lack of faith. Come to pray or to learn more about prayer. Come to let God unfold your path before you while blessing the years behind you.
The seeker’s unfolding story and experiences are prayerfully and confidentially held and acknowledged by the spiritual director who is a committed non-judgmental companion for the inner journey.
Spiritual Direction is not…psychotherapy or a quick fix for all life’s problems. The focus for spiritual direction is the nurturence of one’s relationship with God. Certain issues in life stem from emotional issues rooted in past trauma and/or early conditioning. A referral for therapy/counseling will be recommended if this need is discerned during spiritual direction.
(Spiritual Direction) is a relationship between guide and seeker through which the guide helps the seeker detect God’s movement within and to appreciate the divine plan that might underlie even the seemingly coincidental occurrences in life.
Howard Addison
Show Me Your Way
Spiritual direction may benefit you if:
you are at a crossroads, needing to make an important life decision that calls for spiritual discernment and prayer
you believe God is calling you to something that you can’t quite grasp because of the daily demands of life
your relationship with God feels blocked and you would like to open yourself to a more fulfilling spiritual life
you would like to integrate your spiritual life more fully into every facet of your daily work, relationships, and experiences
you sense you are experiencing an opening to enter into a deeper relationship with God and you are seeking ways to enrich your relationship with the Sacred through spiritual practices
you want to serve God through your work and you are questioning how to do this
you are seeking a companion, guide, or “soul friend” to accompany you on your spiritual journey
There is a time for everything, and a season for
every activity under heaven.
---Ecclesiastes 3:1
Please contact me at sibyl@sibyldanareynolds.com with your questions or to schedule an appointment for spiritual direction.
Spiritual direction typically occurs monthly. The fee for a one-hour spiritual direction session is $100.