What do you mean by “Spirit?” This is an important question for me to consider. I’ve been using this word most of my life, and I sit with people in the work of spiritual direction some of whom use the word freely, and others who do not. 

I do not have a particularly religious or dogmatic meaning in mind when I use the word “Spirit.” But, I do have something particular in mind. Across the years of teaching in high school classrooms, my day was punctuated by the ringing of a bell. The school bell would sound, and within just a few seconds, students headed to my next class would begin entering the classroom.  I was always already involved in something, on the computer, on the board, arranging materials I would be using in that class, so my attention was duly occupied.  But, I had a recurring experience that is difficult to explain. Not every day, but occasionally, as if someone tapped me on the shoulder, I felt compelled to look up just as a student was coming in the door, and I would hear myself say: hi (name). Are you okay? 

Within a split second, I felt the presence of the student enter the room, and I felt, could see or somehow perceive that all was not well. Once, a big athletic type was the one, and in response to my question, he burst into tears. In these moments, whatever the answer was and however it worked out, there was a noticing and a connecting and some meaning making in the space of seconds. 

I call that “Spirit.” It happens all the time, sometimes dramatically, but most often in casual, everyday things. We notice something. We make a connection. A new meaning arises for us out of that. This noticing, connecting and making meaning in our hearts is the work of Spirit, and however one moves through that process is one’s own spirituality.  What is Spirit doing in and around and among us today?

~Robert Patrick

If these kinds of questions and experiences sound familiar, you might find spiritual direction a good way to explore them.  Here’s how to get started.