Spiritual direction

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Spiritual direction is the practice of being with people as they attempt to deepen their relationship with the divine, or to learn and grow in their personal spirituality. The person seeking direction shares stories of their encounters of the divine, or how they are cultivating a life attuned to spiritual things. The director listens and asks questions to assist the directee in his or her process of reflection and spiritual growth. Advocates of Spiritual direction claim that it develops a deeper awareness with the spiritual aspect of being human, and that it is neither psychotherapy nor counseling nor financial planning.

Historians of philosophy like Ilsetraut and Pierre Hadot have argued that spiritual direction was already practiced and recommended by the main schools of philosophy, as well as by physicians like Galen, as part of spiritual practices in Ancient Greece and Rome.^[1][2]

Roman Catholic forms

While there is some degree of variability, there are primarily two forms of spiritual direction in the Roman Catholic Church: regular direction and retreat direction. They differ largely in the frequency of meetings and in the intensity of reflection.^{[citation needed]}

Regular direction can involve a one- to two-hour meeting every four to eight weeks, and thus is slightly less intense than retreat direction, although spiritual exercises and disciplines are often given for the directee to attempt between meetings.

If the directee is on a retreat (lasting a weekend, a week or even 40 days), they will generally meet with their director on a daily basis for one hour. During these daily meetings, exercises or spiritual disciplines such as

The Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius of Loyola are a popular example of guidelines used for spiritual direction.

Historical traditions

Ancient Greece and Rome

Most of

Theologian John Cassian, who lived in the 4th century, provided some of the earliest recorded guidelines on the Christian practice of spiritual direction.^[3] He introduced mentoring in the monasteries. Each novice was put under the care of an older monk. Benedict of Nursia integrated Cassian's guidelines into what is now known as the Rule of Saint Benedict.

Spiritual direction is widespread in the Catholic tradition: a person with wisdom and spiritual discernment, usually but not exclusively a priest or consecrated in general, provides counsel to a person who wishes to make a journey of faith and discovery of God's will in their life. The spiritual guide aims to discern and understand what the Holy Spirit, through the situations of life, spiritual insights in the fruit of prayer, reading and meditation on the Bible, tells the person accompanied. The spiritual father or spiritual director may provide advice, give indications of life and prayer, resolving doubts in matters of faith and morals without replacing the choices and decisions to the person accompanying.

Eastern Orthodoxy

• Direction of prayer
• Ho'oponopono
• Murshid
• Pir (Sufism)
• Spiritual Directors International

Notes

References

• Spiritual Direction – New Advent (1913 Catholic Encyclopedia).

Bibliography

Classics

• ISBN 978-0-87907-957-4
  .
• John Cassian (1894). The Conferences of John Cassian. Christian Classics Ethereal Library.
• Teresa of Avila. "Works of St. Teresa of Avila (Online)". Christian Classics Ethereal Library
  .
• ISBN 978-0-8146-0412-0
  .
• Saint Francis de Sales (1885). Introduction to the Devout Life (online). Dublin: M. H. Gill and Sons.
• ISBN 0-89555-526-3
  .
• ISBN 978-0-8091-2990-4
  .
• Samuel Rutherford (1891). Letters of Samuel Rutherford. London: Oliphants Ltd. Alt
• Louis de Blois (1900). Institutio Spiritualis: A Book of Spiritual instruction. St. Louis MO, USA.
• --do.-- (1900) A Book of Spiritual Instruction: Institutio spiritualis; translated from the Latin by Bertrand A. Wilberforce. London: Art and Book Company
• Auguste Saudreau (1907). The Degrees of the Spiritual Life. Translated by Bede Camm. London: R. T. Washbourne.

Later period

Later writings on spiritual direction (as per Top ten reading list for spiritual directors – January 19, 2013):

• Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange (1938). "The Three Ages of the Interior Life"
  . Catholic Spiritual Teaching.
• Teresa Blythe (2018). Spiritual Direction 101: The Basics of Spiritual Guidance. Apocryphile Press,
  ISBN 978-1-947826-20-5
• "Perfect Spiritual Guide in Sufism". Archived from the original on 2015-09-20.
• ISBN 978-1-903900-58-1
  .
• ISBN 978-0-8192-2539-9
  .
• Friedrich von Hügel (1928). Letters from Baron Friedrich von Hügel to a Niece. J. M. Dent & Sons.
• Adolphe Tanquerey (1932). The Spiritual Life: A Treatise on Ascetical and Mystical Theology. Society of St. John the Evangelist, Desclée.
• Francis W. Vanderwall (1981). Spiritual direction: an invitation to abundant life. Paulist Press.
  ISBN 978-0-8091-2399-5
  .
• William A. Barry (1982). The Practice of Spiritual Direction. HarperCollins.
  ISBN 978-0-86683-951-8
  .
• Margaret Guenther (1992). Holy Listening: The Art of Spiritual Direction. Rowman & Littlefield.
  ISBN 978-1-56101-056-1
  .
• Charles Hugo Doyle (2011). Guidance In Spiritual Direction. CreateSpace Independent Pub.
  ISBN 978-1463597542
  .
• ISBN 978-1594171666
  .
• Hughson, Shirley Carter (1952) The Spiritual Letters of Father Hughson of the Order of the Holy Cross. West Park, New York: Holy Cross Press; London: A. R. Mowbray, 1953

• Spiritual Directors International
• Spiritual Direction in California
• Spiritual Direction in Alberta
• Spiritual Direction in Calgary
• Spiritual Direction in Manitoba
• Spiritual Directors in British Columbia
• Tyndale Association of Spiritual Directors, Toronto, Ontario
• Evangelical Spiritual Directors Association

United Kingdom

• The Retreat Association, an organisation facilitating Christian spiritual directors in the United Kingdom
• London Centre for Spiritual Direction: an organisation that trains and supports spiritual directors, and promotes spiritual direction
• Ignatian Spirituality Course: a training course for spiritual directors in London, UK.

Australia

• Fullness of Life Centre (Inc.) provides spiritual direction, counselling and professional supervision. Services are available in-person and through secure video conferencing.
• Kardia Formation P/L provides spiritual direction, supervision and a formation program for spiritual directors.
• Jesuit College of Spirituality provides Ignatian programs of formation for spiritual directors, supervisors and leaders as a member of the University of Divinity, Melbourne.