Listen: A Seeker’s Resource for Spiritual Direction, April 2015, 9.2
–Pegge Erkeneff, 2014
Awaken! The time is now for each of us to become fully alive to the remarkable experience of living, in spite of heartache and messiness, stagnation, and lack of vision or resources. We must each wake up into the possibility embedded into present time, in order to live into the title of Seth Godin’s book, What To Do When It’s Your Turn, And It’s Always Your Turn.
Waking up to reality requires a mindset to listen to self and others, to 
become practiced at discovering how our own life speaks in the stillness or quiet of body, mind and heart. Connecting with a soul-companion one-on-one, participating in group spiritual direction, or simply having a trusted friend deliberately listen to us share our story offers a thankful gift. Trappist monk Thomas Merton wrote, “The whole purpose of spiritual direction is to penetrate beneath the surface of our lives, get behind the facade of conventional gestures and attitudes which we present to the world, and draw out our inner spiritual freedom.”
Why is waking up and making time to listen essential? Without being present to the here and now of life, we can miss the opportunity to shift the world into a precious habitat of love. The ability to know oneself becomes apparent when we interact with each other, or can be revealed when a care or concern in the world commands our passion and compassion.
Recently, I desired to risk sharing part of my story with a man who I trust, and care deeply about. But an experience of raw vulnerability began when I recognized fear and timidity within myself. A litany of questions erupted in my mind—similar to what can pop up when we desire to share portions of our story in spiritual guidance:
What if I am rejected or misunderstood? What if I can’t express myself and use one hundred words, when ten would suffice?
In this instance, irritated with myself, I questioned:
How come I can get so muddled up inside? Where is the freedom to trust my own voice and heart, and the person who I want to talk with?
I did muster the courage to speak—but not before I’d mumbled and side stepped until my friend, gently recognizing my discomfort, took my hands and softly said, “there’s nothing you can’t tell me.” In that moment, an essential recognition unlocked and softened in me. My voice and story began to flow. I understood Merton’s words, “We do not find the meaning of life by ourselves alone—we find it with another,” in a new way.
We must be brave to wake up, to listen, and to share our life reality with each another through words, service, advocacy, and presence. In How To Train a Wild Elephant, Jan Chozen Bays, MD, wrote:
“May I respectfully remind you, life and death are of supreme importance. Time swiftly passes by and opportunity is lost. When this day has passed, our days of life will be decreased by one. Each of us should strive to awaken. Awaken! Take heed! Do not squander your life!”
– Pegge Erkeneff
Reprinted from Listen: A Seeker’s Resource for Spiritual Direction, April 2015, Vol. 9, Issue 2 (Spiritual Directors International © 2015). Reprinted with permission of Spiritual Directors International. To order copies or a free subscription of Listen, call 
1-425-455-4506 or go to www.sdiworld.org