What is spiritual direction?

A spiritual director once told me that if therapy is like archeology, spiritual direction is like architecture – an opportunity to develop structures that support us as we move through the world. 

Spiritual direction is a space where people deepen their sense of purpose, strengthen their relationship with what is sacred, and cultivate practices that nourish and sustain them. It offers steady companionship as we learn to listen for wisdom in our lives and orient ourselves toward what brings meaning, vitality, and connection—even in times of uncertainty or change.

Many people arrive at spiritual direction with a quiet (or sometimes very loud) sense that something in their spiritual life longs for attention. They may feel alone, disconnected, or unsure how to tend the deeper parts of themselves. For some, these feelings have been shaped by personal or religious trauma.

These are also very normal responses to living in intersecting systems of oppression that have been designed to fragment and exhaust us. Spiritual direction is a nurturing practice that can help us move past blocks or isolation into creation and interconnection. Together we can rediscover ourselves as part of a living, sacred, enchanted world, and learn to move through it with greater presence, peace, and connection.

What might a spiritual direction session look like?

In our sessions together, we will develop a sacred space to allow you to hear to the subtle insights and connections that emerge when we make room for something bigger than us.  

• Grounding
  We’ll begin with a prayer, meditation, poetry, or a ritual to open our space

• Check in
  What’s happening in your life? What’s surfacing? Where are you seeing shifts in your life? What questions are you bringing to our session? 

• Let’s Dig In
  For the majority of the session, we will engage in guided practice to witness the divine and invite transformation and growth. 

• Closing
  We will end our session with a set of intentions for the time ahead and close with a grounding practice to transition back into everyday life.

Who Do I Work With?

I work with folks of all backgrounds, faiths, traditions and identities.  I'm a practicing progressive Jew from a mixed family that includes Catholics, Buddhists, Muslims, and Quakers. I specialize in working on aging and life course transitions. I welcome folks of all gender identities and sexual orientations; I am genderqueer and teach a course on Trans Spirituality at CIIS.

Anna Corwin, PhD

I serve as Chair of the Women's Spirituality Department at the California Institute of Integral Studies. I've published a book, twelve Academic articles, and numerous book chapters on aging and spirituality; my research has been supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Science Foundation and has been covered by Reuters, the Huffington Post, and the Chicago Tribune. I lead community workshops on Mindful Aging and Aging as Spiritual Practice and speak frequently at conferences. I was introduced to spiritual direction in 2008, when I was living in a Catholic convent studying how nuns age successfully.

I live with my librarian-archivist partner, our two wonderful kids, and a very cute dog.

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