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What is Spirituality?
"Spirituality concerns the quest for a fulfilled and authentic religious life, involving the bringing together of the ideas distinctive of that religion and the whole experience of living on the basis of and within the scope of that religion"
Alister E. McGrath, 1999
"It has to do with our experiencing God and with the transformation of our consciousness and our lives as outcomes of that experience."
Richard P. O'Brien, 1994
"Christian spirituality is the lived experience of Christian belief in both its general and more specialized forms...It is possible to distinguish spirituality from doctrine in that it concentrates not on faith itself, but on the reaction that faith arouses in religious consciousness and practice. It can likewise be distinguished from Christian ethics in that it treats not all human actions in their relation to God, but those acts in which the relation to God is immediate and explicit."
Bernard McGinn, 1985
As is seen from these definitions spirituality involves experience, relationship and transformation. It implies that we realize our relationship with and live the experience of God; that this relationship and experience transform our consciousness and our practices; that through the Holy Spirit we become new and authentic persons; and that in living a spiritual life we become whole.
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What is Spiritual Direction?
In the Buddhist tradition there is a story:
The Master Nan-in had a visitor who came to inquire about Zen, but instead of listening, the visitor kept talking about his own ideas. After a while, Nan-in served tea. He poured tea into his visitor's cup until it was full. Then he kept on pouring. Finally, the visitor could not restrain himself. "Don't you see it's full," he said. "You cannot get anymore in." "Just so" replied Nan-in, stopping at last. "And like the cup, you are filled with your own ideas. How can you expect me to give you Zen unless you offer an empty cup?"
In Personal and
Group Spiritual Direction we come to God as
"an empty cup."
An
ancient ministry of the Judeo-Christian community,
Personal Spiritual Direction is a one-to-one
trusting association where one Christian listens
with great intensity to another person's life
story with an ear and an eye for the movement
of the Holy Spirit within that person's soul.
Imagine a triangle.
At the apex of that triangle is a loving
God. At one point
of the base is a Spiritual Director; you are
at the other point of the base.
As a fellow traveler
or "wounded" pilgrim the Spiritual Director
helps you to discern God's presence and to
recognize His voice. This
is done in a confidential setting of encouragement
and compassion. Through
reflective questions she helps you to deepen
your experience of Him through prayer and
points out resources to you on this journey
to intimacy with Him. You both try to recognize
and understand what the Holy Spirit seems
to be saying to you. The
Spiritual Director does not give advice or
tell you what to do. She
simply helps you pay attention to the inner
movements within your heart that lead you
toward or away from God.
This is your moment.
It's all about God's agenda, and you.
And if truth be known, the real Spiritual
Director is the Holy Spirit.
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Personal
Spiritual Direction
Another story from Tibetan Buddhism tells
of two people walking barefoot along a rough
road. One thought it would be a very good
idea to cover the whole road with leather
so that it would be very soft. The other one
who was wiser said, "No, I think if we
cover our feet with leather that would be
enough." One
on one Personal Spiritual Direction is all
about "covering our feet," learning to
take responsibility for our own spiritual
growth. The focus
is entirely on God, on helping you become
more attuned to God, discerning and doing
His will. Only in
this way can you begin to tap into the incredible
spiritual strength that lies within you.
The Spiritual Director as your companion
in this experience helps you to know yourself,
to explore the grounds of your being and then
to go beyond it to meet God.
This involves risk and often pain. The Spiritual Director is there as your support and guide. S/he asks the tough questions that reveal the games we play and force you to encounter your real self, becoming aware of your feelings, being more open, honest and direct, living in the now, purging yourself of those faults that keep you from being who you truly are. Only when "your cup becomes empty", will you be able to hear your own story - to look at your sorrows and failures, your struggles and fears, to listen to your dreams, memories, and fantasies, and to become aware of the person that is really you. At some point all of this begins to come together in a mystical prayer when you start to understand the biblical injunction "Be Still and Know that I am God."
This is not the same thing as Pastoral Counseling
where the focus is on the individual. Personal
Spiritual Direction is about God.
It is about helping you to really listen
and respond to Him, to grow in intimacy with
Him and to live out the consequences of this
relationship.
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How often does one meet with a Spiritual Director?
You usually meet with a Spiritual Director
once a month at a designated place for about
an hour. In the
beginning of you personal spiritual direction,
you might decide to meet more often.
You come to the meeting with your own
agenda. You share
with the director what you want to share about
your life and prayer experience.
What is shared in personal spiritual
direction sessions is strictly confidential.
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What
are the benefits of Group and Personal Spiritual
Direction?
During the time you spend with your spiritual director, you may expect to
- Discern the movement of the Holy Spirit within you,
- Begin to discern God's will,
- Discover your purpose in life;
- Rediscover that God loves you just as you are,
- Get in touch with the shadow side of your existence,
- Deepen and enhance your spiritual life through prayer, meditation, journaling, contemplation and spiritual reading,
- Be forced to be accountable in furthering your relationship with God.
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How much does it cost?
The question of charges for personal spiritual
direction is no small issue.
Usually there is no set "fee for
services." Most
directees agree in advance to make some kind
of donation according to their ability to
pay. (Common donations are $75-$125 per hour).
However, we would never refuse personal
spiritual direction to anyone because of lack
of funds.
Generally clients meet with a Spiritual Director
once a month for a minimum of six months.
Membership or participation in a particular
faith tradition is not a prerequisite for
personal spiritual direction.
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Costs
We work with individuals in their capacities as executives, managers, professionals, or employees within their work environment. An intervention may be required for one or several individuals or it may be part of an organization development relationship. The actual costs depend on the intervention required.
Stand alone programs (that are not part of an OD intervention) typically last from six months to one year. Living in the Spirit corporate fees range from $1,000 - $3,000 per month for weekly (3 per month per individual) sessions which include one or more personal assessments and weekly telephone or office visit sessions.
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Group
Spiritual Direction
At the onset it should be noted that Group Spiritual Direction is not the same thing as a prayer group, sharing group, support group, or a place for problem solving. It is true that prayer, sharing, and support are part of the process, and problems do arise, but the focus is on listening to God with and for each other.
Group Spiritual Direction is appropriate for those individuals who are seeking a loving community for assistance and support in their faith journey and who are willing to meet with similarly minded individuals a few hours per month. This does not preclude meeting with a Spiritual Director on a one-to-one basis.
In Group Spiritual Direction we listen to God's voice and discern his movements through the voice of others. It is quite similar to individual direction in that each format helps participants to grow in their ability to discern and to respond to these movements. However, the process is a bit different in that it is generally more structured and of a longer duration, though never more than two hours. The basic requirement is that participants come to each session with a sincere desire to experience God more fully in their lives. They are asked to commit to supporting each other and to pray for each other. During the actual session they are also asked to listen respectfully and prayerfully to one another as each person talks about how s/he experiences God. Finally they are asked to hold in the strictest of confidences what is said in the group.
During each session there are periods of silence for prayer and discernment, reflections on a pre-determined passage from scripture and an opportunity for all participants to speak to their faith journey and listen deeply to each other. The Spiritual Director keeps the discussion focused and maintains a prayerful, contemplative, and trusting environment.
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PERSONAL
AND GROUP SPIRITUAL DIRECTION FOR LEADERS
AND ORGANIZATIONS
"Today's organizations are impoverished spiritually and many of their most important problems are due to this impoverishment"
Ian Mitroff
Ian Mitroff, co author of A Spiritual Audit of Corporate America published in 1999 by Josey-Bass, writes that those individuals who work in organizations in which their values are not compromised are likely to be more productive, and less likely to be susceptible to employment offers from other companies. Other publications report on CEOs who use religious beliefs to guide their business practices or allow, in some cases encourage, their employees to engage in engage in religious activities on company time and or premises. An organization in Dallas called Marketplace Ministries has placed "chaplains" in corporations such as Taco Bell, Pizza Hut where annual turnover has been substantially reduced with a concomitant increase in profits. The downside of this phenomenon is that evangelicals see this as opening the doors to bringing religion full scale into the corporate world.
This is not the focus of Living in the Spirit. We are concerned with helping those individuals who spend almost 80% of their waking hours in organizations. These individuals are subject to workplace stress to the point of burnout. Their values are frequently compromised by the vagaries of the marketplace, despite the constant discussion of ethics and personal growth emanating from the nation's airways, publications, sermons, and the like. More often than not many of us find our places of employment to be alienating, depriving our souls of nourishment. We are expected to "park our souls and values at the door. Most of us are confused about the proper role of spirituality when it comes to work. Such questions as interpersonal relationships with colleagues, balancing career with the rest of one's life, determining right from wrong, or changing the conditions under which one works or the impacts their companies have on the environment, on social justice, or in the political arena.
Such
individuals want more than bible study discussion
groups. They want
some way to enable their spirituality to inform
their day practices with respect to maintaining
their integrity, enhancing their relationships
with fellow stakeholders in the company, and
learning to communicate in a manner that is
honest and above board without fear of retribution
or judgment from those whose values are unethical,
immoral or amoral. Such
individuals recognize that errors are unavoidable,
that this is an imperfect world, and perfection
is seldom if ever attainable. But this does
not excuse one from striving for excellence
in terms of quality of product or service,
as long as no intentional harm is done to
other stakeholders' dignity, value or well-being.
Such
individuals also want to find a balance between
work, family and community.
They need time to reflect and to replenish
their physical, intellectual, moral and spiritual
lives. If they practice
a particular religion they need time for this
as well. It is our
experience that in this regard such individuals
often need the services of a life coach and
or a spiritual director.
The benefits to the organization are
many. The question
is how can spiritual directors enter organizations
to tend to these needs, which are not only
those of the ordinary workers, but also are
equally the needs of leaders and organizations
as a whole. By the
same token, the operating question here is
how organizational leaders can make better
decisions that allow for the congruence of
spiritual values with corporate values and
visions.
Milton E. Lopes, Ph.D.
Spiritual Direction Spiritually Based
Life Coach- Personal and Group Spiritual Direction
706 353-2418
1 877 540 2622 Toll Free.
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