Melting the Iceberg: Spiritual Direction for Men – Donald Bisson
“Frozen ice caps, rivers covered with ice, snow in Los Angeles, snowdrifts to the roof, frozen landscapes surrounded by springs – these are all images men have shared with me from their dreams when they began spiritual direction. Most men begin with layers of frozen emotions deeply longing for springtime to emerge. They seek God in order to be reconnected to life, body, relationships, and authentic passion; in other words they yearn for a meaningful and heartfelt life. God has stirred up this hunger, sometimes causing men to reach out for spiritual direction. Unfortunately, after a period of time many men drop out of direction feeling failure or abandonment in the process….”
In this article Bisson discusses some various ways men enter into a spiritual direction:
1 – Grieving
2 – Detoxifying shame
3 – Recovering from trauma and abuse
4 – Seasons of life
He discusses men’s issues with God imagery, discovery of man’s own inner reality, relational issues, and ambivalence towards organized religion.
An excellent read.
