JULIA MOURANT’s focus here is on the spiritual director as a person, not primarily on the “how” of spiritual direction. She is clear that a spiritual director (or accompanier) cannot be present with an explorer (her chosen word for what is traditionally called a directee) and cannot give proper attention to what the explorer is saying without being involved in the work of forming their own soul. This perspective comes both from Mourant’s own experience and the experience of leading spiritual-direction courses and teams. Each chapter ends with questions to encourage the reader to engage with this call for continuing formation.
The first section seems to be an introduction for someone who has heard of spiritual direction but does not know enough about what it is or how to learn more. Mourant introduces spiritual direction as a vocation, and she invites readers to notice the call, maybe with soul-searching, to this ministry. She then outlines models of spiritual direction and discusses courses in it.
The next section covers the kind of learning which helps to form a spiritual director. This might be metaphorically looking in a mirror and having an “Ouch!” or “Ah ha!” moment, or through writing some kind of journal, or recognising one’s personality type, and/or through personal study and reflection.
The rest of the book assumes that the reader is on this learning journey, and it draws out themes that can come up in spiritual direction conversations and the director’s part in those conversations. Some of this is quite subtle: in one conversation, some words or action might be appropriate, while, in another similar one, something different is called for.
The third section covers theological themes such as “Naming the Nameless”, and resources from spiritual tradition, and returns to discernment and vocation. The fourth section explores skills and interventions, such as “Notice Everything”, “Asking Questions”, and “Getting out of the Way”. These may be familiar to directors but there is useful material to prompt reflection on one’s practice. The final section explores various themes of good practice — “Self-care”, “Supervision”, and “Endings”, for example.
Unlike the beginning, these later sections of the book, I think, require some experience of being a spiritual director to be able to take in the nuances and apply what is relevant in one’s own context. Perhaps this is a book to start; but then do some training and get some experience before reading and learning from the rest.
Dr Anne Spalding is a member of the Third Order of the Society of St Francis, and lives in Suffolk.
The Spiritual Director: Practising the charism of presence and attention
Julia Mourant
Canterbury Press £24.99
(978-1-78622-577-1)
Church Times Bookshop £19.99
