To see the world in a blade of grass
William Blake
And heaven in a wild flower
To hold infinity in the palm of your hand
And eternity in an hour
The moment one gives close attention to anything, even a blade of grass, it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself.
Henry Miller
“What exactly is spiritual direction?”
I don’t know how many times I have been asked that question since beginning my studies to become a certified spiritual director. The truth is, it is not as easy to answer as you might think. There’s always the textbook definition – to reflect on and learn to see God’s presence in your life – which is fine, but where does that lead? Truly, the best way to understand spiritual direction is to experience it. Perhaps I can give you a feel for it by sharing my own personal experience.
For me, spiritual direction has been an awakening: an awakening to God’s presence in my life; an awakening to the person God created me to be and to the false selves that I have created; and an awakening to the people and world around me. Let me give you an example.
Recently, while spending a few days at the St. Benedict Retreat Center in Schuyler, NE, I was able to walk their labyrinth. A labyrinth is a twisty path that serves to focus your attention. It is amazing how transformative such a simple exercise can be.
As I set out on the labyrinthine path, my thoughts were completely scattered and I did not hold out much hope that anything worthwhile would come of my walk. Then an extraordinary thing happened. I began noticing things and that led to my seeing them, I mean, really seeing them. In particular I saw, as if for the first time, the stones on which I walked and the dormant grass that divided the path. These were things that I would normally take for granted, things not interesting enough to capture my attention. But, the more closely I looked at them, the more extraordinary they seemed. I felt that each element was complete in and of itself. The grass brought glory to God just by being grass; the same with the stones. They were not trying to be something that they weren’t. They were simply living out their true natures.
As I walked, I began to consider my own life. What is my true nature? Who did God create me to be? How many masks have I worn and what masks am I wearing now? Navigating the labyrinth, I felt God’s gentle leading.
The center of the labyrinth symbolizes God’s presence and there is only one path to the center. However, it is not straight; it twists and turns, bringing you closer to the center one moment and then taking you far away. It is much like the life of faith. When I finally approached the center, I stopped. It was only three feet away, but I could not move. It was as if I was about to cross an important threshold. For me, it was a holy moment. After what seemed an eternity, but was probably a couple of minutes, I stepped into the center.
[This was my second experience with this labyrinth. The last time I walked it was in November and it was partially covered with fallen leaves. At times it was difficult to tell which way to go. The nice thing was that there was someone walking ahead of me, clearing the path when necessary. It just shows that we do not have to walk the path alone.]
The point I’m trying to make is that I was open to this experience because of the work I had done with my spiritual director. I came to her several years ago spiritually closed off and she helped me open my eyes to God’s presence. Another name for spiritual director is soul friend, and that is a really good description: a spiritual friend walking beside you, helping you to become aware of things you might not be able to see on your own.
This blog post came out of my noticing some dormant grass and fragments of stone. It shows that God speaks to us in many and various ways. We just have to pay close attention. More on this in my next post.
Divine Overtones 