Spiritual Direction
Spiritual Direction at Genesis
At Genesis Spiritual Life and Conference Center, spiritual direction is offered as an ongoing ministry of sacred accompaniment. It is a prayerful and confidential space where you can explore how Spirit is moving in your life, and how you are being invited to grow in love, freedom, and authenticity.
Whether you are new to spiritual direction or have participated before, you are welcome to begin where you are.
What Is Spiritual Direction?
Spiritual direction is an intentional, one-on-one conversation centered on your relationship with God, yourself, others, and creation. It is not counseling or problem-solving advice, but a contemplative process that helps you notice and respond to the presence of the Divine in your everyday experiences.
Meeting regularly with a professionally trained Spiritual Director supports you in discovering how God is ever-present and active in your life, and how you are being called toward greater wholeness and peace.
What Happens in Spiritual Direction
In a typical session—usually once a month—you are invited to share what is unfolding in your inner life: your joys, your struggles, your hopes, and your sacred questions. Your Spiritual Director listens deeply, asks gentle questions, and may suggest prayer practices or reflections that help you attend to your relationship with the Divine.
Over time, this steady, contemplative conversation can open a deeper awareness of grace, clarity in discernment, and a stronger sense of trust in God’s ongoing presence.
Why People Seek Spiritual Direction
People come to spiritual direction for many reasons, such as:
- A desire to deepen their spiritual life or prayer practice
- Integrating spiritual insights into daily choices
- Discovering God’s presence in everyday experiences
- Navigating life transitions, grief, or loss
- Seeking renewed direction or meaning
- Experiencing dryness in prayer or shifting ways of relating to God
The Gifts of Spiritual Direction
Through this sacred companionship, many people experience
- A deeper sense of inner peace and grounding
- Greater clarity in discernment and decision-making
- A more compassionate relationship with self and others
- Healing from wounds along life’s journey
- Growth in awareness of Spirit’s movements and invitations
- A more intimate and trusting relationship with the Holy.
Our Spiritual Directors
Genesis has a staff of professionally trained Spiritual Directors whose backgrounds and areas of expertise include: aging, grief and loss, creative expression and poetry, body image and food issues, Contemplative Practices, BioSpiritual Focusing, Ignatian Spirituality, EcoSpirituality, and 12-Step recovery spirituality.
How to Begin
If you feel a nudge to deepen your spiritual journey or to explore how Spirit is moving in your life, spiritual direction at Genesis may be a meaningful next step.
Sessions are typically one hour. Donations average $45–$65 per session, though no one is turned away for financial reasons.
To learn more or be matched with a Spiritual Director:
Contact JoAnn Bourquard at jbourquard@genesisspiritualcenter.org or call 413-364-9796.
You may also reach the Genesis office at 413-562-3627 for additional information.