What is Spiritual Direction?

What is spiritual accompaniment?

A shelter. A conversation around the campfire 

A silence. Together. 

A finding again of hopes, desires, what makes me me. 

A sharing. A discovery. A journey… 

Spiritual Accompaniment (or Spiritual Direction) is the ancient practice of drawing alongside another on their journey of faith.  Accompanying someone in this way is to be with them on the path. To help bring to birth a new sense of the reality and presence of God in life. 

Spiritual accompaniment is not about my agenda for your life but you discovering the divine within you, the Christ who dwells in us, the Spirit who delights in helping us become more alive to who we really are. 

Gerald Manley Hopkins captured the phrase ‘Christ plays in 10,000 places’ in his beautiful poem, The Kingfisher. Spiritual accompaniment offers the space and time to deepen awareness of the Christ who plays in so many places in the world we live in, in the relationships we share and our inner world. 

Spiritual accompaniment provides a unique space alongside other practices such as counselling, mentoring, life coaching or discipleship. It doesn’t seek to fix problems, or provide accountability structures but it is a space to explore who you are and your experience of faith in the landscape of your life right now.  

Often I’m asked how it’s different to counselling. I think it’s helpful to see it as an excellent companion to counselling. For example, if you are seeing a counsellor to help with your depression the spiritual accompaniment can aid with noticing where you are with God in the midst of that depression, a space to explore how your faith is being affected and to become aware of that.

If you’d like to find out what this looks like then read on (who is it for, how does it work) and book in a free initial chat with me if you would like to explore further. (contact form to the right on the front page of the website)