An overview of how Specialized Spiritual Direction accompanies the Christian Faith Life.
What is Specialized Spiritual Direction?
Specialized Spiritual Direction is when the content of your session is provided only by specific gifts of the Holy Spirit. It is in this space that you ask your questions or share what is on your mind that may need additional clarity. Navigating and being present for both the Spiritual senses and the finite senses (speech, hearing...) allows for Anne Marie to to share with you what is being made clear to her.
"Most Spiritual Directors have areas of specialization. Bringing in the provision of specific gifts of the Holy Spirit in a balanced, Biblically and ethically responsible way for your circumstances is what I contribute." ~Anne Marie
During a session together, the "Spiritual Director," Anne Marie, conveys the "specialized Spiritual Direction" for you in a non-dramatic, non-alarming way. The session expands in a peace-filled and centering light, and all guidance relevant to your situation is received from the presence of the specified gifts of the Holy Spirit.
You will not hear, "Thus says the Lord," which is a common fear and misunderstanding about practitioners who connect with the Spiritual senses provided by the presence of the Holy Spirit.
"During a session at Our Charismata, you are participating in an expression of divinity and humanity coming together for a perspective shift, a widened lens of Truth."
Specialized Spiritual Direction is a branch of Traditional Spiritual Direction
because the ethics and portrait of a Traditional Spiritual Director or Companion are foundational in Anne Marie's practice.
Feel welcomed to read Anne Marie's Notebook post
The distinction with a Specialized Spiritual Direction session is that Anne Marie has taken the steps prior to the appointment [a practice years in the making] to prepare, and be in a meditative, mindful, connected state; surrendering all and trusting the Holy Spirit gifts to provide the session guidance and content specific to the 'directee's' (your) questions, and overall circumstances. *For a Specialized Spiritual Direction Session, any sharing about circumstances is briefly presented from the directee as topics for guidance.
So, it is not an "Anne Marie's Advice and Guidance Session;" the insights for your circumstances come from being attuned into specific Holy Spirit gifts {called 'charismata' in Greek}, and Anne Marie making known those insights to you with speaking - in English.
By comparison, in a traditional Spiritual Direction appointment, the presence of God (your term of reverence) is (also) attended to, and the 'director' and 'directee' both engage in a prayerful procession of questions explored, answered, and reflected upon primarily based in the realm of analytical part of the brain and of the five senses. The traditional appointment includes extended disclosure about Life's circumstances from the directee as a starting point and to continue to navigate over the course of the appointments.
There is attention paid to the forms in which intuition and inner wisdom are at work, but the application of the specific Holy Spirit gifts is not integrated into this type of Spiritual Companionship. There are important reasons and space for both types of Spiritual Direction.
Source Origin
With the acknowledgment that Specialized Spiritual Direction is taking place, Anne Marie is openly identifying and distinguishing the Source and Source origin of your session content.
The distinction in Source and Source origin is why Anne Marie points out that the services "are similar but not identical due to Source origin" to clairvoyant options.
The content strikingly overlaps with what clairvoyants offer; however, with a pinpointed origin source being the gifts of the Holy Spirit based in Christian Spirituality, (rather than random 'spirits' or various 'gods') Anne Marie must remain ethically transparent in all aspects of her practice.
There are clients who find it critically necessary to know "how" and "from where" Anne Marie is receiving the content for the session.
Anne Marie cares about "how" and "from where" the content for the session unfolds.
Clients also want to be assured that the session is 'accurate, precise, meaningful, evidential, applicable, resonates authentically with them, and brings clarifying answers and guidance.' That happens!
A distinction about this modality is that it bypasses all analytical and finite thinking processes on Anne Marie's part, yet it is not "charismatic" (respectfully) in the sense of "Charismatic revivals, services, and worship."
Anne Marie offers "specialized" Spiritual Direction?
Yes.
P A U S E for this inclusivity awareness checkpoint! Look to your left, to your right, think of your family, your children, grandchildren, your animal family, your friends, your neighbors, your co-workers, your teachers, your hairstylist, singers, composers, artists, writers, those especially influential people in your Life. Look to all of Life, and to yourself; the gifts of the Holy Spirit surround you and are within you as well. In your cultural context 'the gifts' may be called something else, but you get the meaning; the beauty is that these are all-encompassing and are active, to some degree, whether or not a person knows that they exist, what they are, or what their 'names' are. There are people you already know (you included) who effortlessly exude many of the gifts (not all are listed below), and never did or do "self-identify" or proclaim, for example, "I am using this [...] (Spiritual gift) to see your latent talent before you even know about it, and to therefore encourage you" or x, y, z examples. That is a remarkable situation. Anne Marie is not some 'amazing exception' here! It is all a matter of level of intensity, self-selflessness-awareness, of consistency of experience and meaningful application, cultivating the practice with concentration and discipline, a type of 'conversion' or interior vocational calling, and the choice to focus the Soul, Heart, Mind that leads someone from the generalized into the, "This is how I'm here to contribute to the world as a profession or ministry. How may I be a provider for you in this service to God?" It is all in the choice of each intentional being, always in relation with Grace, and how much you open yourself towards it. Simply, Anne Marie has been at a time in her Life that has been consecrated for providing these services (not due to any "savior complex") and applying the intensity of what has been gifted to her with a focused practice for your benefit - without her becoming fully monastic or a pastor at this time.
What are the specific "gifts of the Holy Spirit" that provide the session content?
Anne Marie has very few words to describe her role as a Specialized Spiritual Direction provider. She sees herself as a connecting bridge to the specific gifts of the Holy Spirit, as described in the Judeo-Christian Scriptures [the Bible].
While in a meditative space during the session, the Grace gifted to Anne Marie allows her to connect to the specific gifts of the Holy Spirit. Then, she discerns, navigates, and translates what becomes the content of your session that illuminates your circumstances.
These Holy Spirit gifts are what makes this form of Spiritual Direction Specialized.
KNOWLEDGE 1 Corinthians 12:8 Isaiah 11:2
COUNSEL Isaiah 11:2
DISCERNING SPIRITS 1 Corinthians 12:10 Acts 5:1-9
ENCOURAGEMENT or EXHORTATION Romans 12:8
Matching the Gifts of the Holy Spirit with SSD
Specialized Spiritual Direction Session by the gifts of the Holy Spirit
also known as but not identical due to origin, "clairvoyant."
IS MADE POSSIBLE BY
WISDOM, KNOWLEDGE, COUNSEL, DISCERNING SPIRITS, PROPHESY, and ENCOURAGEMENT
gifts of the Holy Spirit
The right application of these Holy Spirit gifts make the service options possible?
Yes!
Is Anne Marie pioneering in this space?
Y e s and more precisely, she is bringing the connection to the specific gifts of the Holy Spirit for specialized Spiritual Direction back into use with a focus on ethics, professional transparency, and non-dramatic flare. No snakes. No fainting spells. No speaking in tongues. No hidden monetary agenda. It is a simple offering that precedes misuse.
While traditional Spiritual Direction is present for all, from millennia past to the present, "specialized" Spiritual Direction has existed as well, from millennia past to present.
So where did it go?
"Specialized" services by the gifts of the Holy Spirit have become overlooked, pushed aside, and not discussed or not fully integrated largely due to the controversy in Christian philosophy and theology about "cessationism," among other reasons.
"Cessationism" (to cease, to stop) is basically a human-made Christian doctrine that states the
"Miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit ceased around the apostolic age (8) after the formation of the first century church, (xix, 2)... they were no longer required after the viable structure and doctrines of the church had been established."
On the Cessation of the Charismata. John Ruthven. [<-Notebook Post]
Ever-present.
There is an abundance of Christians, Christian theologians, priests, pastors, Bishops who do not believe in the "cessationism" theology, and who fully accept the presence, meaning, and responsible application of the gifts of the Holy Spirit today.
PIONEERING - Bringing it back home to you.
Due to the nature that Anne Marie has been gifted this modality to offer, and that it is a specialized form of Spiritual Direction, there is awareness continually attended to in her practice about
Gratitude
Spiritual vanity & Spiritual humility (which does not sound so humble to write, but it is genuine).
Spiritual vigilance
Acknowledging limitations
Accountability; both Spiritually, and professionally. Personally, and by third parties.
E t h i c s in action
Professional responsibility regarding utilization
Transparency of practice
Ongoing research and learning in the related philosophical, religious, theological, Spiritual, metaphysical, scientific, academic, and ethical spheres.
Unlearning - vigilance about consumption, attendance to balancing cerebral externals and a native inner quietude.
Community presence. Open to Dialogue, questions, and researchers.
Anne Marie aspires to continually be a welcoming presence of service, a voice of literacy and ethical transparency in the specialized Spiritual Direction modality, and how its existence may positively contribute to your Life, your Faith Life, and the Lives of those whom you Love.
TO NOTE, the specialized Spiritual Direction within
O U R C H A R I S M A T A holds no intention that the services offered should supersede the Principles and teachings of Religious traditions. Services are not a place of
fortune-telling, not for the profit of power, and not to control the future. Our Charismata services do not to add to, change, contest, or compromise the supremacy of Scripture.
These services do not exist to take the place of priority over your personal relationship with God (your term fo reverence) or the illumination that you receive directly from the
Judeo-Christian Scriptures. Anne Marie is not a prophet. Thank you for understanding this as you consider booking a session.
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