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.
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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.
What makes a good spiritual director?
When we think about spiritual directors, we could picture a person or people who have accomplished a great deal. We can imagine a fearless commander directing us through dangerous terrain or a warrior slaying our foes in front of our eyes. A superb analyzer and teacher of the spirit or a drill sergeant of the soul come to mind.
Spiritual directors, on the other hand, are just like you in terms of being human and susceptible. They are humble, prayerful people who accompany us on our journey to improving our spiritual lives and become even more committed followers of Jesus. They are there to accompany us on our path, offering their presence, a listening ear, and practical insight to aid in our spiritual development.
These are all excellent attributes to look for in a spiritual director, but you probably didn't think about the fact that the spiritual director you connect with should also be following your lead in terms of spiritual guidance.
A good spiritual director has their own spiritual director.
A good spiritual director must have his own guide in order to help someone along the spiritual path. The purpose of seeking spiritual guidance is to give oneself with a neutral viewpoint.
A good spiritual director will be known by his pastor.
You may have assumed that your parish priest would be the finest spiritual director candidate based solely on his vocation. While most priests and even religious have some spiritual counseling training, being a well-trained spiritual director may require additional preparation.
Before a spiritual director begins mentoring others, it is recommended practice for him to have permission from his pastor. This allows the pastor to attest to the spiritual director's qualifications while also providing the church with a resource for parishioners seeking spiritual guidance.
A good spiritual director is not there to make decisions for you.
A competent spiritual director isn't the person who makes all of your decisions for you. Look for someone who can advise you rather than impose so you can make an informed decision. The purpose of the spiritual director is not to tell you what to do, but to assist you in discerning the Holy Spirit's promptings and hearing God's voice. In the end, the relationship is between you and God.
A good spiritual director has suffered.
Finding someone who is familiar with suffering is extremely beneficial and virtually necessary, as pain is unavoidable in the life of a Christian who wishes to follow in Christ's footsteps. Someone who has been converted into Christ's image through suffering is a wonderful spiritual director.
Someone who has been shaped by the pain God has allowed in life is qualified to be a competent spiritual director. A person who has come to understand that suffering is not a sign of God's rejection of them, but rather a grace and a demonstration of Christ's faith in them.
A good spiritual director is a person of prayer
Finally, ensure that your spiritual director is a prayerful person with a strong spiritual life. Nobody can share something they don't have.
What does a deep spiritual life entail? Visiting Jesus in devotion and regularly attending mass (perhaps even daily). A good spiritual director makes time for personal prayer or meditation every day. They have studied spiritual masters such as Therese of Lisieux, Teresa of Avila, and John of the Cross. They may also have a close relationship with the Blessed Mother, who is our most powerful intercessor, and may pray the rosary or other Marian devotions frequently. Feel free to inquire about a potential spiritual director's spirituality.
How much do you pay a 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.
What does it take to be a spiritual director?
Prospective Certified Spiritual Directors must possess the following qualifications: a doctorate degree in theology, biblical studies, or spirituality. I've completed all of the requisite Spiritual Formation classes. Spiritual Direction practicum was completed for 500 hours.
What questions does a spiritual director ask?
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.
Can a deacon be a spiritual director?
In response to a desire from both laity and consecrated members of the Catholic Church, Franciscan University of Steubenville piloted a new School of Spiritual Direction a little over three years ago. This demand conveyed a desire to be guided further into the Faith through means other than weekly adoration and Mass attendance. It was a longing to be led into the inner workings of the heart, the depths of the soul, and the complexities of the Holy Spirit's action. In a nutshell, it was a desire to have one's spiritual life guided.
What Is Spiritual Direction?
In their book “The Practice of Spiritual Direction” (HarperOne, $16.99), William A. Barry and William J. Connolly define spiritual direction as “a help given by one believer to another that enables the latter to pay attention to God's personal communication to him or her, to respond to this personally communicating God, to grow in intimacy with this God, and to live out the consequences of the relationship.”
Anyone attempting to live out their Catholic faith knows that distinguishing the voice of the Lord from the cacophony of the outside world, much alone the noise within our own thoughts, may be a near-impossible undertaking at times. How can we be sure it's the Lord's voice? Is there a specific symptom to look for? Is this something else, or am I actually developing in connection with God?
Doubt and uncertainty might come in when one is aggressively attempting to sail the straight and narrow on their own. Temptations to second-guess oneself may keep you stuck in one place for longer than necessary. Our minds are magnificent and wonderful things, but without adequate guidance and training, they can be a minefield of deception.
A spiritual director, who acts as a guide on your road to intimacy and relationship with God, can help you with this. A qualified spiritual director, like a counselor, works with clients to offer them advice, new views, and alternative thinking patterns on the road to recovery.
Who Can Be a Spiritual Director?
The School of Spiritual Direction at Franciscan University gives lay people, priests, deacons, religious, formators, and catechists from all walks of life the chance to become spiritual directors. Each person a spiritual director meets has their own set of tales, experiences, joys, and sorrows. As a result, with sufficient training, devout Catholics of any vocation or background can become spiritual directors.
While many people can contribute something special to the function of spiritual director, I'd want to focus on how deacons in particular qualify as good candidates.
Role of the Deacon
The deacon's ministry is not to be taken lightly. They serve as ministers of the Word (by proclaiming the Gospel) and ministers of the Sacrament (by administering the sacrament) (witnessing marriages, baptizing and conducting funeral services). In addition, they are charitable ministers. Deacons are “leaders in identifying the needs of others, then marshaling the Church's resources to address those needs” as “servants in a servant-Church” (USCCB). Identifying and satisfying the needs of the faithful is a difficult mission, especially in a time when instability and upheaval dominate the narrative of modern society.
Keep in mind that deacons, like other consecrated members of the Church, are persons. They still have to fight the world's temptations with their spirits and brains. As a result, it's just as crucial, if not more so, to provide them with encouragement and resources to help them resist and overcome the flesh's temptations. After all, it is to them that the lay faithful turn for guidance. But how can we expect them to assist us if they are lost or conflicted themselves?
A Cohesive Whole
Deacons get rigorous seminary preparation, which is not disregarded; rather, it is supplemented with spiritual direction training. Seminary time is spent focusing on the spiritual, human, intellectual, and pastoral (SHIP) aspects of a deacon's ministry. Acting as a spiritual director not only touches on each of these themes, but spiritual direction training allows deacons to expand their personal grasp of each concept and put this spiritual, human, intellectual, and pastoral ministry into practice.
Furthermore, the tripartite role of a deacon (minister of word, sacrament, and charity) is taken into account. Spiritual direction helps them to delve deeper into the sacred liturgy and sacraments for their own spiritual growth as well as to witness their directee's spiritual growth. Furthermore, giving up their time to spiritually guide one or more persons relates to their vocation as a charitable minister.
Knowing how many spiritual directors come from a consecrated life vocation, we don't want to reinvent the wheel. Rather, the curriculum honors the wisdom learned in seminary and aims to not only deepen this training but also to provide a pathway for these vocations to achieve their goals.
If a doctor is suffering from a fever, he will be less successful in caring for his patients. Similarly, if a deacon's own needs aren't being fulfilled, he won't be able to adequately serve the needs of the Church's members. This is where a school of spiritual direction's program design comes into play. The effectiveness of a spiritual director is limited by his or her own relationship with God. How will that person be able to firmly accompany someone on their spiritual journey if that relationship is in trouble?
Our program's participants will be able to care for the spiritual needs of their future directees by attending to their spiritual needs. Our deacons, in particular, will be able to not only serve the Church's need for spiritual directors, thereby serving the needs of the people, but they will also get guidance for their own lives through Ignatian spirituality and their reliance on a deep and personal relationship with God.
Why is spiritual direction important?
Spiritual direction has been a source of nourishment for Christians for millennia.
Spiritual direction is a type of soul care in which a person interacts with another Christian for the sole goal of analyzing his or her personal relationship with God.
The spiritual director's role in the meeting is that of a facilitator, assisting the person in focusing on what God is doing in their life. They may be referred to as spiritual guides, spiritual advisors, or spiritual partners (3), but they are not a spiritual authority figure in the directee's life (2).
It is critical to remain centered in one's faith and understanding of what God is doing in order to be effective and available to others in ministry. When a Christian's life is coming apart or they need a clear understanding of God's presence and action in their lives, they can turn to a spiritual director (3).
Spiritual direction is crucial because it assists the individual on their spiritual path, making it less lonely. It can also increase one's awareness of God's presence in one's own life (2).
When it comes to spiritual guidance, pastoral counseling, and psychological counseling, what's the difference?
Spiritual direction's objective is to assist a person in discovering how God is operating in their lives and facilitating a creative and loving response to God.
Pastoral counseling focuses on living a life that is founded on the Bible. The person is aided and encouraged to have a better understanding of God's grace and love on a personal level.
Psychological counseling aids in the development of increased personal understanding and freedom of choice as a result of improved self-awareness (3).
The goal of spiritual direction is for the client to encounter God in their daily lives, therefore the spiritual director offers a secure environment in which the client can honestly reflect on what God is doing in their lives while also listening to what God is saying to them. There is no fixed schedule or technique for spiritual direction; it is likely to include talk, quiet, readings, and prayer (2).
It is critical to listen in order to improve one's relationship with God. People seek spiritual direction for a variety of reasons, one of which is to enhance their listening abilities, as it is through hearing that we discover what God is up to in our lives. This understanding will then assist a person in spiritual growth (2).
Spiritual direction is open to anybody seeking a deeper relationship with God, but because the focus is on reflecting on one's faith journey, it will be more beneficial to those who are not new to Christianity.
In fact, for Christian leaders who want to improve in their relationship with God, it can be a useful tool. C.S. Lewis is claimed to have met his spiritual director once a week for 11 years, with their relationship ending only when the spiritual director died.
Spiritual direction can benefit Christians in leadership roles because of the loneliness and isolation they may feel; it allows them to focus on their life and God while also allowing them to privately partner with the spiritual director on challenges they may be facing. Furthermore, it allows the leader to be accountable to someone for what is going on in their spiritual life (2).
It's worth noting that spiritual orientation is moving away from simply talking about God and toward meditating on one's experience with God. Individuals report improved awareness of God and spiritual growth as a result of spiritual direction; many report greater freedom in their relationship with God, enjoyment of God, understanding of God, and clarity of what God is doing. They also express a deep sense of calm in their life as a result of their spiritual direction experiences (2).
It's crucial to understand that spiritual direction is not the same as discipleship, counseling, or preaching.
In a nutshell, spiritual direction is a ministry of support in which one person goes alongside another on their faith journey.
Spiritual direction, a focused ministry of listening, prayer, and conversation, is a refreshing, pleasant experience in our contemporary “introspective individualistic age,” where many believe they don't need anyone to accompany them on their journey (1).
B Th (Hons), M Counselling, Dip Youth Work, Dip Youth Justice, Dip Couns, Dip Pentecostal Theology, Dip Ministry. Author: Corey Human, B Th (Hons), M Counselling, Dip Youth Work, Dip Youth Justice, Dip Couns, Dip Pentecostal Theology, Dip Ministry. PACFA and CCAA member.
In both English and Afrikaans, Corey Human has nearly 20 years of experience giving counseling to teenagers, adults, couples, parents, and families. His goal in relationship counseling and teaching is to equip each couple with the tools they need to heal themselves when their relationship is at a crossroads.
Online Booking is a good way to make an appointment. M1 Psychology Brisbane can also be reached by phone at
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!
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.
Do you pay spiritual directors?
Spiritual direction fees are usually on a sliding basis, ranging from $50 to $150 each 50-minute appointment. For those who cannot afford to pay, some directors provide pro gratis services.
Do you need a degree to be a spiritual director?
For the Education portion of the certification process, the CCPC has established the following requirements.
Formal classroom education in the field of spiritual direction is described as the required education. The foundation of information and skills connected with the basic functions must be addressed through education. Every aspect of your schooling must be documented.
A master's degree from a recognized accredited university with an emphasis in biblical, theological studies and a minimum of six courses in spirituality is required for accreditation. Individuals holding a baccalaureate degree in spirituality may be eligible in exceptional situations if they meet all other qualifications.