Saratoga News

Photograph by Robert Scheer

Spiritual Director Karen Clark launches a career of being a good listener.

Art of spiritual direction calls for active listening

By Cecily Barnes

Saratogan Karen Clark, 38, will be opening her rented Big Basin home this month to those seeking spiritual direction.

Having spent the last year commuting to the Spiritual Directors' Institute at Mercy Center in Burlingame, Clark has honed her skills enough for a trial run.

"You learn how to actively listen to a person and reflect back to them what they've said," Clark explained, running down the list of skills learned at spiritual director school. "It's also being attentive to yourself, so that you can bring an authenticity to the directed; being mindful of God's presence in the encounter; maintaining eye contact; asking the right questions and being contemplative. But mostly it's about listening and being attentive to what is going on."

Clark assures that spiritual direction steers clear of religious affiliation, adding that she does not bring her personal Christian beliefs into the guidance role. But, she concedes, atheists might want to steer clear.

"I meet with another person for 50 minutes to talk about what they feel might be blocking them from experiencing the divine. I try to get them to notice how God or the divine is moving in their daily life," she explained. "[But] when I speak with someone, I don't put my beliefs on them; I help the directed draw out their own beliefs."

Clark insists she is neither minister nor therapist.

"A pastor or priest is coming from whatever tradition they belong to, but a spiritual director doesn't give advice; they just listen and allow the person to decide for themselves," said Clark.

And spiritual direction is nothing like therapy, Clark explained, because it is not accredited and is much less tangible. Though spiritual direction lacks the legitimacy of psychology, more and more people seem to be turning to spirituality.

A recent newspaper article described how the United Automobile Workers Union employs five full-time ministers and 300 volunteers at General Motors. Clark cited this example as something that she would be interested in pursuing.

Presently Clark works as a business analyst at Intel. Having been a systems administrator for a number of years before that, Clark decided it was time to follow her heart. And while she plans to keep her job at Intel, she envisions eventually phasing out her corporate self altogether.

"It's basically whether you feel you have a calling or not," Clark explained. "When I was 18, I had what I call a spiritual experience. I was out walking in the woods and felt what people call the grace of God. I felt all this love pouring into me, and it filled me up completely."

It was after this experience that Clark realized her calling, but it took another 20 years for her to get there.

Clark feels there is a great social need for spiritual direction.

"People have hunger for something of more substance, for something that is divine. And they are seeking that in their lives," she said. "This time spent together enables them to find this in their lives and within themselves."

Clark's first few clients will receive spiritual direction free of cost. However, when she finishes the program at Mercy Center in May 1998, Clark's business will be available to anyone willing to pay $35 to $40. For more information, call Clark at 867-2681.