Roots. Christian Spiritual Direction traces its roots back to the mystical tradition that emerged among the Egyptian Desert Fathers & Mothers in the 3-4 century AD. Spiritual fathers and mothers – abbas and ammas, worked contemplatively with disciples to foster interior attunement to the Spirit and intimacy with God. Stillness, solitude, interior silence and continual prayer were marks of this movement.
Theological Underpinnings. Spiritual direction rests on certain understandings:
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The full mystery of God lies beyond the understanding of any religious tradition or belief.
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Our very lives are God’s generosity poured out. God desires loving, intimate relationship with us. God delights in us.
- God is present and active in the whole of our lives. Any experience we have is an entry point into listening for God.
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God reveals God’s self to us in the person of Jesus and through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us and testifies to our spirit.
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By grace, we discern the presence and activity of the Spirit out of our longing for God. Our longing for God is our heart’s response to God’s longing for us.
- When we respond in faith, we participate in God’s reconciling work in the world through the power of the resurrection.
A Contemplative Environment. A spiritual director helps a directee move beyond their concepts and thoughts about God and into an experience of God. It helps attune them to the Holy Spirit’s presence, graces, and invitations. Silence, evocative questions, and listening from the heart, all foster a contemplative atmosphere.
An Ignatian Approach. In the Ignatian tradition, spiritual direction explores God’s presence in all parts of a person’s life–in daily activities, in nature, their experience of God in prayer, in relationships, in joy and in suffering. It helps a person explore and savor pivotal spiritual moments and notice how they unfold through time.
Desire. What do we really want? Spiritual direction helps us sort through the mix of desires we experience to uncover our core desires. When we are present to the depths of our desire, we discover God’s deep longing for us, and experience the intimacy of God’s love.
Discernment. Rather than seeking to make a perfect choice, or fearing an imperfect choice, spiritual discernment helps us align our choices and action with God’s love for us and the world. Spiritual direction cultivates spiritual freedom so a person can move with the Spirit’s leading when facing a question, struggle, or sense of call. Examining movements of the heart through prayer fosters clarity and the strength to move forward.
Freedom. Spiritual direction fosters growth in spiritual freedom. When blocks to freedom such as attachment, harmful images of God, or unconscious resistance are uncovered and attended to, we can move toward life-giving choices and action.
Practice. A spiritual director offers guidance in contemplative practices that correspond to a person’s spiritual journey. Centering prayer, breath prayer, Lectio Divina, Visio Divina, the Examen, praying with art, contemplation of nature, and praying with the imagination, are all wonderful ways that draw us into intimacy with God, and shape us in faithfulness as we respond to the Spirit’s invitations.
Particularity. A spiritual director honors the particular personality, passions, gifts, strengths and limitations of each directee. Over time, a person in spiritual direction becomes more deeply attuned to the reality of God’s presence and grace running through their sacred story.
Healing. Spiritual direction fosters healing of wounds from broken relationships, grief and loss, addiction, emotional and spiritual abuse, or a sense of abandonment by God. As wounds are gently brought to light, capacity for intimacy deepens, and courage grows to move more deeply into our true and beautiful selves.
Swanson Spiritual Life 