Spiritual direction is the companioning of another for the unfolding of the soul. It is the tending to the beauty, pain, and mystery of our relationship with the One who gives us breath. How do we notice the brushstrokes of God in our lives? How do we become aware of the patterns of God unfolding in us and around us? How do we cultivate the landscape of our soul? What are our images of God? As we sit together, we open ourselves to grow in our awareness of God’s hand on the brush in our lives.
“We define Christian spiritual direction, then, as help given by one believer to another that enables the latter to pay attention to God’s personal communication to him or her, to respond to this personally communicating God, to grow in intimacy with this God, and to live out the consequences of the relationship. The focus of this type of spiritual direction is on experience … as an expression of the ongoing personal relationship God has established with each one of us.” – Barry & Connolly in The Practice of Spiritual Direction
Maren as a Spiritual Director
I have been receiving spiritual direction for over 30 years from four different spiritual directors. I took some classes in the late 80’s and early 90’s but wasn’t ready to see myself as a spiritual director while living in different parts of the world. Settling in Virginia, I was busy as a young mother and new pastor. Finally in 2017 at the nudging of a friend, I claimed what had been there for a long time and enrolled in the spiritual direction certificate program at Eastern Mennonite Seminary’s Summer Institute for Spiritual Formation. As part of that program, I began to give spiritual direction under supervision. I graduated in May 2019 and continue to meet monthly with a peer group for accountability. I am a member of Spiritual Directors International as well as the Mennonite Spiritual Directors Network.
How do I pursue Spiritual Direction?
One typically meets with a spiritual director monthly, with sessions lasting an hour. In the current season of covid-19, I am open to try meeting via zoom, skype, FaceTime or Google hangouts. I would be happy to meet for an initial free session to explore questions you may have. Please contact me for information on availability and compensation.
With the Eyes of the Heart 