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What is a spiritual director?
A spiritual director is a compassionate, concerned observer who attempts to help people notice the ways in which God's Spirit is moving in their lives.
Meeting regularly with a spiritual director can help you grow in your faith and become more fully who God created you to be. You might seek out a spiritual director if
- you would like someone to help you notice where God is showing up in your day-to-day life and how God is calling you to live,
- you are in transition and wonder where God fits in, or you are making a decision and need help and encouragement in your discernment process,
- you plan to go on a personal retreat and want spiritual direction before or during that time, or
- you are angry or doubting or having other issues with God and don't feel free to explore it in your church or faith community.
What is group spiritual direction?
Group spiritual direction includes periods of silence, reflection on scripture or on a God-related question, time to speak about your faith journey, and time to listen contemplatively to others.
You might seek out a spiritual direction group if
- you want to be intentional about your faith and would like to be part of a community of like-minded people,
- you are willing to rest in God's presence on behalf of others to assist them in their ongoing discernment without trying to "fix it" for them,
- you are drawn to contemplative, quieter forms of prayer or would like to deepen that aspect of your spiritual life.
How does it work?
Individual direction typically happens once a month for an hour, and groups typically meet once a month for an hour and a half to two hours. Because spiritual direction is a bit hard to define, I ask the people with whom I meet to sign a routine agreement that clarifies what spiritual direction is and is not. (Spiritual direction agreement)
Recommended reading
In print:
- Group Spiritual Direction by Rose Mary Dougherty
- Weavings journal
- Holy Listening: The Art of Spiritual Direction by Margaret Guenther
- The Awakened Heart by Gerald May
Online:
- The Shalem Institute's descriptions of group spiritual direction and spiritual direction
- Group spiritual direction process used by the Transformations Spirituality Center
- Carl McColman's description of spiritual direction on The Website of Unknowing
How to find a spiritual director
Ask around at your place of worship, or check the Spiritual Directors International Seek and Find Guide. Spiritual direction is not a licensed profession in any state or country, as far as I know, so it's up to you to ask questions and make sure that you feel comfortable with whomever you select as your spiritual director. Go ahead and interview potential directors: Have they received training? Do they meet regularly with a supervisor? Do they meet regularly with a spiritual director of their own? Are you comfortable with their religious tradition, approach to spirituality, and way of interacting with you? Do they charge a fee? Take time to pray and reflect on the decision, and ask your potential directors to do the same.
How to become a spiritual director
If you feel that you might have a calling as a spiritual director, one way to test that calling is to attend a program such as the Diploma in the Art of Spiritual Direction (DASD) program at SFTS, a Presbyterian seminary in San Anselmo, California. The DASD program offers in-depth training, spiritual formation, and help with the process of discerning your call to (or away from) spiritual direction.
Many other seminaries and retreat centers offer training programs for spiritual directors as well, for example Mercy Center, the Shalem Institute, and the Pecos Benedictine Abbey.
How to become a supervisor
If possible, a spiritual director should meet regularly with an experienced supervisor, because the lines between spiritual direction and other types of relationships (therapy, pastoral counseling, friendship, caretaking, etc.) are tricksy. If you're a spiritual director and you cross those lines, it's best to be conscious of what you're doing, and why.
And that means we need more good supervisors floating around to help us all stay awake. Here are the training programs I know about:
- Together in the Mystery is starting a great-looking new program with sessions in Northern California, Florida, and Oregon.
- Mercy Center is offering a two-week residential Internship in the Art of Supervision during the summer of 2008.
About me
I had my first deep encounter with God in October of 1985, sitting by myself on a balcony outside my dorm room at Stanford. It took me a few months to notice that the God I had met that day on the balcony was embodied exactly by the Jesus I read about in the gospels. I had become not just a believer in God, but a follower of Christ.
I am interested in silence, Christian mysticism and contemplation, spiritual formation, the theology of the Holy Spirit, and the role of music and art in spirituality. To hear a few of the songs I've written, visit my music page. Several times a year I go on a two- or three-day retreat to nourish my connection to God and to my own deep self, and in 1998 I went on a 24-day silent retreat at Our Lady of Solitude Contemplative House of Prayer in Arizona. I have worked for a long time as an editor and writer, and I'm currently a part-time technical writer at Google.
I have been a spiritual director since 2002, and I graduated from the DASD program in 2004.
To contact me or send feedback about this page, click here.
My thanks to my husband Gene for the images of the Namib Desert, June Lake, and Muir Woods on my site. To see more of Gene's thoughtful photography, visit Designs in Light . To see what Gene is doing to our house, visit his blog, DIY Insanity . (Wow!)