Holding Space<\\/h3>\\n I appreciate how we have been trained, either through extensive training programs or years of experience giving spiritual direction, to hold space for our directees. Breath after breath, we remain patient, being with them each month as they navigate the unexpected\\u2014and sometimes unimaginable\\u2014workings that show up in their life situations, alongside their families, loved ones, and places of worship. Often, tears wet my eyes when I notice glimpses of light and blessings surrounding a directee during a session. I feel the compassion and love shining down on us, together, in moments of grace, lifting the directee\\u2019s heart and strengthening their soul, especially in times of emptiness and sorrow. In these moments, my soul grows as well.<\\/p>\\n \\u00a0<\\/p>\\n As spiritual directors, we are committed to being fully present with our directees during our sessions each month, individually or in groups. We might be referred to as spiritual directors, yet we are more like special companions, guides, helpers, and overall, good listeners, to our directees. We devote ourselves to what we feel most called to do: create blessed space for welcoming all forms of communication\\u2014even the most subtle\\u2014with God, the Holy, the Higher Source of Wisdom, etc. We offer our directees a deep spaciousness: the opportunity to be unconditionally present with them. This spaciousness, between us and the Higher Source\\u2014 sometimes referred to as the \\u201cthird chair\\u201d in spiritual direction\\u2014allows our directees to feel, notice, and express anything that bears down on their souls and spirits. Then, to conclude our sessions, depending on the directee\\u2019s wishes, we pray together, or sometimes remain silent, basking in the gift of what has just transpired.<\\/p>\\n

{"id":2696,"date":"2024-03-05T13:27:25","date_gmt":"2024-03-05T21:27:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/spiritualdirection101\/?p=2696"},"modified":"2024-03-06T13:51:55","modified_gmt":"2024-03-06T21:51:55","slug":"spiritual-direction-appreciating-each-moments-fullness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/spiritualdirection101\/2024\/03\/spiritual-direction-appreciating-each-moments-fullness\/","title":{"rendered":"Spiritual Direction: Appreciating Each Moment\u2019s Fullness"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Anne Randerson in Brussels, Belgium on how becoming a spiritual director has increased her awareness of the unfolding of beautiful moments. Anne is my guest blogger this week and we appreciate this look into her world! \u2013 Teresa Blythe<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

On my morning walk the other day, I expected the usual greetings from passersby: \u201cHallo\u201d or \u201cDag\u201d or \u201cGoeiemorgen\u201d in Dutch (Flemish), but I saw nobody. Instead, my local park\u2019s bare trees, trickling with remnants of icy rain, greeted me. Alone in my surroundings, I pushed ahead, my boots navigating a dirt path through the frosty grass.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

I listened to the wind whipping through the trees while expecting to see a neighbor or two as I ambled along. The inhabitants of my village outside Brussels have become friendlier since COVID hit our world. Now, you don\u2019t have to own a puppy, or stroll a baby, for people to say hello. Maybe it\u2019s because I\u2019m older, and my lifestyle has slowed down; I blend into this culture better than thirty-four years ago, when I first relocated to Belgium from California.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

It\u2019s nice to stop and say hello to others during my early-morning walks. These promenades follow my MPJ (meditation-prayer-journaling) time and get my heart pumping before I spend weekdays at my computer doing what I love: writing and meeting with clients. Like most spiritual directors, I cherish my work. There\u2019s something unique about sharing meaningful time with directees\u2014even some across the world\u2014each month. I love how we get to offer sacred space to them, to help them reflect on spiritual matters\u2014and non-spiritual matters\u2014that crop up in their lives. I appreciate how, through practice, we have learned to open our senses, to observe and receive the many workings of God\u2014or however our directees prefer to name the Divine\u2014as perceived by those sharing these precious moments with us.<\/p>\n

Holding Space<\/h3>\n I appreciate how we have been trained, either through extensive training programs or years of experience giving spiritual direction, to hold space for our directees. Breath after breath, we remain patient, being with them each month as they navigate the unexpected\u2014and sometimes unimaginable\u2014workings that show up in their life situations, alongside their families, loved ones, and places of worship. Often, tears wet my eyes when I notice glimpses of light and blessings surrounding a directee during a session. I feel the compassion and love shining down on us, together, in moments of grace, lifting the directee\u2019s heart and strengthening their soul, especially in times of emptiness and sorrow. In these moments, my soul grows as well.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n As spiritual directors, we are committed to being fully present with our directees during our sessions each month, individually or in groups. We might be referred to as spiritual directors, yet we are more like special companions, guides, helpers, and overall, good listeners, to our directees. We devote ourselves to what we feel most called to do: create blessed space for welcoming all forms of communication\u2014even the most subtle\u2014with God, the Holy, the Higher Source of Wisdom, etc. We offer our directees a deep spaciousness: the opportunity to be unconditionally present with them. This spaciousness, between us and the Higher Source\u2014 sometimes referred to as the \u201cthird chair\u201d in spiritual direction\u2014allows our directees to feel, notice, and express anything that bears down on their souls and spirits. Then, to conclude our sessions, depending on the directee\u2019s wishes, we pray together, or sometimes remain silent, basking in the gift of what has just transpired.<\/p>\n

Collision in the Park<\/h3>\n On that chilly January day as I traversed the park, braving the icy weather, I was in a contemplative mood. I reflected on how fortunate I felt to have been guided by an acquaintance to my spiritual direction apprentice training program, which I had just completed. I had been working with volunteer directees for ten months, from three different continents, and now it was time to launch my spiritual direction practice. I looked at the bare trees for answers. How would potential directees find me?<\/p>\n Suddenly, as I rounded a sizable pine tree, my thoughts skidded to a halt. I heard screams\u2014loud and high-pitched, like a boiling tea kettle. The screams emanated from the skate park, ten feet away. With horror, I noticed a small, blond head, face down, on the cement rim of the skating rink. Heart racing, I ran over to the blond head and yelled, \u201cAlles goed?\u201d (Everything all right?)<\/p>\n \u201cJa.\u201d Up popped a smiling face. The boy seemed about ten years old. He jumped to his feet, grabbed his skateboard, and proceeded to do a performance fit for a circus. I stood in admiration, watching him. After three precarious loops, he skated up to me, smiled again, and took off.<\/p>\n

Hearing with the Heart<\/h3>\n Like in spiritual direction, our directees come to us with stories\u2014real-life bits of their existence\u2014and we need to be ready. We might hear the scream, smile, heartfelt moments, good, bad, and neutral. That\u2019s why it\u2019s so important to care for ourselves fully, so we can open our hearts, minds, and souls to our directees, and offer them our complete attention. That is the gift of spiritual direction, and the gift a spiritual director receives every time: the fullness of each moment, as it unfolds.<\/p>\n \n Note from the author: religious traditions across the globe have distinct ways of celebrating their faith. The tradition I was raised in, Christianity, welcomes prayers for love, compassion, and goodwill to all. So does Zen Buddhism<\/a>, which I studied in Japan, as well as so many others. Prayerful messages like these translate into all world religions, faith traditions, ideologies, and languages. I hope they will help bring peace to all during this time of heightened global conflict.<\/p>\n Many thanks to Teresa Blythe for this opportunity to contribute to Spiritual Direction 101.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Anne Randerson, Ph.D.<\/strong> graduated from the Phoenix Center for Spiritual Direction Apprentice Training Program<\/a> in January, 2024. Anne lives in Brussels, Belgium and is a writer, mindfulness-based coach, teacher of contemplative practices and creative expression, and a member of Spiritual Directors International (SDI). In 2003, Anne earned her Ph.D. degree in Human Life Studies<\/em> after six years of research in northern Japan. Her dissertation was titled: Human lifestyle and sensitivity towards nature\u2014A comparative study between Japan and the West from a religious perspective<\/em>. Anne has lived in five countries, speaks six languages, and currently offers online sessions to spiritual directees from multiple faiths, cultures, languages, and backgrounds. She especially welcomes individuals from international LGBTQIA+, neurodiverse (including ADHD), and creative communities, and those facing chronic illness, grief, and loss. Anne also facilitates interfaith group spiritual direction, nature-based retreats, and pilgrimages. To reach Anne, please visit https:\/\/www.evocativesoul.com<\/a>\u00a0or contact Anne at info@evocativesoul.com.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Anne Randerson in Brussels, Belgium on how becoming a spiritual director has increased her awareness of the unfolding of beautiful moments. Anne is my guest blogger this week and we appreciate this look into her world! \u2013 Teresa Blythe \u00a0 \u00a0 On my morning walk the other day, I expected the usual greetings from passersby: […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1083,"featured_media":870,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2696","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nSpiritual Direction: Appreciating Each Moment\u2019s Fullness<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Anne Randerson in Brussels, Belgium on how becoming a spiritual director has increased her awareness of the unfolding of beautiful moments. 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