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Spiritual Direction

‘that moment of recognition’

Accompaniment

accompaniment |əˈkʌmp(ə)nɪm(ə)nt
noun a musical part
which supports or partners
an instrument, voice, or group

 

You come to me one by one,
to sit and talk, cup in hand,
straight backed or curled
like a bud, feet tucked up,
no frayed edges. Sometimes
you lay, almost prone,
reaching back into a submerged past,
or on the edge of your seat
straining towards a future
you suddenly glimpse.

 

What am I to you all?
An accompaniment,
as utterly present as I
can manage my self to be.
A fleshed and blooded mirror,
my own polished flaws
offering a mediated image
of the self you ache for,
your hidden desire,
even your exiled life.

 

This self that in the ebb
and flow of conversation;
offers you its truest smile
or your keenest grief, a chance
to live the life reflected back.

The question I have for you
who visit my waiting chair:
can you grasp the reckless
courage invited by this
simple act of vulnerability?

 

Can you persevere and
search out the children lost
down painful cul-de-sacs,
until they are found,
and their wounds are dressed?

 

Will you draw in that deep breath
of your inspired desire, the
one that most intoxicates you?
And then let the out-breath be
an assent to travel with what is
revealed in this lovely moment.

 

That moment of recognition
that its song was always
within you but because of the
accompaniment you are now
ready to stand up and sing it.

 

From Arriving In magic

The song always within

Spiritual Direction for me is an arena to explore the inner journey in the light of our life circumstances and the deep mystery of the Other in whatever way we perceive the deep movements in our lives.

 

 My approach to spiritual direction is a combination of my training in the Ignatian style of accompaniment and the Jungian therapy I received over the past six years and the subsequent study this has led to. The piece reproduced on this page is a poetic manifesto offering a picture of my way of working. I have a list of around eight or nine people that I meet with. If you are interested in engaging in this kind of accompaniment then contact me though this website. I usually conduct a free initial session and then there will be a joint discernment as to whether there is a good fit. Then if the decision is to continue, sessions are around every four to six weeks. There is a charge of £40 per session. There will be reviews of the relationship periodically. I have regular supervision and have up to date safeguarding training.

 

‘The question I have for you
who visit my waiting chair:
can you grasp the reckless
courage invited by this
simple act of vulnerability?’