Cor-Connection

Who Is Spiritual Direction For?

It can happen to us at any age. We are doing our best at living our lives, and we run into unexpected obstacles. It could be changes at work, or a long term relationship that seems to be “off.” It could just be a vague feeling when we wake up each morning that is hard to express.  Things that used to make sense to us, things that were meaningful and our anchors are disappearing or just not working for us. Sometimes it may feel like the lights are going out. Various spiritual traditions call this “the dark night of the soul.” Even if that sounds too dramatic for one’s current situation, there come times when the path we thought we were on is changing, and we need help finding our way through. 

Spiritual direction is about working with these experiences. There are some key principles that I work with  in spiritual direction and which reflect how I see the world:

• Making connections is how we find and experience meaning in our lives.

• Feeling alone in the world is a significant sign that life is ready to reveal more to us than we thought was ours to know.

• All things, all people, all beings (animals, trees, humans, and yes, rocks) are connected, ultimately. 

• When we go inside ourselves in search of meaning, connecting points begin to emerge.

• The work of spiritual direction is opening ourselves to see and experience connection points that we had not noticed before and allow them a place in our hearts, in our core.

• This noticing, connecting and making meaning in our hearts is the work of Spirit, and however one moves through that process is one’s own spirituality. 

• Religion is not required to find one’s own spirituality, and any religion that is meaningful can be a help along the way. 

Life throws us curves; sets up obstacles; seems to dead end at times, and those can be frustrating if not just scary places. When we begin to find our connection points and open our hearts to them, we begin to be clear about what’s important in our lives. Then, what to do next begins to show up, first as one step, then as several steps, and sometimes we even get to see the unfolding of the larger process.