mentoring. Still others, while realizing that spiritual direction is ancient rather than new, have assumed that it is something like spiritual counseling—that is, moral guidance or some other form of advice about how to put one’s spiritual life in order. All of these reactions are based on serious misunderstandings. Spiritual direction, the jewel in the crown of soul-care relationships, has been an important part of formal relationships of Christian nurture since the earliest days of the church.