Spiritual
Last week we met Sara, Overseer of the SOAR Method, and heard the story of her journey seeking occupational health. This week, we dive into something that we believe completely and fully permeates into every part of life––from the cosmic to the nanoscopic. Something that can not be separated into “is” or “is not.” But then again, isn’t that the point of all of this? That nothing can be separated without serious consequence to health and wellness? But this one is a big one. It is the primordial cause of disease––one’s forgetting of their true nature as spirit. Everything is spiritual whether it is recognized as such or not. At Rise Studios, we create space for you to explore this truth, whether you recognize it as such or not. As part of the SOAR Method, as well as an a la carte service, we offer spiritual exploration through a practice called spiritual direction. Read more about what that is and why we believe it matters below.
Spiritual
Spiritual wellness involves having a set of beliefs and values that help us expand our sense of meaning and purpose in life. Spiritual wellness is rooted in a belief that we are all spiritual beings that are capable of having a relationship with God or a Higher Power in a way that provides us a place of rest in knowing we do not have to be in control or carry the weight of the world on our shoulders. The beliefs we have about God, faith, and suffering in this world can all play a role in our overall sense of spiritual well-being or dissatisfaction in this area of life.
“Fostering discovery rather than teaching doctrine is a spiritual director’s purpose."
~William Barry, The Practice of Spiritual Direction
We live a culture where it is not common to talk about our spiritual health and well-being. What does that even mean? We believe it means that you regularly cultivate an awareness that you are a spiritual being with a purpose in this world. That you were created with love and are meant to have the freedom to explore what you believe when it comes to who God is to you. One way to explore this is through a spiritual practice called spiritual direction.
What is spiritual direction and why is it important to my health and well-being?
Spiritual direction is a when one person (the “director”) comes alongside another person (the “directee”) in order to prayerfully help that individual attend to and respond to the deeper realities of his or her relationship with God or their Higher Power.
Spiritual direction helps you grow in your sense of well-being in this area of your life because it opens a space for you to explore your spiritual beliefs, perspectives and ways of viewing who God is to you. In exploring these sacred topics, you can then choose to let go of which beliefs no longer align with who you are and where you are headed in your own journey towards health and wellness.
How you view who God is, your image of what He like, and how you believe He views you and feels about you is a formative part of our identity that often gets overlooked. Spiritual direction provides the space to explore and uncover the layers of your own beliefs so that you are playing an active role in your own spiritual formation.
What can I expect during a session where I am exploring my spirituality?
We live in a society where teaching doctrine, having answers, imparting knowledge, administering unasked for advice, and sharing our opinions (on everything!) is more popular than the beautiful art of asking questions to someone with the full intent of just listening. In spiritual direction, you can expect to have the director ask you thoughtful questions in order to help you reflect on your relationship with God and His will for your life.
Spiritual directors aim to be fully present and attentive to the directee. The time spent in a spiritual direction session is a non-judgmental, safe place where you can share your desires to know God more, your heart longings, questions, frustrations, or possible confusion about how your spiritual journey has unfolded. As these aspects of your spiritual wellness are explored within a session, a spiritual director tries to help you better sense and discover what God is saying and doing in your heart and life.
One might expect a spiritual director to "direct" you and help point you towards the direction you should go, whether vocationally, relationally, emotionally, or regarding a decision you are contemplating. However, a spiritual director does not direct you by giving you advice or showing you how to solve a particular challenge that we may discuss. Rather, a spiritual director helps you sense and respond to God’s invitations to you personally.
Who is a good candidate for receiving spiritual direction?
The short answer is anyone. The one seeking spiritual direction may feel stable and close to God, or in a desperate place where God seems far off and unreachable. Some people want to learn to slow down and begin to lean into a more contemplative lifestyle. Others want to learn how to receive God's love more fully in order to allow that to overflow into this world. Other individuals struggle to define who God is to them and if He even exists. Regardless of the reasons one might seek out receiving spiritual direction, the vast majority of those who take this step say that they have found it to be a very valuable part of their spiritual journey, for it often leads to a greater vitality in their sense of spiritual well-being.
Because this kind of spiritual exploration can be very rich in its benefits toward your spiritual formation, we welcome and invite you to reach out to us to find out more information. We have an amazing spiritual director waiting to come alongside of you. Whether you are in a season of transition, a time of mourning, a season filled with searching for meaning, or a time of desiring to love and to be loved by God more deeply, this service can help you navigate these paths and seasons of life.
As you begin to reflect upon your own satisfaction or dissatisfaction about your spiritual health and wellness, I encourage you to work through this process:
Honesty: Be honest with yourself about how unhappy, happy, satisfied or dissatisfied you are in this area of your life. How is that impacting other areas of your life? (whether in positive or negative ways).
Willingness: Be willing and open to seeking help and support as a sign of your intention to begin to invest in your health and well-being.
Community: Invite others into the area(s) of wellness that you identify as unhealthy or one you want to make changes in.
Invest: Choose to invest in yourself by engaging in the classes, services, and education offered at Rise Studios. We are here for you to help with your spiritual health and wellness. A spiritual director can begin seeing you at Rise Studios one time a month for an hour session.
You are worth the investment.
If you want to talk more about your specific struggles and hopes for your health and well-being, please contact me. We can set up a free consultation to discuss this, as well as a time to discuss what service you could benefit from.
Click here for the services we offer.
Join me next time as we explore the physical aspect of our health and wellness.