Welcome to the Center to BE!

Spiritual Direction or Spiritual Companioning is a process with a rich tradition. In it, one person, through the grace of the Spirit, helps another to develop a deeper relationship with God through an awareness of the presence and movement of God in his/her lived experiences. This process extends over time and is used by women and men of multiple faith traditions.

Many people long to know God more intimately, although they may not be able to name it that way. They may want a place to tell their stories in order to help make sense of their lives. They often desire to find a way to understand how God is working in them and through them. Spiritual companions can provide a loving, non-judgmental and confidential environment in which all this and more can be explored.

God/Spirit is the true director in this process. Spiritual companions serve as God's human instruments and will:

Listen, offering a safe space in which to speak and be heard. Putting thoughts, feelings, questions and experiences into words can often help clarify what is puzzling or frightening. Any discomfort with talking about "spiritual" matters is diminished greatly in this process.
Help people to notice how God is present and acting in their lives. Sometimes another set of eyes can see the subtle ways that God's grace is at work through ordinary and extraordinary events.
Help people respond to God. When people are called to change, the response is not always clear or easy. Spiritual companions can provide encouragement and support.
Guide people in practices to enhance their spiritual growth. These practices may include prayer forms, suggestions for reading, help with journaling, and assistance with discernment.
Love and pray for those with whom they walk. Those companioned will receive loving acceptance in this relationship and will know that they are prayed for.

It is important to understand what spiritual direction is not:

It is not therapy, although the issues discussed might be the same as those brought up in a therapeutic setting. The focus is not on "fixing" something that is "wrong".
It is not friendship although the individuals involved will often develop a caring relationship. Friendship implies a mutuality in which each person in the relationship gives to and receives from the other. In the spiritual direction process the focus is exclusively on the "directee" and that person's relationship with God.
It is not about religion or theology. The process transcends the distinctions among religions and emphasizes how God is found in personal experience.
It is not time-limited, highly structured or goal-oriented. It is a process which unfolds at its own pace and generally extends over an extended period of time. The benefits are personal and internal; they are "the fruits of the spirit" which may include a greater sense of peace and a heightened awareness of God in all things.
It is not an appropriate choice for everyone. Those entering into the process must be open and willing to explore their relationship with God. It requires a commitment of time to meet with the spiritual companion and to pay attention to the movement of God in their lives.

The Center to BE assists individuals in beginning this process by answering questions about the reasons for spiritual direction, what the process involves, who spiritual directors are and the impact the process may have on their lives. We maintain a list of religious and lay persons who serve as spiritual directors with an inclusive approach to spirituality. The Executive Director also serves as a spiritual companion.