A ‘Review of the Year’ for directees
Listening for God through the seasons of your life
An invitation to look back over the year, and to consider what part your experience of receiving spiritual direction has played in your journey over these months. The headings below might help you review the ‘seasons’ of your life over this time.
The turning of the year offers a natural pause — a moment to look back prayerfully and notice how God has been present in the ordinary rhythms of life. Our spiritual lives rarely move in straight lines; they unfold in seasons.
This reflection is an invitation to revisit the past twelve months and gently explore the part spiritual direction has played in your journey. You may like to journal, sit with the questions in prayer, or bring them to your next session.
Let the imagery of the seasons guide your remembering.
Begin by settling.
Find a comfortable position. Allow your feet to rest on the ground, your hands to soften, your shoulders to drop.
Take a slow, deep breath… and another…
Let your whole being arrive.
Invite God’s presence.
Become aware that God is here — already present, already attentive, already delighting in you.
You may wish to pray the simple words:
“Here I am, Lord.”
Begin your review of the year.
Imagine the past year like a landscape with four seasons.
Let the memories come gently — without judging, evaluating, or trying to fix anything.
Simply observe with God.
Winter
The quiet, hidden places
Every year holds its winter moments — times of darkness, waiting, uncertainty, or stillness. Seasons when growth is happening below the surface, unseen but real. Times of rest, dreams, or necessary passivity.
Consider:
What were the winter periods of your year?
What did you bring to spiritual direction in those times?
What felt supportive?
What felt less helpful?
Winter asks for trust. What did you learn about trusting God in the dark?
Spring
New beginnings and fresh light
Spring brings beginnings: new insights, unexpected energy, stirrings of hope, ideas forming, possibilities opening. It can also be a season of hard work as seeds take root.
Reflect on:
What spring-like experiences did you notice this year?
What newness emerged in you?
How did these beginnings show up in spiritual direction?
What in your sessions helped you move forward — and what didn’t?
Where did the Spirit surprise you?
Summer
Growth, consolation, flourishing
Summer seasons hold visible growth — moments of joy, healing, creativity, competence, or inner freedom. Times when prayer feels alive and life feels spacious.
Ask yourself:
Where did you encounter summer this year?
What was flourishing in you?
How did you bring this into spiritual direction?
What support or guidance felt fruitful, and what felt less so?
What graces did you receive that you want to remember?
Autumn
Harvest, wisdom, letting go
Autumn is a time of gathering, integrating, and sometimes releasing. It may come with accomplishment or change, discernment or endings — a time of choosing what to keep and what to lay down.
Consider:
Where did autumn appear in your life this year?
What needed harvesting?
What needed surrender?
How did spiritual direction accompany you through these shifts?
What was helpful, and what was not?
What wisdom has this season offered?
Looking Ahead
Now turn toward the year to come. Carry forward what has nourished you.
What from this year’s harvest do you want to carry with you?
What have you appreciated about the spiritual direction you’ve received?
What might have been done differently?
What do you long for now in your spiritual direction?
How might you and your director seek this together?
Is it right to continue meeting, or is it time for a gentle ending?
What choice best serves your deepening relationship with God?
You are invited to bring these reflections to your next session if you wish. They can open rich conversations about where God has been at work and how you hope to journey in the year ahead.