Spiritual Life & Our Dreams: Dreams in the Christian Tradition
“Spiritual directors and gurus have always been listeners, but the language to which they listen is the ‘forgotten language’ of myths and dreams and symbols, the language of fundamental human experience.” — Kenneth Leech, Soul Friend Within the Christian tradition, dreams have long been regarded as one of the ways the inner life speaks — not in the language of doctrine or argument, but in symbol, image, and story. Dreams do not arrive as theological propositions. They arise f
Telling our Stories...
I was recently at a wonderful workshop for spiritual directors run by Pádraig Ó Tuama leader of the Corrymeela Community , Northern Ireland's oldest peace and reconciliation organisation. As a poet and theologian, Pádraig is interested in storytelling, in how we tell our stories to ourselves and others: What are the deep narratives of our life's story trying to work their way out? Our particular stories of life circle round us, as themes weaving their way in and out of who
Soul, Spirituality & Psychology
Soul is the most common translation of the Hebrew word nephesh and the Greek word psyche . The biblical meanings of these concepts are richly varied. In the Old Testament, for example, the meanings of nephesh range from life, the inner person (particularly thoughts, feelings and passions), to the whole person, including the body. Similarly, in the New Testament, psyche carries such meaning as the totality of the person, physical life, mind and heart. Here, soul is presente
Christian Meditation: Consent to the Presence of God
Christian meditation invites us into a way of prayer that is less about effort and more about consent — consenting to the presence of God already at work within us. Rather than striving to reach God, meditation gently disposes us to awaken to the divine life that is our very ground and source. Meditation as Receptivity In its broadest terms, we can think of Christian meditation as a way of calming our minds and hearts to offer the least resistance to the graced event of reali
Healing Spiritual Abuse & Church Hurt
Since my first article on spiritual abuse , I have been surprised and saddened by just how many people have contacted me who have experienced forms of spiritual abuse and church hurt. Yet, it is an issue that many still deny as being real in our church and faith communities; awareness is only beginning to dawn. And, as that level of awareness about spiritual abuse continues to grow, there will be increasing numbers of people who recognise themselves as being affected. In thi
Working with Our Shadow
This article moves beyond understanding the Shadow to exploring how it is lived with, contained, and gradually integrated within the spiritual life — particularly in the context of spiritual accompaniment. In my earlier article on The Spiritual Life and our Shadow, I describe the Jungian under-standing of how we learn, from early childhood, to suppress aspects of ourselves deemed unacceptable to our culture and context. They remain in our unconscious and can dramatically in
Spirituality & Religion: Why the Separation Isn’t So Simple
In today's Western world, there can be a marked separation between spirituality and religion. Public opinion now privileges 'spirituality' above 'religion,' with the latter being regarded with a good deal of suspicion. 'Spirituality', as the term is used today, refers to the personal pursuit of the sacred. 'Religion', however, carries the unfortunate connotations of moralism, piety and hypocrisy. This has been deepened by the uncovering of widespread sexual abuse within Chris
How to find a Spiritual Director
Finding a Spiritual Director has not always been that easy in the UK. Historically, this ancient ministry has been rather hidden away, available only to those in the know within the Church, such as priests and monastics, as I discuss in my article Contemporary Trends in Spiritual Direction . If you are exploring spiritual direction for yourself, you may also find it helpful to read more about what spiritual direction involves and how I work. You can find out more about the h
Inner & Outer Journeying: Holding the Paradox of the Spiritual Path
In my earlier post on Spiritual Landscapes I describe the contemplative places where our inner and outer spiritual journeying can come together, and in my post 'Spiritual Journeying' I reflect on the living paradox of how there both is and isn’t a journey to God. It is key to hold both understandings in mind as we reflect on our spiritual life and path. If we go to the extreme of one side, we can end up seeing ourselves as an improvement project and striving for our own whol
Psychological Ways We Can Undermine Our Spiritual Transformation
On the spiritual path, we often assume that our deepest desire is for transformation — to become more open to God, more loving, more whole. Yet many people discover, sometimes with confusion or self-judgement, that alongside this longing there is also resistance. Change can feel unsettling, even threatening, to the familiar sense of who we are, and this tension is not a sign of spiritual failure but a deeply human reality. This reflection explores some of the psychological wa
