More non-affiliated Americans have been seeking spiritual directors even as they lose faith in other aspects of institutional religion, reports Deirdre Pelphrey in World Religion News (August 12). Spiritual directors have seen increased interest in their ministries, especially from “younger people who no longer attend church but still want to nurture a sense of the spiritual in their lives.” While spiritual directors have often operated independently from congregations for decades, one director says that this field encompasses not just prayer life, but all of life. A decade ago, a typical question might have been how to pray better, she observed, but today one hears, “I’m having trouble finding a job.” Spiritual directors can now be found in a range of traditions—Christian, Buddhist, Jewish, and those of Indigenous religions—as they have adapted the practice to their own religions. The Rev. SeiFu Anil Singh-Molares, executive director of Spiritual Directors International and a Zen Buddhist priest, defines spiritual direction essentially as deep listening and respecting people’s ability to guide and control their thoughts, behavior, and life. “We’re not trying to convert anyone,” he said. While one form of spiritual direction may be anchored to one faith tradition, others are more pluralistic. Some spiritual directors may operate independently from external certification, while others participate in certificate programs at institutions such as San Francisco Theological Seminary, Jewish Theological Seminary, Southern Methodist University’s Perkins School of Theology, and Columbia Theological Seminary.
Source: precious Blood Renewal Center (https://www.pbrenewalcenter.org/blog/spiritual-direction-a-path-tointerior-freedom/)
In Canada and many European countries, spiritual directors are required to be certified, but in the U.S., there is no central board, no licensing authority, and no required written or oral examinations to pass. Spiritual Directors International seeks to codify and coordinate spiritual direction, seasoning it with guiding principles to make it just enough of a discipline without letting it become a stultified regimen. Spiritual Directors International now has over 6,800 members in 42 countries, of which 90 percent are based in North America. After Christians, the second largest group the organization caters to are “spiritual independents,” which include most of the membership’s nones. In 2016, this category was too small to consider a category, but it now makes up about 1,600 members. The non-affiliated can include several types, from people formerly following a religion to those who no longer do, to younger people who are opposed to institutional religions for various reasons. Singh-Molares said that spiritual direction is still a well-kept secret, but he sees its recent growth as a sign that people are hungry for the practice. Defining spirituality and differentiating spiritual direction from therapy remain two issues surrounding the practice. One spiritual director helped her clients to see how riding a bicycle or listening to music can become spiritual rituals by helping them feel more connected to themselves. Rev. Katie Nakamura Rengers, an Episcopal priest, says that while a therapist helps you get “out of the cave,” a spiritual director helps you “explore the cave.”
(World Religion News, https://www.worldreligionnews.com/religion-news/here-come-the-spiritual-directors-the-facilitators-for-the-religiously-unaffiliated)
