What is Spiritual Direction?

What is Spiritual Direction

Spiritual direction is the practice of being with people as they deepen their relationship with God. It is the world's oldest methodology for healing one's soul and giving way to *true self. One person listening intently as another narrates the current season of life. Both knowing God sits at the heart and center of the words and emotions. Spiritual direction seeks the intimacy of community, giving power to carry each other's burdens. The practice of spiritual direction is thousands of years old. Claimed by every major religion and wisdom tradition, the director goes by many names; guru, sage, anam ćara, murshid, guide, priest, witch doctor, chimbuki, shaman, among others. For Christians the first visible sign of spiritual directors came out of the Desert Fathers and Mothers of Egypt, Syria and Palestine in the third and fourth centuries. People sought connection with the Divine through holy men and women experienced in relationship with God.

THE ROLE OF SPIRITUAL DIRECTOR

The spiritual director is trained to listen, discern and ask questions. Directors vigilantly pay attention to the person’s story and the Holy Spirit to encourage spiritual growth. Spiritual direction is not counseling. It is the commitment to discover what God is doing in a person’s life and to help that person come closer to Christ.

THE PURPOSE OF SPIRITUAL DIRECTION

To penetrate beneath the surface of a man’s life, to get behind the façade of conventional gestures and attitudes which he presents to the world, and to bring out his inner spiritual freedom, his inmost truth, which is what we call the likeness of Christ in his soul. -THOMAS MERTON- 

Here are the benefits of spiritual direction.

*True Self - A sense of self centered in love not fear.

What you need to know:

  • How long are sessions? 1 hour

  • How do you schedule a session? Please text, call or email - 619.964.0337 / jr@jrmahon.com

  • Where do you hold sessions? Face to face in J.R.’s Ohio office or a myriad of digital options from phone calls to ZOOM

  • Do you work with couples? Yes

  • Do you do marriage intensives? Yes, please call for details

  • Do you spiritually direct teens? Yes

  • What are the session rates? J.R. works on a sliding scale made possible through TableTop Ministries. Session rates start at $150.00 for one hour and scale down from there. TableTop’s aim is to provide spiritual direction and turn no one away.

  • Do you make house calls? Yes… client pays for travel and lodging if necessary

  • Can you teach my church staff the practice of spiritual direction? Yes, call or text for details. 619.964.0337

  • Do you do group spiritual direction sessions? Absolutely

  • Do you take insurance? No

J.R.’s 13 Principles Of Spiritual Direction

  1. God is love.

  2. Every human heart longs to be loved.

  3. We must learn to love, both give and receive.

  4. The heart is designed to break.

  5. Ego and Fear are absent of love and divinity. They are best friends, not your friends. 

  6. Humans are aware of their “stuff.” Our relationships with God, community and self is predicated on how willing we are to spiritually transform said “stuff.”

  7. Vulnerability is the key to spiritual transformation

  8. Sorrow and Joy by themselves will not lead to spiritual transformation but force the hand of willingness for change.

  9. People, places and things will not make you happy.

  10. You can not “believe” alone.

  11. Faith will evolve or die.

  12. Wisdom is the applied science of spiritual direction.

  13. Spiritual maturity is the absence of duality, undefended with nothing to prove and nothing to lose.

What makes a great spiritual director

  • A spiritual director will have a spiritual director

  • A spiritual director will have accountability among a group of peers

  • A spiritual director will have a very disciplined spiritual life

  • A spiritual director will see his/her time with a directee as a spiritual practice*

  • A spiritual director will listen not fix

  • A spiritual director will help you find your true self

  • A spiritual director will help you hear God

  • A spiritual director will challenge you

  • A spiritual director will feel safe

  • A spiritual director will be available

  • A spiritual director will be led by the Spirit

  • A spiritual director will be a person of experience

  • A spiritual director will be a person of learning

  • A spiritual director will have discernment

Spiritual Practices

Spiritual practice or spiritual discipline will include spiritual exercises that act as intentional movement to connect with the Divine. The purpose being inducing spiritual experiences and cultivating spiritual formation.

Three areas of spiritual practice

  1. Practices of personal cultivation, attention and exploration.

    • Meditation, contemplation, lectio divina, centering prayer - designed to capture your attention

    • Awareness and consciousness development

    • Prayer - intentionally moving with divine

    • Breathing techniques - breath prayer/mantras

    • Virtues techniques - loving kindness, giving

    • Somatic Techniques - understanding the body, its movement, and flow

    • Chanting - allowing sound, vibration, and energy to represent the spiritual flow

    • Self-discipline - avoidance of indulgence, fasting, vows of silence

  1. Practices of learning, understanding, absorbing

    • Reading/books, scriptures, poems, etc...

    • Listening - podcast, talks, seminars

    • Community / teacher / spiritual director relationships

    • Belief and or faith systems

  2. Practices of external action

    • Rituals - communion, baptisms

    • Service to community and self (helping the poor)

    • Ethics - following a set of principles

Spiritual direction sessions with J.R. are designed to change your life.

Are you interested in working with me? Here’s how to get started.

Step 1. Schedule a consult. You can do that right here.

Step 2. Watch your email for questions from me. Before we hop on the phone, I’d like to know a bit about you and what you’d like to get out of spiritual direction with me.

Step 3. Hit “reply” to that email and answer the questions.

Step 4. At the scheduled time of your consult, we’ll talk! We’ll use the opportunity to make sure we’re the perfect fit.

Step 5. Then we’ll get started! If you decide to work with me, I’ll tell you the exact steps for getting started. If you decide not to work with me or if we aren’t a perfect fit, I’m happy to share other resources to help you get what you need.

Have questions? You can call me… 619.964.0337