Spiritual Direction: Beyond the Beginnings

by Janet Ruffing

Book Overview

Explores issues that arise in the advanced stages of spiritual direction from both a practical and theoretical perspective. +

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0809139588
• ISBN13: 9780809139583
• Release Date: July 2000
• Publisher: Paulist Press
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.4" x 8.1"

Customer Reviews

Supplemental

PROS: This book examines the art of spiritual direction from a clinical perspective. While spiritual direction is not the same thing as counseling, there are certain similarities. This book will help to refine the director's skills in these areas. The chapters of this book build upon one another, but still retain enough individual distinctives to stand alone. Therefore the reader may skim through the book and choose the chapter most relevant at the time for slower, deeper study. It is this feature that allows the book to become a useful reference work and earns it a place on the library shelves of Spiritual Directors. CONS: The book was written by a woman, and seems to be mostly about women. Most of the illustrations and discussions of sessions address spiritual direction from a feminine perspective. This limits the usefulness just a little bit. Many seriously committed Christian men these days make use of spiritual direction. Also, the author's description of a mature spiritual relationship tends to be wrapped around emotional mystical experiences. This also limits the usefulness of the book since everyone in need of spiritual direction is not a mystic. Also, many mystics have grown past the point of equating mystical experiences with closeness to God. For many mystics, these experiences are secondary and a transformed life is primary. The book does not address character transformation with as much depth as it could. MY RECOMMENDATION: This is not the best introductory book to spiritual direction one might come across, nor is it the best advanced book on the subject. But it does have its place. It is a useful reference book that the Spiritual Director may want to come back to again and again. That is why I labeled it "supplemental."