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Spiritual Direction, also known Spiritual Companionship, is a process of deepening a person's spirituality. Spirituality is the term used to describe every person's response to and relationship with the Sacred (God, Spirit, The Divine, The Holy, the Ultimate) as experienced in one's life. Spirituality can be as intimate as the deepest emotions and relationships and as wide and diverse as the cosmos.
How does this process work?
In Spiritual Direction a “director” (or “companion”) helps a spiritual “seeker” to notice, name, reflect on, and respond to her or his experience of the Sacred in everyday life as well as in extraordinary moments of joy, loss or trauma.
Do you have to be of a particular faith to engage in Spiritual Direction?
Spiritual Companionship is an ancient spiritual practice having roots in most religious traditions. As such, it serves and embraces peoples of all faiths and walks of life. Here at the Spiritual Life Center we welcome everyone.
What is a Spiritual Direction session like?
In a typical monthly spiritual companionship meeting the seeker brings the stories of his or her journey and/or any life experiences to reflect on. The mentor does not tell the seeker what to do but rather listens to the seeker’s story and helps the seeker reflect on the more subtle movements of the Spirit in the seeker’s story. Together the mentor and seeker look for and attend to the movement of the Divine in the seeker’s life. Spiritual companioning is NOT therapy. The goal of this relationship is for the seeker to gain greater consciousness of and participation with the Sacred in the ordinary events of life in order to grow in compassion, freedom, and service. As such, this spiritual companionship relationship is built on trust and is confidential.
The focus for spiritual direction arises from the experiences of day to day living. Spiritual companionship assists in:
- Growth in self-knowledge
- An increasing practice of compassion, mercy and justice
- Greater engagement with the inner and outer world
- Discernment in decision-making and experiences of call
- A deepening experience and awareness of the Sacred
- And living and responding in ways that are healing for all creation.
Learn more about Spiritual Direction at the Spiritual Life Center by checking out these videos produced by Simsbury TV: Spirituality and Spiritual Direction or Spiritual Direction- Making a Difference in Your Life.