Orthodox Spiritual Direction

Orthodox spiritual direction represents the oldest continuous tradition of spiritual guidance in Christianity, stretching back in an unbroken line to the Desert Fathers and Mothers of Egypt, Palestine, and Syria in the third and fourth centuries. The Orthodox term for a spiritual director is staretz (for a man) or staritsa (for a woman) — an elder who has been seasoned by prayer, ascetic practice, and years of attentive listening to the Holy Spirit.

Central to Orthodox direction is the Jesus Prayer — "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner" — and the practice of hesychasm, the tradition of inner stillness and unceasing prayer. The ultimate goal of the Orthodox spiritual life is theosis: the process of becoming more fully united with God through divine grace, not by human effort alone but by cooperating with the Holy Spirit in the transformation of the whole person.

While monastics and ordained clergy have traditionally served as spiritual directors in Orthodoxy, a growing lay movement has emerged, particularly in the United States. Greek, Russian, Antiochian, and Orthodox Church in America (OCA) traditions are all represented. Orthodox direction is deeply liturgical, shaped by the rhythm of fasting, feasting, and the Divine Liturgy, and it takes seriously the role of icons, sacraments, and the communion of saints in the life of prayer.