You can find some general information about spiritual direction here as well as my own approach to this practice. If you are interested in working with me, you can find ‘Nest Steps’ listed below.

What is Spiritual Direction?

Life is full of noise. Work, relationships, responsibilities, expectations, and the endless stream of things competing for our attention can make it difficult to hear the quieter voice of the soul.

Spiritual direction is a practice of making space to listen with a companion.

In spiritual direction, you meet regularly with a trained spiritual companion who listens with you as you explore your life, your questions, your hopes, your struggles, and your experience of the sacred. Together, you pay attention to the places where you may be encountering God, the Holy, or the deeper mystery of your life.

An Interfaith or Interspiritual Approach.

My approach to spiritual direction is interfaith.

That means I welcome people from many religious and spiritual traditions, as well as people who are questioning, exploring, or uncertain about what they believe. You do not need to arrive with a particular set of beliefs—or even a clear understanding of what you believe—to begin.

Interfaith spiritual direction does not ask you to leave your tradition at the door. Instead, it creates a space where your particular spiritual language, practices, questions, and experiences can be honored and explored.

For one person, the language of God may feel completely natural. Another may speak of the Divine, Spirit, Mystery, the Sacred, Love, Presence, or simply something more. Someone else may be deeply rooted in a religious tradition while wrestling with parts of it. Another may feel spiritually alive but disconnected from organized religion altogether.

All of these experiences can be part of the conversation.

Interfaith spiritual direction is not about blending religions together or finding a lowest common denominator among faiths. It is about cultivating deep respect and curiosity for the unique path each person is walking.

My own spiritual life is rooted in the Christian tradition, particularly the Episcopal tradition and its rich contemplative and sacramental heritage. That perspective is part of who I am, and I do not pretend otherwise. At the same time, I believe that God’s presence—and the movement toward greater love, compassion, justice, humility, and wholeness—cannot be confined by the boundaries we sometimes place around religious experience.

My role is not to convert you, correct your beliefs, or lead you toward my particular way of understanding God.

My role is to listen with you.

Together, we can explore the questions beneath the questions:

• Where is the sacred showing up in your life?
• What is calling for your attention?
• What gives you life—and what diminishes it?
• Where are you experiencing resistance, longing, grief, wonder, or possibility?
• What might your deepest experiences be inviting you to notice?
• How might you live with greater integrity, compassion, freedom, and love?

Sometimes spiritual direction is about finding answers.

More often, it is about learning to live more deeply into the questions.

And sometimes the most important thing we can do is simply become quiet enough to notice that we are not walking the path alone.

Clearing up confusion around spiritual direction.

Despite its name, spiritual direction is not about someone directing you or telling you what to do. Sometimes this practice is also called spiritual companioning. The spiritual director is not an expert with all the answers. Rather, the director offers a compassionate, attentive presence and helps you notice what may otherwise go unnoticed.

Sometimes that means making sense of a season of transition or grief. Sometimes it means wrestling with questions of faith or purpose. Sometimes it means simply having a place where you can bring your whole self and wonder aloud. I strive to offer a safe, judgement-free oasis where the seeker can explore the sacred in their life without the need to “mask” or perform.

At its heart, spiritual direction is holy listening—a practice of becoming more attentive to your own experience and to the movement of the Spirit within and around you.

Spiritual direction is not psychotherapy or counseling, and it is not about “solving” problems or providing quick answers. It is a contemplative relationship centered on discernment, awareness, meaning, and spiritual growth. It can complement therapy, pastoral care, or other forms of support and I personally encourage my clients to explore other support models to accompany their spiritual direction work as they are able.

Next Steps

If you would like to explore the possibility of working with me, here are the steps for beginning spiritual direction.

• Use the Contact page at the top to reach out to me to inquire.
• We can then set up an initial meeting to get a sense of what you are seeking. There is no charge for this initial meeting.
• If you would like to proceed, I will send you a simple intake form via email.
• We can schedule your first session.

Sessions usually run 6o minutes and are usually on Zoom, though I can offer in person in the Chicago area, on certain days. My standard rate is $100 per session though I offer a sliding scale which is outlined in the intake form.