The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius
Note: I take time today to share with you what’s going on in my spiritual life and invite you to follow the course of my retreat over the next nine months.
Several times in my life, I have been called to follow certain disciplines in spirituality. In 2000, I studied and finished A Course In Miracles and found that year-long practice wonderfully rich and spiritually rewarding. Since then, I have worked with other self-growth and spirituality programs and delighted in each of them.
I now start on perhaps the most rigorous, disciplined and exciting spiritual development program yet - The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius.
As part of my training at HeartPaths Dallas to become a Spiritual Director, I begin a nine-month “retreat in real life” that follows the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola, the Catholic priest and mystic who started the Society of Jesus, or the Jesuits, in 1540. This retreat in real life involves a daily commitment of an hour of my time devoted to prayer, meditation and journaling, while following the readings and exercises that St. Ignatius prescribes. In addition, I attend class once a week and meet with my spiritual director every other week.
According to my teachers, Ignatian Spirituality is based on the following premises:
- We can be contemplatives in action
- We experience prayer in daily life
- The world can be the subject of prayer
- Love shows up in our actions
- Each one of us can have a direct experience of God in prayer
This is perfect for me - the driven one, the achiever, the seeker who needs to know, deep down in her heart, that everything is a gift from God and accept what is. I look forward to learning how to examine each day and listen for God/Source’s active participation in my life.
And isn’t this perfect for the Everyday Mystic blog! The spirit of Iggy, as we fondly call Ignatius, will be working through my fingers as I blog over the next nine months. I look forward to sharing insights, struggles, peak moments and dry spots of my retreat - all in hopes of helping you illuminate your path with Source’s love and light.
May you receive an abundance of blessings through your time with the Spiritual Exercises! I’m always inspired by those who make the commitment to the nine-month retreat experience.
Kristin, I am so eager to hear the insights and experiences you have on this spiritual contemplative journey. You will bless us as you share, as you already have today in reminding me of the premises and to hold prayer close, not as something I do for a few minutes each day, but as a way of being throughout the day. You always cause the best to awaken in me. Thank you so much.
Denise,
Thank you for your kind words and encouragement!
Kristin
Mariel,
Thank you for your ongoing support and encouragement. Yes, the goal is to be aware of God’s presence at every moment of the day.
As a very ignorant but one willing to learn, I hope to follow your journey with the hope of learning more about my God and how I should relate to Him in my daily life and prayer. God bless you
Mary,
Ignorance is OK, and I hope to share with you from my heart so that it will bless you and others.
Abundant Blessings,
Kristin
This is a good article. You can find the free book: The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola, here. I found reading it very enlightening. But I hope to find a spiritual director for a retreat soon.
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