February - 2022

Welcome to Reflections on the Spiritual Life

Here you will find articles on spiritual direction, psychology and spirituality, contemplative practice, and the deeper movements of the spiritual life. Drawing on decades of experience in psychospiritual work and spiritual accompaniment, these reflections explore themes such as shadow material, struggles in spiritual practice, images of God, dreamwork, and the emotional dynamics that shape the spiritual journey.

Whether you are seeking support in your own inner life or resources for spiritual direction practice,

I hope these writings offer clarity, depth, and encouragement.

Ancient stone carving with ornate cross design, covered in orange lichen. Set against a textured stone wall. Mysterious, ancient vibe suggesting the mystery of the compassion of Christ.

Justice in the Eyes of Compassion: Seeing the Other Without Possession

Ancient stone carving with ornate cross design, covered in orange lichen. Set against a textured stone wall. Mysterious, ancient vibe suggesting the mystery of the compassion of Christ.

Intricate Celtic knot design in vibrant blue, red, and gold hues, with flowing patterns and letters on an aged manuscript background evoking the Celtic understanding of the spiritual director as Anam Cara.

The Spiritual Director as Anam Cara

The Celtic tradition offers us the wonderful notion of anam cara . In Gaelic the word anam means soul and cara is a word for friend. So anam cara means soul friend . This is not a simple or superficial friendship, but a special and deep one in which one person really supports and guides another. They are the person to whom you can reveal the hidden intimacies of your life - your innermost self, heart and mind, without mask or pretension. In early Celtic history, the anam c

Word cloud with "ethics" central, surrounded by terms like "moral," "applied," and "Normative." Background has a radiant light effect suggesting the ethical framework needed in spiritual direction work.

Ethics & Good Practice in Spiritual Direction

An ethical framework for spiritual direction, accompaniment, mentoring and guidance. This framework emerged from a particular moment of discernment within the spiritual direction community in the UK, when questions of accountability, responsibility, and safeguarding were becoming increasingly pressing, yet formal structures remained underdeveloped. While the original project that commissioned this work did not continue, the questions it sought to address have only grown in re