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Inviting the Mystic, Supporting the Prophet: An Introduction to Spiritual Direction
A guide to spiritual direction that encourages lay people, sisters, and priests to use their gifts confidently to become spiritual directors to others. Filled with spiritual depth and common sense. †
- GenresSpiritualityPrayer
112 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 1981
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
January 15, 2022
I will keep this book. It is marked up, outlined, underlined, circled, noted, thought about, reread, read aloud, discussed, refuted, and loved. So glad this book has been written and I get to keep it! Probably my favorite of all the spiritual direction books on my shelf.
April 14, 2017
I didn't know what to expect from a book with this title, but it was a very pleasant surprise! Serving as an introduction to Spiritual Direction, it can be useful to anyone with the gift and desire to help others hear from God.
The two words in the title, "Mystic" and "Prophet", sum up the entire message of the book: to propose a balance between connecting with God and caring for others.
The author argues that one cannot be found without the other, and that one naturally leads to the other, as well. Encountering the calling of Jesus in our life leads us outward. Trying to serve in the world leads us inward, to seek what we need from God.
The author speaks of faith in terms of a relationship, rather than answers. Spirituality is about surrender, not striving. She also differentiates spiritual direction from counseling in terms of its end goal: while both focus on listening, spiritual direction seeks to facilitate a person's hearing and following their unique call from God, in light of the Gospel, in relationship with Jesus.
The director must recognize the freedom of every person, and help them discern and choose God's will on their own. the director must recognize that only receiving God's love and grace will change the person, and their job is to help facilitate them to receive.
near the end of the book, there are practical tips and exercises for helping people through difficulties in prayer, such as major decisions, and times in the desert.
Overall, this was a wonderfully balanced book that emphasizes the need for connection with both God and our world. Not only that, but it provides practical advice about how that can happen in our lives.
The two words in the title, "Mystic" and "Prophet", sum up the entire message of the book: to propose a balance between connecting with God and caring for others.
The author argues that one cannot be found without the other, and that one naturally leads to the other, as well. Encountering the calling of Jesus in our life leads us outward. Trying to serve in the world leads us inward, to seek what we need from God.
The author speaks of faith in terms of a relationship, rather than answers. Spirituality is about surrender, not striving. She also differentiates spiritual direction from counseling in terms of its end goal: while both focus on listening, spiritual direction seeks to facilitate a person's hearing and following their unique call from God, in light of the Gospel, in relationship with Jesus.
The director must recognize the freedom of every person, and help them discern and choose God's will on their own. the director must recognize that only receiving God's love and grace will change the person, and their job is to help facilitate them to receive.
near the end of the book, there are practical tips and exercises for helping people through difficulties in prayer, such as major decisions, and times in the desert.
Overall, this was a wonderfully balanced book that emphasizes the need for connection with both God and our world. Not only that, but it provides practical advice about how that can happen in our lives.
September 3, 2018
This is a very small book. However, I have read many books on spiritual direction, spirituality in general and specifically how we relate to the divine. While Inviting is not perfect it says better than most what it is we are trying to do in our relationship with God and how to further that relationship. coincidentally, if one is a spiritual director or an aspiring spiritual director there is a lot of practical advice as to how to get out of the way of your "directees" and walk beside them supportively in their in their journey. Highly recommend.
April 6, 2022
What an amazing book on spiritual direction. It is one of the best i have read. Dychkman and Carroll truly help shape the spiritual director to be a director and not a mentor or discipler. They ask such profound questions as, "Can you trust the freedom of another, even when you are fairly certain that the exercise of that freedom will create new and severe problems?" This is really a question of how much we trust God with other people's journeys. They delve into various transitions in the life of spiritual growth and prayer. They mine the teachings of Ignatius for guiding directees in prayerful discernment. And they do all this surprisingly well in just 88 pages! It is a good thing that the book is so short, because any director will want to read it through multiple times and return to it frequently for continued guidance.
March 28, 2018
Inviting the Mystic, Supporting the Prophet was recommended to me by a spiritual director and retired George Fox University professor. The book came to me at the right moment in life, during my "desert experience". Chapter 7 in the book, titled "Praying Through the Desert", was very pertinent to me at this moment in life. God has used this book to help me through some of the most confusing and dark times, and I'm very thankful for it.
December 13, 2019
This book may be dated (early 80s publication, there's a story about a woman's decision to enter the work force again *after* her kids are grown which seems somehow like a matter of controversy in her marriage!), but I found so much that is timeless and helpful about the spiritual life and supporting others' lives.
On LOVE and VULNERABILITY
"We have described faith primarily as relationship. Any love relationship challenges us to greater honesty and transparency, to awareness of those areas of our lives where we hold back or refuse to face ourselves or to let others see us as we are. To really love others means to become progressively more vulnerable to them, to rush letting them see us in the bad times as well as the good, trusting that they will still love us." (8)
On LISTENING
From "If You Meet the Buddha on the Road, Kill Him": "My only goals as I begin work are to take care of myself and have fun." (21) We are listeners!
On CRISIS, OPPORTUNITY, DEATH, and RESURRECTION
"So, there resides in the midst of any crisis ... a call to grow, to stretch, to risk. Put in Christian terms, each challenge offers an invitation to incarnate in a new way the death-resurrection mystery at the heart of our lives." (25)
ON FEELINGS
"Many people do not know what they feel, deny their feelings, and avoid dealing with them at all.... Buried feelings surface somewhere else. We need to know and name them. It is insufficient merely to recognize feelings. Often we know clearly what we feel, and we feel terrible about feeling that way. We cannot accept ourselves with this feeling... But feelings are not good or bad; they are just true. We cannot control or destroy the presence of this or that feeling by a simple act of the will." (35)
On a way into PRAYER
-Become quiet
-Ask for what I want
-Compose myself in place (let imagination guide me toward God)
-Turn to scripture
-Let God lead
-Review
On Moving from Discursive to Contemplative Prayer, from Cataphatic to Apophatic
1) When words to come, when verbal prayer seems hard.
2) When the imagination and logic fail, but intuition grows.
3) And yet there's a longing to be with God still!
On FRUITS of healthy, positive prayer and spirituality
1) TRUST
2) GENTLENESS
3) LOSS OF FEAR
4) FOCUS ON GOD
5) UNICITY (prayer more personal, harder to talk about)
6) AUTHENTICITY
7) FORGIVING
8) RECONCILIATION OF OPPOSITE (living with paradox)
9) UNIVERSAL LOVE
On IGNATIAN DECISION MAKING (a reminder)
1) On my deathbed, what decision would I like to have made?
2) At judgement seat of God, what would I like to have decided?
3) What would I advise someone else to do?
On NOW and NOT YET
"We Christians wake up every morning schizophrenic. On the one hand life is so lovely, so undeserved, so precious. God is so loving. Beauty and laughter surround us. It is good to be alive, good to be held in the palm of the hand of a loving God. There is so much to celebrate in life. On the other hand, so much remains unfinished, so much unredeemed, with so much suffering and pain within and around us. Celebration and struggle are apparent opposites and yet necessary parts of integrated Christian life." ... "How do we hold the tension of this awareness together?"(78)
On PRAYER and ACTION
"Real prayer leads to involvement; real involvement leads to prayer. Deeper spirituality impels to action; action impels to deeper spirituality, and the circle continues and deepens. The mystic becomes prophet, the prophet becomes mystic." (80)
On LOVE and VULNERABILITY
"We have described faith primarily as relationship. Any love relationship challenges us to greater honesty and transparency, to awareness of those areas of our lives where we hold back or refuse to face ourselves or to let others see us as we are. To really love others means to become progressively more vulnerable to them, to rush letting them see us in the bad times as well as the good, trusting that they will still love us." (8)
On LISTENING
From "If You Meet the Buddha on the Road, Kill Him": "My only goals as I begin work are to take care of myself and have fun." (21) We are listeners!
On CRISIS, OPPORTUNITY, DEATH, and RESURRECTION
"So, there resides in the midst of any crisis ... a call to grow, to stretch, to risk. Put in Christian terms, each challenge offers an invitation to incarnate in a new way the death-resurrection mystery at the heart of our lives." (25)
ON FEELINGS
"Many people do not know what they feel, deny their feelings, and avoid dealing with them at all.... Buried feelings surface somewhere else. We need to know and name them. It is insufficient merely to recognize feelings. Often we know clearly what we feel, and we feel terrible about feeling that way. We cannot accept ourselves with this feeling... But feelings are not good or bad; they are just true. We cannot control or destroy the presence of this or that feeling by a simple act of the will." (35)
On a way into PRAYER
-Become quiet
-Ask for what I want
-Compose myself in place (let imagination guide me toward God)
-Turn to scripture
-Let God lead
-Review
On Moving from Discursive to Contemplative Prayer, from Cataphatic to Apophatic
1) When words to come, when verbal prayer seems hard.
2) When the imagination and logic fail, but intuition grows.
3) And yet there's a longing to be with God still!
On FRUITS of healthy, positive prayer and spirituality
1) TRUST
2) GENTLENESS
3) LOSS OF FEAR
4) FOCUS ON GOD
5) UNICITY (prayer more personal, harder to talk about)
6) AUTHENTICITY
7) FORGIVING
8) RECONCILIATION OF OPPOSITE (living with paradox)
9) UNIVERSAL LOVE
On IGNATIAN DECISION MAKING (a reminder)
1) On my deathbed, what decision would I like to have made?
2) At judgement seat of God, what would I like to have decided?
3) What would I advise someone else to do?
On NOW and NOT YET
"We Christians wake up every morning schizophrenic. On the one hand life is so lovely, so undeserved, so precious. God is so loving. Beauty and laughter surround us. It is good to be alive, good to be held in the palm of the hand of a loving God. There is so much to celebrate in life. On the other hand, so much remains unfinished, so much unredeemed, with so much suffering and pain within and around us. Celebration and struggle are apparent opposites and yet necessary parts of integrated Christian life." ... "How do we hold the tension of this awareness together?"(78)
On PRAYER and ACTION
"Real prayer leads to involvement; real involvement leads to prayer. Deeper spirituality impels to action; action impels to deeper spirituality, and the circle continues and deepens. The mystic becomes prophet, the prophet becomes mystic." (80)
November 4, 2020
Seriously one of the best books I've read in a long time! wow this book is definitely an introduction to spiritual direction, it is more a book about prayer. Not only was it practical, it laid out the big picture of what prayer is meant to do in us. there isn't a single page that doesn't have multiple things highlighted! This will most definitely be a book that I will read over and over again. The last chapter on mystics and profits wrapped it up so passionately, encouraging, and beautifully. I'm going to end with quoting the last paragraph of the book. "All of us Christians, not just some " specially chosen" are called to be deeply united to God in prayer and to speak out of that prayer with some strand of prophetic voice. Everyone is called to be both mystic and prophet. In our direction of others, we are called to encourage, support, sustain, and challenge our fellow believers into the fullness of God's message and mission while attempting to realize the same in ourselves. "💜
August 15, 2023
Another book that helped me understand the nature of human spirituality.
January 2, 2012
It is suggested in this book that we may judge authentic spirituality ultimately by how well we are able to simultaneously hold the tension, or the paradox, of Mystic and Prophet. The mystical experience is a celebration of everything in life that is lovely and beautiful. Yet at the same time we celebrate life as mystic, we are reminded that we live in a world full of suffering.
Mystics such as Ignatius of Loyola, Thomas Merton, St. John of the Cross, and Teresa of Avila “are holy not just because they pray or write eloquently about that prayer, but because their prayer leads them to respond to Christ in the given historical cultural moment. All of them respond in a unique way to unique situations in which they find the Lord calling to his people. But all respond outside themselves in service. Each mystic becomes a prophet” (p. 82).
This paradox that joins together the life of a mystic and a prophet is not so much sequential as it is circular. The authors recognize that the starting point for some is the needs of people – which lead them into prayer. For others, union with God ultimately draws them more fully into the lives and needs of people. “The starting point is not as important as that the circle be complete: prayer leading to life and life leading to prayer . . . deeper spirituality impels to action; action impels to deeper spirituality, and the circle continues and deepens. The mystic becomes prophet, the prophet becomes Mystic” (p. 80).
This was the final book that I read to complete the reading assignments for my art of spiritual direction training program. The reading experience prompted me to consider whether 2012 might be the year in which my prophetic call receives further clarification. I'm reminded of my favorite quote from Frederick Buechner: "The place God calls you to is where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet". This gives me hope as I am reminded that God's call on my life will always be aligned with my deepest desires. My training to become a spiritual director has unveiled a very deep desire I have to meet together with other persons hungry to receive God's love in true spiritual encounter. I am developing a sense that my call will have something to do with this deep desire.
Mystics such as Ignatius of Loyola, Thomas Merton, St. John of the Cross, and Teresa of Avila “are holy not just because they pray or write eloquently about that prayer, but because their prayer leads them to respond to Christ in the given historical cultural moment. All of them respond in a unique way to unique situations in which they find the Lord calling to his people. But all respond outside themselves in service. Each mystic becomes a prophet” (p. 82).
This paradox that joins together the life of a mystic and a prophet is not so much sequential as it is circular. The authors recognize that the starting point for some is the needs of people – which lead them into prayer. For others, union with God ultimately draws them more fully into the lives and needs of people. “The starting point is not as important as that the circle be complete: prayer leading to life and life leading to prayer . . . deeper spirituality impels to action; action impels to deeper spirituality, and the circle continues and deepens. The mystic becomes prophet, the prophet becomes Mystic” (p. 80).
This was the final book that I read to complete the reading assignments for my art of spiritual direction training program. The reading experience prompted me to consider whether 2012 might be the year in which my prophetic call receives further clarification. I'm reminded of my favorite quote from Frederick Buechner: "The place God calls you to is where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet". This gives me hope as I am reminded that God's call on my life will always be aligned with my deepest desires. My training to become a spiritual director has unveiled a very deep desire I have to meet together with other persons hungry to receive God's love in true spiritual encounter. I am developing a sense that my call will have something to do with this deep desire.
June 21, 2014
This short book was insightful and useful in my work serving young adult Quakers. The only con was that the book is written by Catholics in the early 80s and contained some negative assumptions about sexuality which I had to delete in my head to get into the heart of the books teachings.
February 29, 2012
I'm loving it so far. I mean, the title itself is a win.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews