SDI is an educational nonprofit, serving 7,000 members in 42 countries around the world. We are committed to supporting and growing access to spiritual companionship and the deep listening, open questions and compassion our healing modality offers.

Spiritual companionship is a relationship in which a companion allows through deep listening the spiritual story of the other to unfurl. Through this relationship, the person seeking companionship is empowered to explore a deeper relationship with God, Allah, Tao, The Universe, or however you may refer to the Ground of All Being.

“Spiritual companion” is an inclusive term which includes:

• Spiritual directors
• Chaplains
• Some clergy, Sangha, Rabbis, Imams and other people who offer companionship and wisdom
• Life or Soul Coaches
• Psychologists
• Social Workers
• Healing professionals
• Anyone who offer listening care

A spiritual director is a type of spiritual companion. We believe the term “companion” is broader and more inclusive, and points to the heart of the work, which is to walk alongside with others as friends, listening to and honoring the sacred stories being told. We recognize also that spiritual companionship can happen in a myriad of vocations and modalities, and so use the term as a more inclusive way of offering welcome to those who have not specifically trained as a spiritual director.

The term “spiritual director” has many associations and a long history in the Abrahamic faith traditions, where it has been closely associated with certain strands of Judaism, with spiritual directors referred to as “Hashpa’ah” or “Mashpai’h,” (depending on the strand); Christian and, much later, in particular Ignatian spirituality; and in the Islamic Sufi path, where the spiritual director is known as a “Murshid.” But even within these traditions there is great (and increasing) variability in how the terms are used, defined, and contextualized. The common approach that they share is that in all of them, the spiritual director is a spiritual companion who looks to engage with seekers in an open and non-judgmental way, steeped in contemplative practice and deep listening, to provide guidance and enable seekers to get closer to God.

In Hinduism, Sikhism, Jainism and Vajrayana Buddhism, spiritual teachers or guides are referred to as “gurus,” which in Sanskrit means “weighty or grave,” with the connotation of “elder teacher” or esteemed teacher.” But the long story of that term contains overtones of someone who removes spaces and obstacles that may lie between us and our spiritual evolution. Gurus can develop highly personalized relationships with seekers, with a dynamic that is distinct to each teacher but that is deep and all pervasive.

In most strands of Buddhism, it is more common to refer to spiritual “friends,” rather than to “directors,” “guides,” or even “teachers.” These friends encourage and allow us to evolve, such that the Buddha was reported to have said that spiritual friendship is the sum total of the spiritual life (in the Meghiya Sutta of the Pali Canon). Spiritual friends help seekers by fostering intimacy; virtuous conduct; conversation that inspires and encourages practice; diligence, energy, and enthusiasm for the good; and insight into impermanence. Spiritual friends, therefore, are the most important key in the spiritual path.

Other examples include followers of Indigenous religions, who usually work with Shamans, or Taoists and Confucians, who learn how to connect with their true natures through wise and learned teachers.

Finally, a significant portion of the over 1.1 billion people worldwide that the Pew Research Center refers to as “unaffiliated,” many of whom describe themselves as “spiritual but not religious,” seek connection with a higher power and a larger meaning in variety of ways: for example, by working with philosophy teachers as their guides, or through their work with psychologists, and other types of counselors.

Here are some ideas.

First, spiritual companionship should be an inclusive, rather than an exclusive concept. It should always strive to welcome and invite, rather than to separate and divide, which it does on occasion, often unwittingly.

Second, at their roots, spiritual companions are individuals committed to helping others seek and find connection with a higher power, however that power might be defined. This characteristic always holds true, regardless of one’s particular religion, spiritual understanding or orientation.

Some other key identifying factors of a spiritual companion can include:

• being rooted in personal experience, and displaying “depth.”
• engaged in following and upholding universal ethical guidelines, summarized as “Do no harm.”
• accountable in a community setting.
• committed to contemplative, compassionate listening, with respect for the agency of companions they accompany.
• seeking supervision by others and being accountable to their communities.
• committed to ongoing education and learning.

• They offer deep listening which helps people find and follow their own spiritual path
• They ask insightful, open-ended questions that help people connect with their authentic selves
• They allow space for stillness and silence (contemplation) to help people become aware of what is deep within them
• They build trust and openness by being authentic, kind and open themselves
• They do not proselytize, nor seek to influence or convince, but instead walk alongside people as they make their individual and unique spiritual journeys
• They honor the free will and discernment of each human being, especially in spiritual matters
• They offer a mirror to those they companion so they may see themselves as whole beings if they so choose
• They help the people they accompany create a stronger relationship with self and others and God, or however they refer to the ground of all being.