Today we’d like to introduce you to Lindsay McGlynn.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My spiritual healing journey is what first led me to spiritual direction. I was raised in an evangelical Christian setting that valued extroversion and offered simple answers to things that felt deeply complex to me. An introspective and sensitive person by nature, I didn’t feel very at home in this setting, unable to bring my doubts or depth to the table.
When I finally encountered spiritual direction in my mid-20s, I found something I had been seeking all my life. I found a space where I could safely wrestle with faith, God, existential questions, and difficult emotions without “shoulds” or judgment or being dismissed. For me, it was transformative to be in the presence of an un-anxious, patient and healing listener, which allowed me to hear myself and God more clearly. I began to heal some stubborn wounds and learned so much about how God is present to me – lovingly and compassionately.
This experience fueled my desire to share this approach to spirituality with others, leading me to become a spiritual director. My greatest desire as a spiritual director is that others would experience the healing love of God that is particular to their personality and story.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The greatest challenge in this work is that many people have never heard of spiritual direction or don’t know what it is. I frame my spiritual direction work as tending to the soul, which I feel is so important, essential, and needed at this moment. I believe there are many longing for a safe space not only to be heard, but also to be able to hear their own voice, the one that is aligned with their truest self. What’s important to know about spiritual direction is it’s not someone directing or teaching or analyzing or judging you. It’s someone being fully and gently present to you and your story, holding you with compassionate warmth, listening for deeper themes and questions, calling out your gifts, and noticing what makes you come alive. A spiritual director is someone who trusts God’s movement in your life (even when the landscape feels dry and hopeless), and they help notice that movement as they walk alongside you.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I frame my work as a spiritual director as tending to the soul through story and listening. As a highly sensitive person and an empath, I feel and notice things at a deep and often subtle level, which cultivates my heartfelt appreciation for the simple and beautiful things we often pass over. This is what makes me so passionate about slowing down to tend to the soul. The soul is nourished by the simple and the beautiful, the ordinary and the eternal – and nurturing our spirituality encourages us to appreciate and receive the gift and wisdom of these things.
I work with adults of all ages and practice in the Christian tradition. My work is especially informed by Benedictine spirituality and its values of hospitality, stability, listening, and awareness of God. My personal spirituality is enriched by contemplative spiritual practices, reading, writing, nature, learning, and art.
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
If you want to explore receiving spiritual direction, please visit my website to set up an intro meeting – lunespirituality.com. If you know anyone who might resonate with spiritual direction, please share my information. If someone is interested in collaboration, I’d be happy to collaborate by bringing a spiritual or reflective element to anything you are working on – a workshop, retreat, group gathering, etc. I’d be thrilled to do something interdisciplinary.
Pricing:
- $90 per spiritual direction session
Contact Info:
- Website: https://lunespirituality.com
