Spiritual Direction is a relationship in which we dedicate a regular period of time to the exploration of the presence of the sacred in our lives, seeking to discern glimmers of holiness, the awe at the depth of the soul. Here we bring our attention to our experiences of mystery, the sacred dimensions that are present in every moment of our lives. This is a time to look beneath the surface of things, to discover the presence of something beyond our individual awareness; experiences of connection, or a sense of being guided or accompanied along our life journeys.
This is also a place to bring our pain, our frustration, and our despair. We may struggle with our doubts and resentments about life, or times that our spiritual lives feel arid and distant. Here we may admit how uncertain we feel, or suspect we may be “doing it wrong.”
In these conversations, we may come to recognize moments when we have been awakened from slumber. One moment at a time, we explore the personal meanings of the Hasidic teaching that divinity is present in every moment of our lives, if we can learn to recognize it.
Spiritual development is easier to recognize when one has a spiritual map of some sort. But much of the time, driving off the map is what the experience is all about. Often, the process is not linear, but rather cyclical, spiral, dialectic, or simply erratic and unpredictable. Sometimes we must go through a period of nothingness, or of “unknowing”. But that is not the end of the story. Revelation follows hiddenness. Fullness follows emptiness. Creation emerges from darkness. Eventually, we reach points in our growth where we do know, where we are wise, where we have clear awareness. And then the cycle begins again.
As we pass through the cycles of unknowing and knowing, of coming apart and integrating, we look for signs to help us figure out where we are. And we give each other companionship along the way.
