Week 08
This week, you’re really just adding some new language and tools to the practices you’ve carried forward up to this point. Our skill this week is to identify interior movements, and our practice is the naming of these movements—"consolation" and "desolation." The outcome to have in front of you is only this: to be able to begin identifying some of the movements of consolation and desolation within me, recognizing that there are always limits to our ability to do this on our own.
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• Notice through your day and in my prayer wherever you notice “consolation” and where you notice “desolation.” Allow yourself to be curious about where these movements might be coming from.
• If you’re not already meeting with a trained spiritual director, we encourage you this week to reach out to connect with one for an intro conversation. (We can help you connect with one here.) As you share a little of where you are in your journey and talk about what spiritual direction might look like for you, notice how the conversation feels for you at various points. What movements do you notice?
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• What can you notice are sources of consolation for you? How do you experience these—in your body, in your emotions, in your thoughts?
• Where are some places you experienced desolation this week? What were those thoughts, environments or situations that stirred this in you? How did you experience desolation—in your body, in your emotions, in your thoughts?
• If you already meet with a spiritual director, what have you found helpful or challenging in this experience? If not, what do you notice comes up for you when you think about the possibility of meeting with someone regularly to talk about your life with God?
What Is Spiritual Direction?
“Spiritual direction invites a mature, discerning companion into our unfolding conversation with God so that we can notice and nurture the particular work of God in our life.”
The tradition of spiritual direction goes back at least as far as the desert mothers and fathers, where early Christians would seek wisdom from others for progressing in the spiritual life. Today, spiritual directors are specially trained and hold a particular charism (or gifting) for deep listening and discernment. Typically, you'll meet with your spiritual director once a month for about an hour as they listen, ask questions and notice with you how God is inviting you.
Read more about our commitment to spiritual direction in our rule of life.