When we first start a new practice, it’s often because there’s a result we are seeking; when we start a meditation practice, we may be seeking a sense of calm. When we start a movement practice, we may be seeking heart health or strength. When we start a spiritual practice, we may be seeking depth or connection with God. When we start a journaling practice, we may be seeking clarity.

Entering into a new experience can be stressful. Whether you’re excited, nervous, or a mixture of both, having a baseline of what to expect can be helpful to find a sense of calm as you arrive.

I remember entering into the first session of spiritual direction with my director and not really knowing what to expect. After our initial little ‘meet and greet’ to chat about what spiritual direction is and isn’t, I knew I wanted to embark on adding this practice to my faith.

What IS spiritual direction; Do you just tell me what to do? Will you just answer all my questions about faith and God? Do I just ask you all my big questions and you tell me the answers or tell me how to find the answers? Do you share your faith experience with me and guide me along the same path? Do you make me believe what you believe? Do we need to have the same theological background or belong to the same church?

When we first hear the words spiritual direction, and perhaps begin to engage in a conversation about this practice with others, questions of how it fits into a spectrum of care offerings emerges. Is it similar to life coaching but specifically about your spiritual life? Is it like going to counselling or therapy, but with your faith as the lens everything is filtered through?

There is an old celtic phrase that is said to have originated in Irish monasticism where it was applied to a monk’s teacher, companion, or spiritual guide. The heart of the phrase has its origins back even further to the early Desert Fathers and Desert Mothers where "This capacity for friendship and ability to read other people's hearts became the basis of the desert elders' effectiveness as spiritual guides." -Edward C. Sellner