Thank God for the fragmenting of modernity. We are all becoming spiritual again, or at least spirituality is no longer a dirty a word. A taboo. A subject you might bring up with the same kind of attitude as contraception or warts. The media is postively swimming in stuff spiritual. The philosophy/religion shelves of the local Waterstones groan under the weight of self-help spirituality books that promise so much and deliver precious little.

I guess I wonder how on earth anyone can navigate through the new complex world of spirtual choices. Like David Beckham said 'I want to get Brooklyn baptised but I'm not sure which religion yet'. And why should he? After all you grow up secular, become adult enough to think for yourself (or the spiritual provision of your kids) and get overwhelmed by the sheer complexity of what's on offer without a manual or a catelogue to make any sense out of it.

I have been thinking that spiritual direction, a tradition long established in the Christian church ought to be something that can be offered beyond its official, if uncertain boundaries. You can have individual mentors for just about everything these days; fitness, business, even life itself - why not spirituality? Why do we leave ourselves to flounder about in a some great confluence of religions and cults without any guidance?

How might this work? Who knows...maybe health centres could offer spiritual direction, referring people to local ministers, priests, Imams etc. Maybe the church could offer it via the web - although I have to think that it would work best face to face. What about spiritual directors in supermarket cafes? Spiritual direction in Waterstones? (what it is with me and Waterstones?!) I don't know except that it seems to me that the church offers a truck load of wisdom and tradition and grace and it doesn't appear to be able to tap the huge desire and need for spiritual guidance that is out there in the world.