Show Me Your Way: The Complete Guide to Exploring Interfaith Spiritual Direction - Hardcover

Addison, Rabbi Howard A.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1893361128 ISBN 13: 9781893361126

Publisher: SkyLight Paths, 2000

Synopsis

An ancient spiritual practice rediscovered―and re-imaginated―for today.

This fascinating introduction to an ancient spiritual practice is for all of us who are searching for fresh spiritual insight. People of all faiths―and even those with no particular religious involvement―are discovering spiritual direction.

Traditionally identified with Christianity, but also resembling the relationship between teacher and student in Buddhism, sheikh and disciple in Islam, and rebbe and Hasid in Judaism, spiritual direction is a distinct kind of relationship for enhancing spiritual growth. And its renewed popularity has led to a now uniquely accessible modern phenomenon: interfaith spiritual direction.

Howard Addison presents personal accounts from the lives of people representing a broad spectrum of religious and spiritual traditions to show how we can find guidance and inspiration from people of other faiths―without ever leaving our own. This one-of-a-kind guide explores:

• Where to find spiritual guidance within your own faith community or beyond it.
• How spiritual direction can help you, even if you come from no formal religious background.
• Why and when it may be appropriate to seek a spiritual guide from a faith other than your own.
• What interfaith spiritual direction means for the future of religion and spirituality in our world.

About this title

About the Author

Rabbi Howard A. Addison has trained with leading Enneagram practitioner Helen Palmer, and also served as the last student assistant to Abraham Joshua Heschel. He offers seminars on the Kabbalah and the Enneagram to teachers of both disciplines. Educated at both The Jewish Theological Seminary and the United Church of Christ's Chicago Theological Seminary, Addison serves as senior rabbi of Temple Sinai in Dresher, Pennsylvania.

Reviews

According to Addison (rabbi and author of The Enneagram and Kabbalah: Reading Your Soul), spiritual direction is a mentoring relationship in which the director draws on personal experience, insight into the spiritual seeker's personality and knowledge of the seeker's religious tradition to guide the seeker in reflection and perception of God's leading. The model was developed in the context of Christian monasticism but has recently spread into Protestantism and beyond. Addison writes from his own experience; he once wanted a spiritual director but could not find one in his own Jewish tradition, so he began meeting with a Catholic nun. Through his own positive discussions with her, he came to believe people could benefit from having a spiritual director from another faith without sacrificing the integrity of their own beliefs. Spiritual direction, Addison cautions, is not instruction in a religion with the goal of conversion but a means of deepening one's spiritual journey. Addison is aware of the pitfalls if a director is moved to proselytize or if a seeker is more in need of counseling than direction. After thoroughly explaining the concept of spiritual direction and highlighting its benefits and drawbacks, Addison discusses where to find it, sensitively addressing compatibility issues and different styles of spirituality. This is a well-informed, thoughtful treatment of a potentially beneficial interfaith practice. (June)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

One-on-one spiritual direction is a tradition of many faiths, but direction of an adherent of one faith by a practitioner of another is new enough to make this advisor by a conservative rabbi whose spiritual director is a Catholic nun a novelty. Drawing upon his and others' experiences for exemplification, Addison explains spiritual direction, demonstrates the effectiveness of interfaith spiritual direction, and advises on how to find a spiritual director. He also ponders contemporary trends that would account for increased interest in seeking guidance from rather than conversion to another faith. He emphasizes through well-timed repetition that spiritual direction must be discriminated from religious education for prospective conversion, therapy to deal with personal problems, and pastoral counseling to apply one's faith to particular life circumstances. The aims of spiritual direction are to deepen one's relationship with God and to discern God's will. It is hard to imagine more intelligent and congenial counsel for clarifying whether spiritual direction is what one seeks than what Addison provides. Ray Olson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: SkyLight Paths
• Publication date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1893361128
• ISBN 13: 9781893361126
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 240