How Do I Find A Spiritual Advisor

A simple Internet search will turn up everything from psychics and tarot readers to university professors. Kyle Kaplan, a Buddhist spiritual advisor at Northeastern University, argues that he has a formal job title and particular obligations that are unique to a university setting.

A spiritual counselor, according to Kaplan, can be defined as “someone who talks to your soul and guides you to live an ethical life, nurturing the deepest aspects of you, and who facilitates the process of questioning underlying meaning structures.” He claims that a friend could readily meet this requirement.

According to Robertson, her clients seek spiritual guidance and pay for these sessions because they want to be understood by a nonjudgmental individual without the drama of a friendship. “There are no expectations, and you are welcome to bring whatever you have with you on that particular day.” She claims that, unlike other sorts of partnerships, “It's not a two-way street. I don't require anything from my subordinates… This is for parents who are fatigued from caring for their children and elderly parents. They are welcome to come here and be looked for.”

Kelly Wendorf, a founding partner at EQUUS, author of Flying Lead Change-56 Million Years of Wisdom for Leading and Living, and spiritual mentor, says it's critical to distinguish between an advisor and a spiritual mentor “A spiritual mentor… holds space for a person's innate wisdom and spiritual unfoldment to happen. So, what exactly are you looking for? Do you want someone to give you advise, instruct you, and make suggestions, or do you want someone to hand you a flashlight and walk with you with unconditional positive regard? Do you prefer to be led or to be held and listened to? They're two distinct procedures.”

Robertson, an Episcopal priest, interchanges the terms spiritual director and spiritual advisor. Both, she claims, entail “Someone who is paying attention to what is going on in your life and listening for God's call in whatever tradition you belong to. Spiritual Directors who are Jewish, Christian, and Buddhist are among those I know. There is work for us to undertake inside as human beings. As a result, anyone who wants to help someone expand their spiritual practice, deepen their spirituality, and figure out where they should go and what they should do falls into the category of spiritual director or counselor.”

Spiritual advisor can be described in a variety of ways, but as S&H contributing editor Rabbi Rami Shapiro puts it, “A spiritual advisor, by any name, is someone who assists you in identifying and erasing the delusions that prevent you from seeing your interconnectedness with all beings in the greater nondual reality “in whom we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28).

How much does a spiritual director cost?

Spiritual Directors International's rules state that spiritual directors should have their own directors, as well as mentors or peers who may give oversight and responsibility. Spiritual direction fees are usually on a sliding basis, ranging from $50 to $150 each 50-minute appointment.

Where do I find a spiritual director?

You may already have a good relationship with your priest and feel comfortable asking him to be your spiritual director, but even if you don't, it's appropriate to ask him.

Because many parish priests are overburdened with responsibilities, it may be more effective to ask, “Is there someone you can recommend to give me spiritual direction if you are unable?”

Not only does this relieve your parish priest of stress, but it also prevents you from being disappointed if he is unable to serve as your spiritual director—and it allows him to consider making a recommendation for you.

When a good friend asked her parish priest to be her spiritual director, he was unable to do so, but he offered her the names of two other priests in her diocese who were available for spiritual direction! She was quite appreciative.

Our pastor or another priest, our confessor (the priest from whom we receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation on a regular basis), a religious (monk, friar, or nun), or an experienced and well-formed lay person could all serve as spiritual directors.

The Catholic Church's Catechism says this about seeking and finding a spiritual director:

For the sake of the common good, which is prayer, the Holy Spirit bestows the gifts of wisdom, faith, and insight on a select group of believers (spiritual direction). Men and women with such gifts are worthy servants of prayer's living tradition.

According to St. John of the Cross, anyone seeking perfection should “take care into whose hands they entrust themselves,” because “as the master is, so will the disciple be, and as the parent is, so will the son.” ‘A spiritual director should be experienced in addition to being learned and discreet… If the spiritual director has no experience of the spiritual life, he will be unable of leading the souls whom God is calling to it into it, and he will not even understand them.'

Should I get a spiritual director?

Consider hiring a spiritual director if you wish to progress in your faith and spiritual life. Spiritual directors assist people examine issues of the soul, faith, and God by leading them on their spiritual journeys. Spiritual guidance is a practice that can be found in a variety of religious systems.

Who is a spiritual consultant?

A spiritual counselor, sometimes known as a spiritualist, is someone who may offer spiritual advice, such as how energies are flowing in a person's life and what spirit wants them to know. A spiritual consultant, like a financial consultant (who assists with financial decisions) or a business consultant (who assists with business management), can assist you in making important life decisions. A spiritual consultant can provide guidance on issues such as whether you should relocate to Los Angeles or Houston, whether you should marry this year or next year, and other key life decisions. To benefit from the services of a spiritual adviser, you do not need to believe in God or a higher power. Every individual is surrounded by invisible forces that control the events of their lives. These energies affect every person on the world, whether they believe in them or not.

Spiritual counselors are ordinary folks who are on the same path as you. They are, however, more attuned to their own intuitive abilities, and they may assist you in gaining wisdom and insight from many vibrational/energy plains of existence, such as angel guidance, psychic intuition, or mediumship, allowing you to progress in life. A spiritual consultant's job is to guide you down the right path.

Spiritual counselors or psychic spiritual consultants can assist with any questions that a person may have. They can foresee the future, characterize the querent's personality or personal energy, and offer advice on how to achieve mental and physical well-being. Because they are transmitting information from spirit about the querent, tarot readers are also spiritual advisers. They can describe what is going on for the querent at any one time, what his or her aims or wishes are, what their worries are, what is working for them, and what is working against them. A spiritual counselor can also tell the querent about another crucial person in their life using tarot cards. This might be their spouse/girlfriend/boyfriend/girlfriend, their boss, their parents, their children, or even a close friend. The tarot reader can pull the energy of the other person they're asking about from the querent's energy. Then they can respond and advise on specific issues such as what this other person is thinking, what their genuine goals are, what the most likely conclusion is, and so on.

How much should I pay my spiritual director?

What is the expense of spiritual direction? An hour of spiritual direction costs roughly 50-70 dollars on average. If the expense is onerous, many spiritual directors may make exceptions.

Can you make a living as a spiritual director?

Teresa Blythe is one of the presenters in the Making a Living as a Spiritual Director webinar series, which is now available in online recordings. The Making a Living as a Spiritual Companion 2 webinar series from this year is also available online. Take a peek at these new additions as well: Spiritual directors and spiritual companions will benefit from the books Follow Your Calling Without Quitting Your Job and Consciously Change Your Money Relationship.

“Can you make a living as a spiritual director?” I'm frequently asked. The answer is complicated since it relies on the individual, the market, and the philosophy. Spiritual Directors International has two webinars on the subject (one of which I participated to), and if you watch both of them, which I hope you do, you will receive the long answer to your question.

Can it be done?

Yes. However, developing a spiritual direction practice to the point where you can earn a middle-class wage may take years. You may receive a few inquiries after you start promoting, but your practice will really take off once people who have come to you for advice start referring their friends. Your most effective marketing weapon will always be word of mouth, and it will take time.

But I heard about this one person who is making good money at it!

Contact him or her immediately to learn how they achieved it and how long it took them to reach to the point where they could support themselves only through spiritual direction.

The majority of spiritual directors I know who make a living at it do one of three things:

• Working a second or third job to supplement your income. (And, full transparency, I have a working spouse and we are a two-income family with no children.) As a result, I'm not going into this without a safety net.) In addition to seeing roughly 25 people in one-on-one spiritual direction, I also manage the Hesychia School, a spiritual direction training program, and I take on contract work from churches that ask me to assist them with discernment. A full-time spiritual director friend of mine formerly rented a big multi-room space and sublet it to other spiritual directors and healing arts practitioners for sessions, retreats, and workshops. (Her name is Amanda Petersen, and she appears in part 2 of SDI's webinar series on the topic.) You'll like hearing about her adventures!)
• Session fees are being charged at a higher rate than usual. There will be no condemnation here! However, if you want to make a living seeing individuals once a month (the standard frequency), you'll need a large number of directees or charge them upwards of $150 per session. Spiritual direction sessions in Phoenix, where I live, cost $60-80 per session. I've decided to charge the market rate. Even with a sliding scale, I believe that if I went for the upper end, I would price myself out of the medium and lower middle-class market.
• Individuals are being seen more frequently than once a month. To put it another way, we spiritual directors build a practice in the same manner that a therapist or life coach does. They see folks on a more regular basis than once a month. As a result, if you start meeting them every two weeks, you'll be able to earn more money. Unless the directee insists on visiting more frequently, I've decided to keep appointments at around once a month (which is not usual in my case). Most directees need around 30 days of living and completing their spiritual practices before they are ready to spend one hour in direction, according to my experience. This is not the case for all filmmakers. You might try to reach out to some spiritual directors who visit individuals more frequently than once a month and ask them why they do it and how it's going for them.

It's a matter of discernment

Spend a lot of time in prayer, thought, and discernment before quitting your day job and starting a spiritual direction practice.

Spend time with the Divine, asking questions and listening for responses from the depths of your being.

• How many clients do I need at my target price point to pay my bills and live a life that is sustainable?
• What is the pricing range that I am looking for? What are the advantages and disadvantages of pricing my product lower or higher than the market rate?
• What kind of employment will afford me the independence and provide me with enough energy to see customers if I take on a job to anchor and support this practice?

Pay attention to your gut instincts. “Why am I seeking spiritual direction in this manner?” you might wonder.

Make a test run. Let's see what happens if you start marketing yourself. It's a good indication if you're inundated with people seeking spiritual guidance. It's not only fine if it takes a while; it's the standard. The majority of spiritual directors I know had to wait for the practice to mature.

Is it possible to make a living as a spiritual advisor? I hope you are able to do so. One of the reasons I do what I do is to show people that spiritual direction can be a significant component of what you do professionally. It doesn't have to be a second job any more!

What should I ask my spiritual director?

People frequently find it easy to answer the first few questions. They do not make people nervous or perplexed. These questions provide a foundation for the spiritual director to learn about the person and his or her spirituality. Leading questions aren't the same as starting questions. When someone wants a certain answer, they ask leading questions. On the other hand, there are no correct solutions to these questions. A person can reply in any way they want without fear of being judged.

Do Catholics need a spiritual director?

Spiritual direction has its origins in the early Christian church. According to the gospels, Jesus acted as a mentor to his disciples. In addition, Ananias is described in Acts of the Apostles Chapter 9 as assisting Paul of Tarsus in growing in his newfound faith. Similarly, Paul is described as mentoring Timothy and Titus, among others, in various Pauline epistles. Polycarp, the 2nd-century bishop of Smyrna, is said to have been instructed by John the Evangelist.

John Cassian, a fourth-century theologian, wrote some of the first known principles on the Christian practice of spiritual direction.

In the monasteries, he established mentoring. Each novice was assigned to an elder monk for supervision. Cassian's precepts were incorporated into what is now known as the Rule of Saint Benedict by Benedict of Nursia.

Spiritual direction is common in the Catholic tradition: a wise and spiritually discerned person, generally but not always a priest or a consecrated person in general, counsels a person who aspires to embark on a journey of faith and discover God's will in his life. The spiritual guide's goal is to identify and grasp what the Holy Spirit is telling the person accompanied via life events, spiritual insights gained through prayer, reading, and meditation on the Bible. The spiritual father or spiritual director may give advise, give life and prayer hints, and resolve doubts in areas of faith and morals without taking the place of the accompanying person's choices and judgments.

How often should you meet with your spiritual director?

How frequently should we gather for spiritual guidance? The standard meeting schedule is once a month, although there may be periods or seasons when meeting twice a month or every other month is more appropriate and beneficial.