Spiritual Direction

Spiritual Direction has a new name, Spiritual Companioning, a non-directive reflective companionship that can be a significant help discerning God’s presence in everyday affairs. If you are interested, check out http://gabriellacahaley.net, my otherwebsite.

Spiritual Direction is sometimes referred to as spiritual guidance or spiritual companionship , in which the director guides (the directee), towards becoming more attuned to God’s Presence in order to respond more fully to that Presence in all of life.

I return to offering Spiritual Direction, Meditation and Transformational Life Coaching.

During the current pandemic I’ve been working remotely, leading meditation, spirituality and grief support in a private facility. I gained hours each week because I no longer had to commute. I enrolled and completed several on-line courses.

As a Transformation Life Coach and Mindfulness Practitioner I offer these courses in addition to Spiritual Direction in my Zoom room. For the foreseeable future I will only offer Zoom sessions.

You might be wondering is Transformation Life Coaching. I found many similarities to Spiritual Direction but of course also differences. As we get older, some of us may realize that the vision of  our youth has faded and our lives lost meaning. Somewhere between each mundane yet necessary daily task, our intended path in life appears to have been lost. Our attitudes and perception of ourselves, however, also plays a part in this. Because of this, many people may have a sense of longing to discover meaning in their lives. A Transformational Life Coach may be very helpful guiding and encouraging an individual in the process of transforming their lives.

As a side note, Transformational Life coaching is similar to Life coaching. Although both involve helping people bettering themselves and their lives by bringing about necessary changes. Instead of changing how they act, however, as with life coaching clients, transformation coaching involves deeper levels of self awareness and  the recognition that to grow, changing life perspectives and perceptions about themselves and their limitations is necessary.

The Spiritual Director is now known as the Spiritual Companion

The Spiritual companion listens and asks questions to assist the directee in his or her process of reflection and spiritual growth. Spiritual direction is not  psychotherapy or counseling.

As a member of  https://www.sdicompanions.org, I abide by certain ethical Standards.

I acknowledge that directees’ spiritual lives are first and foremost directed by God. As a spiritual companion I seek to follow God’s leading in directees’ lives, and not impose my ideas of what should be done or should happen. I exercise spiritual direction ministry aware of God’s redemptive presence in each spiritual direction session.

Since directees are coming to spiritual direction to meet firstly with God, ast he true Director, I consider the time and space with a directee to be sacred – a reverent place to encounter God’s presence – and therefore I honor the experience with appropriate preparation, atmosphere, consideration, care and boundaries.

I respect each person made in God’s image and treat each person who seeks direction with appropriate dignity and care. I may choose to refer a potential directee to work with someone else due to my own personal limitations – such as lack of experience in a specific religious background or interests; age, language and cultural limitations. I will do my best to help a directee find an appropriate person with whom to work.

I will maintain collegial relationships within and across disciplines and refrain from disparaging others. Spiritual directors seek to support one another, value collegial sharing and assist one another in bettering their ministries.

At the onset of a direction relationship, I will make clear a covenant or agreement with the directee, either written or verbally, which outlines the boundaries of the spiritual direction relationship.

Foremost for me as a spiritual director is obeying the commandment repeated from the Old Testament in Matthew 22:39, the injunction to love the neighbor. In light of this commandment, I respect and honor all persons in society regardless of age, race, ethnicity, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, religion, disability, marital status, political belief, any personal characteristic, attribute, condition or status.