17.  Shared Knowledge

Without breaching any confidences, can you give us a quick example of how a private conference for spiritual direction might proceed?

Sure. Recently, I was talking regularly with a woman who was considering entering Cafh. These discussions took on the character of spiritual direction. During one of our meetings, she shared with me how she was in a state of euphoria about a new understanding she had about her life. I told her how happy that made me feel. I also told her to watch out when the emotional high diminished, as it most certainly would, and to rest assured that when the thrill of the revelation disappears, that doesn’t mean that the knowledge disappears with it.

The next week, she came back and with a broad smile asked me, "How did you know?"

Well, how did you know?

This is not a matter of being clairvoyant. It’s merely a matter of having personal experience on the spiritual path and being the beneficiary of the knowledge of my fellow travelers. It flabbergasts me just how much a spiritual director learns from those who come to seek spiritual direction. I also learn from those who precede me on the path.

In the particular case of the woman with the disappearing euphoria, it was exceedingly easy to identify that I needed to tell her not only that the emotional high might disappear but also that she shouldn’t confuse the sensitive gratification with the expansion of consciousness she was simultaneously experiencing. She was enjoying her euphoria so much that I didn’t want her to be unnecessarily disappointed or disillusioned when the predictable event of emotional normalcy returned. This sequence of events is predictable because it has happened many times over with so many people who choose to embark on a spiritual path.