June – Pilgrim Companionship

It is always this time of year that I begin to hanker to be back on the Camino. The sun is shining (and it most certainly is at the moment!!!) the days are long and it’s perfect weather for long evenings spent talking with new found friends as the sun sets.

One of the reasons I love the Camino so much is the sense of companionship. You walk beside people from all different parts of the world and at all different points in their lives. I have walked with a lady from New Zealand who was walking it to celebrate her cancer treatment completion, a man from Germany who was walking it in memory of his relatives who were killed in the Holocaust and an American woman who had just given up her home, job and car in order to be walking the pilgrim path. It really is humanity at its most broad, raw and beautiful!

This pilgrim companionship also reflects my experience of Spiritual Direction also.

For those who may be new to Spiritual Direction, it is a prayerful space, where you are invited to reflect on your daily life, your experiences and the wisdom of your whole being to explore how you might become more open to the movements of God and what your response might be. The director isn’t there to offer advice or counsel instead they are there to hold space as they walk beside you listening with attentiveness and care.

For the past two years I have had the privilege of being on the ‘Encounter’ course with the ‘London Centre for Spiritual Direction’. It has been a wonderful experience training in this sacred ministry of accompaniment. In September I will be entering my third and final year of training, as part of that I am looking for a volunteer to journey alongside.

This would involve meeting together once a month for around an hour, either online or in person if you are nearby. As part of my training I am in regular supervision, and our time together would form part of that supervised practice. There is therefore no cost for the sessions.

If this is something that you might be interested in exploring, please do email me to register your interest or to ask any questions.

Thank you so much, and please do feel free to share this with anyone you think may be interested.

Walking alongside, David

P.S You can find out a little more here.