In spiritual direction, the client and a trusted individual sit with the intention of holding the space for God to enter. It’s like therapy in that two people—the director and the directee (or client)—meet for about an hour and talk about what is going on in the life of the directee. But it’s different from therapy in that there is no exploration of the origin of conflicts and no attempt to solve problems. Instead, the process is to present life’s challenges (and blessings) to the divine and then watch how they shift. Spiritual direction is about creating openings to the energy that is all around us, and learning to see every situation as a spiritual teacher.

I frequently use the word God because it works for me, but as a spiritual director, I use whatever language you are comfortable with. We’ll approach the divine in a way that works for you. We begin each session in silence. That serves to get centered and create a cushion of space around the process. We’ll sometimes ask for help directly from the universe, rather than feeling we need to solve problems on our own. Sometimes we’ll be curious about where God is in a situation.

As a spiritual director, I ground myself in my own connection with God and the earth. This helps me to avoid thinking that I am the one helping. Instead, I encourage you to connect to the wisdom, energy, love, and compassion deep inside yourself and around us. When I am at my best as a spiritual director, I don’t believe it’s me doing the helping.