In my years of sitting with clients, I've noticed a subtle but powerful dance that takes place in every session: the interplay between grounding and aspiring. These two movements—one anchoring us in the here and now, the other reaching toward the beyond—create the dynamic energy at the heart of meaningful spiritual guidance.
Grounding
As embodied humans, we need grounding. Sometimes, a client arrives with their feet barely touching the ground, caught in anxious thoughts, emotional turbulence, or even manic excitement.
Starting sessions with some kind of breathing-focused centering activity helps clients settle into their bodies. It's a kind of reset. It helps them enter and open to the unique time and space that is a spiritual guidance session. And when we notice a client spinning during the session, we can gently return to grounding practices to help them restore presence and expand their awareness.
The gift of genuine grounding is that it doesn’t just calm the body or mind—it opens a portal for inspiration. It prepares an inner space to receive the speaking of Spirit.
Aspiring
As spiritual humans, we naturally have aspirations. We are inclined toward growth, meaning, and transcendence. Sometimes, a client arrives with a heavy energy that is bogged down by daily struggles or mind-numbing routines. These heavy concerns place a pall over the soul’s yearnings and enjoyments.
Sessions that never tap into the spirit of aspiration feel heavy. And, of course, sometimes our work as spiritual guides is to hold and support clients in this heavy space. However, without the uplift of aspiration, spiritual guidance becomes a kind of pseudo-therapy.
The gift of aspiration, even in slight doses, brings a breath of hope, a glimpse of purpose, a reminder that the soul was made to rise.
We Need Both
Supporting our clients in both grounding and aspiring helps sessions stay honest, dynamic, and purposeful. It creates a space where transformation is not only possible—it’s invited.
In a recent session with "Laura," she was caught in anxious looping about her aging mother and her own dilemma around whether to move or not. She was bouncing between these two stressors, unable to find any clarity. In the midst of this, I invited her to pause, breathe deeply, and ground herself. Then I asked her to listen from her heart: “What might Spirit want you to know in this moment?'“
Within a few minutes, she came to a clear realization. It wasn’t wise to make a big move while her mother’s situation remained so unstable. There really was no rush for her to move. She exhaled, smiled, and relaxed into the clarity that had emerged.
This simple shift for Laura—grounding into presence and aspiring toward spiritual insight—allowed peace to enter. And this is often how it works: when we help clients find stability in the midst of struggle, a pathway of possibility reveals itself.
Moments such as these bring into a vital balance the poles of grounding and aspiration. And this balance is the soil out of which a sense of peace, power, and purpose emerges.
Bringing it Home
Everything that is good for clients is good for us, too. I invite you to reflect on this grounding-aspiring polarity in your client work and larger practice:
Do you have practices that help you ground during clients sessions?
Do you have times when you share aspirations that you have for your clients?
What grounds you in your larger spiritual direction practice, and what aspirations do you have for it?
If it would be help to have a consultation session or two with me on these or other matters, I’d love to explore your current aspirations. Check out my approaches here.