When I tell people I have a spiritual direction practice the most common response I hear is: “what is spiritual direction?” Below is a brief explanation of spiritual direction as I practice it.

When Thomas Merton was master of scholastics at the Monastery at Gethsemani in 1962, he remarked that “everyone should get spiritual direction.” This was a wildly radical notion for its time. Back ...

For people who want to deepen their spiritual life, having a regular spiritual practice is one of the most important tools. But how do you know what spiritual practice is right for you? Should you be ...

In one of the cabinets of my office, I keep a small glass holder big enough for a single tea light candle. I received it my first semester of seminary, during which I'd taken a class called Spiritual ...

NEW YORK CITY – It’s a time of high anxiety, and peace can seem so elusive. It’s also a time when there’s a skepticism about “thoughts and prayers.” How can we make our Christianity more real, more ...

William A. “Bill” Barry, S.J., is a Jesuit priest, spiritual director, psychologist and author based in Massachusetts. He entered the Society of Jesus in 1950, studied philosophy in Germany from 1953 ...

Therese Taylor-Stinson is the managing member of the Spiritual Directors of Color Network, Ltd., which she founded in 2008. The group has produced three books: Embodied Spirits, Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody ...

Some are chaplains or hospice workers, others are pastors to college students or adults. They're called "spiritual companions." And they all strive to be "that other person with whom people can share ...

Turning to a spiritual practice or the Divine of your understanding provides comfort in times of relationship stress. It can be the ultimate first aid for heartache; a clearinghouse for your ...

A few years ago, Casper ter Kuile sat across from a woman and told her he did not want to pray on his knees. She suggested, instead, that he try standing up, with his hands open, in the position used ...

A candle burns in Rabbi Amy Eilberg’s study. It’s early afternoon, but the room seems as calm as midnight. Eilberg sits silently with her hands clasped in her lap. In the large picture window behind ...