The aim of the course is to provide an opportunity for course members to grow in spirituality and personal development. Through shared experience, participants will be challenged to a deeper awareness and effectiveness as they help others discover what God is doing in their lives.

The course members will be a group of up to sixteen people who are already engaged, formally or informally, in one-to-one prayer or listening. They will be open to growth, willing to share at a deep level and ready to accept supervision. They should have a mature faith, be emotionally stable and be prepared to bring responsible and wholehearted commitment to the course, including the intention to attend all sessions. A willingness to have an open, honest and positive attitude to all aspects of the course, and to each other, is essential. Participants come from many different backgrounds and each person is expected to show tolerance, respect and care for those with different views and life experience.

 
 

Course members will normally have had experience of receiving Spiritual Direction or accompaniment and will be expected to have a Spiritual Director for the duration of the course. We recognise in some traditions the term Spiritual Direction is not commonly used and participants may have received a similar form of accompaniment under another name and we will happily discuss this with applicants.

Methodology:  Prayer, reflection, discussion and discernment will be used alongside input and practical exercises in this experiential course. Participants will regularly work in triads, pairs or groups and will be involved in periodic observations by the Core Group to discern progress. Link Groups form an essential part of the course and participants will journey with that same small group throughout the two years, providing an opportunity for each person to have a deep shared experience of listening. Suggestions are regularly made for reading and other resources that can be followed up according to each person’s areas of interest. Participants are encouraged to keep some form of personal journal, as suits them, and are expected to submit a reflection on their own journey and their understanding of Spiritual Direction by the Easter of each year of the course. As this is an experiential course, there is no academic work or essay writing other than an annual reflection.

The course will explore the nature of Spiritual Direction; listening skills; images of God; different traditions of spirituality; personality, psychology and human faith development; and the practical skills and best practices required for Spiritual Direction. Each term explores a different theme, and these are as follows:

  • Awareness of God, Self and Others

  • Contemplative Listening

  • Approaches to Spirituality

  • The Interior Life

  • The Practice of Spiritual Direction

  • Endings and New Beginnings.

There will also be prayer themes based around different figures and streams within the traditions of contemplative Christianity and Spiritual Direction, these include:

  • Evelyn Underhill

  • St Ignatius of Loyola

  • Silent or Centring Prayer

  • Celtic Spirituality

  • Contemplation in Black and African Christian traditions

  • Female Mystics.

Course sessions run twice a month, mainly on Thursday evenings on Zoom. On alternate months one Thursday evening is replaced by a full in-person course day on a Saturday at the Chapel and School Room, Woodham Ferrers, which includes a lunchtime and evening meal.

Participants are expected to make all effort to attend every session, as this benefits all participants by keeping the continuity of the course. Successful completion of the course includes attendance at a minimum of 80% of the face-to-face (online and in-person) hours.

If you would like to apply, are interested in finding out more or to register interest please contact the Course Administrator via the Contact Us page.