Spiritual Formation: Following the Movements of the Spirit

by Henri J.M. Nouwen, Michael J. Christensen, Rebecca Laird

Henri Nouwen, the world-renowned spiritual guide and counselor, understood the spiritual life as a journey of faith and transformation that is deepened by accountability, community, and relationships. Though he counseled many people during his lifetime, his principles of spiritual direction and formation were never written down. Two of Nouwen's longtime students, Michael Christensen and Rebecca Laird, have taken his famous course in spiritual direction and supplemented it with his unpublished writings to create the definitive series on Nouwen's thoughts on the Christian life. The first book in the series, Spiritual Direction, introduced readers to the core concepts of Nouwen's approach to the spiritual life. Book two, Spiritual Formation, showcases Nouwen's life-long effort to re-construct the five classical stages of spiritual development as movements in the journey of faith. The five classical stages are these: 1. Awakening (our desire) 2. Purgation (purifying our passions) 3. Illumination (of God) 4. Dark Night (of the Soul) 5. Unification (with God) Readings, stories, questions for personal reflection, and guided journal inquiry as articulated by Nouwen will provide readers with an experience in spiritual formation with the well-known author, priest, and guide. The third and final book in the series, Spiritual Discernment, is planned to release in 2012

Genres: Spirituality, Christian, Christianity, Theology, Nonfiction, Religion, Faith

192 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Henri Jozef Machiel Nouwen was a Dutch Catholic priest, theologian, psychologist, professor, and spiritual writer whose work profoundly shaped contemporary Christian spirituality. Born in Nijkerk, the Netherlands, in 1932, Nouwen pursued religious studies and was ordained a priest in 1957. His intellectual curiosity led him to study psychology at the Catholic University of Nijmegen and later at the Menninger Clinic in Kansas, where he explored the connection between faith and mental health. Throughout his life, Nouwen remained committed to integrating pastoral care, psychology, and spiritual theology in a way that addressed the emotional and existential needs of believers.
Nouwen held teaching positions at prestigious institutions including the University of Notre Dame, Yale Divinity School, and Harvard Divinity School. He authored over three dozen books and hundreds of articles, with notable works such as The Wounded Healer, The Return of the Prodigal Son, Life of the Beloved, and The Inner Voice of Love. His writing, often rooted in personal vulnerability and spiritual struggle, resonated with readers across denominations. Nouwen openly explored themes of loneliness, identity, intimacy, and the human desire for love and belonging, making his voice especially relatable and influential.
Though he was a gifted academic and popular speaker, Nouwen found his deepest calling later in life through his involvement with L’Arche, a network of communities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. After a transformative stay at the original L’Arche community in France, Nouwen accepted an invitation to become the pastor of L’Arche Daybreak in Richmond Hill, Ontario. There he developed a close bond with Adam Arnett, a core member with severe disabilities, which inspired the book Adam: God’s Beloved. At Daybreak, Nouwen discovered a deep spiritual home and a community that helped him embrace his humanity in profound ways.
Throughout his life, Nouwen wrestled with issues of identity, including his sexuality and his longing for connection, though he remained faithful to his vows. His openness about depression and inner conflict gave depth to his pastoral message, and his ability to turn personal struggle into shared spiritual insight made him one of the most beloved spiritual writers of the 20th century.
Henri Nouwen died in 1996 of a sudden heart attack, but his legacy endures through his writings, the Henri Nouwen Society, and the continued global reach of his message of belovedness, vulnerability, and compassionate community. His books remain bestsellers, widely read in seminaries, churches, and among individuals seeking a more intimate walk with God.

Reviews

[Mark Archibald · Rating 5 out of 5]

I did not like this book! Sometimes. It poked and prodded at parts of my life that were raw, painful and in need of attention. It's an essential book for those wanting to know God and live others and live freely. A difficult read because of what it requires of you. An essential read because of the freedom it leads you into.

[Stacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

(4:52)

Second in the trilogy. This book suggests it is best to be read slowly and with a group. The book covers movements that we take as spiritual beings. Two examples from the index are "from opaqueness to transparency" and "from exclusion to inclusion." We don't necessarily make these movements in the order the book was written, but rather we do all these things at different paces depending on who we are and our maturation level. I definitely received a bit to think about, even reading it quickly and not doing the exercises at the end. As with most books like this, much I am anticipating going back over, and some my eyebrow raises at. :) I will go back and read it slowly and do the exercises, but I don't know if I will be able to find a group to read it with.

[Vicky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Boxed up as a course by C25(learning sessions,each 25 minutes long)this audiobook was a delight which I will certainly read again!
Henri Nouwen is one of my favourite Christian authors and I am still working through his published books which I discovered in my late teens. I can't rush Nouwen.He is an author who needs to be pondered and savoured.Some of his core teaching is summarized here in the form of reflections and spiritual exercises.

[Alex Gaidai · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great book. Nouwen is a Catholic priest, so for a protestant there are some things that we obviously would disagree on, but they are largely secondary in nature. Henri Nouwen's insight into the topics as it relates to the journey of spiritual formation, are immensely helpful.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

AMAZING & so rich.

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a re-read for me and I loved it just as much as the first time. This book is so rich, I’d highly recommend it to anyone wanting to dig more into spiritual practices/formation. So many good nuggets of wisdom to reflect on, but here’s a couple of my faves:

“So when I go into the day, I go with the conviction that God is the one who brings forth fruit in my work, and I do not have to act as though I am in control of things. I have to work hard; I have to do my task; I have to offer my best. But I can let go of the illusion of control and be detached from the result. At the end of each day I can prayerfully say that if something good has happened, God be praised.”

“I am challenged by my community to claim a new freedom to love and accept others who may have a different understanding of how to live a faithful and spiritual life. Rather than blame, judge, or compare, I can choose to accept, affirm, and celebrate another. Rather than avoiding persons who do not live the way I do or believe what I believe, I can learn to be with them in a personal, compassionate, and creative way. If I am rooted in my own spirit and comfortable in my own body, I will be less judgmental.”

“The heavy burden is judging other people, and the light burden is accepting the judgment of others. Judging others is a heavy load; why not let it go? Being judged by others is a relatively light load; why worry about it? Often I have asked myself: What would it be like if I no longer had any desire to judge another? Or to be controlled by the judgment of others? I would walk on the earth as a very light person indeed!”

[Nathan Beasley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the layout of the book. Each chapter moves towards a different dimension of formation. Chapters are like: from opaqueness to transparency, from fear to love, to denying to befriending death, etc. Nouwen uses great stories at the beginning of each chapter to hook attention and to illustrate the truths in the coming chapter. All in all a good read.

[Mrmr · Rating 5 out of 5]

كعادة كتابات نووين، مُشبعَة بمسيحية حقيقية..
و انسانية مُفرطة .. و حق
قائد حقيقي ، مش من محاولات ليه انه يكون مُرشد .. بالعكس
بيتلامس مع قلبي جدًا، بحس اني قاعدة معاه شخصيًا في حديث حميمي .. و ببتسم
كل ما اقرا كتاب لهنري نووين احب اقرا له اكتر .. بخلص قرايتها دايمًا و هي مفكراني كويس بحقيقة اني بنت الله و انه بابا :)

[Brett Leyde · Rating 5 out of 5]

favorite quotes:
"Spiritual formation is a call to discipleship, a call to follow Jesus radically and so become his true brothers and sisters—sons and daughters of God. When we belong to Jesus, we belong with him to his heavenly Father, and to each other. Having found our true home in God, we then can live in the world without becoming subject to its obsessions, compulsions, and addictions."

"True healing begins at the moment that we can face the reality of our losses and let go of the illusions of control."

"To overcome that constant need to determine my comparative place, and to be simply who I am, can make me whole. To finally let go of that burden is one of the greatest joys and freedoms in life."

[Alonzo Berry · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Enlightening Spiritual Vitamin

I have enjoyed The Wounded Healer and now this book by Dr. Nouwen takes precious time dealing with God's remodeling of human spirit. Good read

[PD · Rating 3 out of 5]

This, as others, are edited compilations of his writings and speaking engagements. I appreciate Nouwen. There is much to contemplate and appreciate in this work with his focus upon Christian spirituality (while affirming much, I also have much to critique theologically).

[Jeremy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The entire time I was reading this book I felt an abiding sense of peace. From this I conclude that Henri Nouwen must have been a spiritual giant filled with the love of God.

Spiritual formation is not about progressing through stages; it’s about movements from mind to heart (meaning, toward our truest self, the spiritual center of our being).

The five practices for developing these movements are: reflection, mindful or sacred reading and looking, silence, community, and service.

The movements discussed here are: from opaqueness to transparency, from illusion to prayer, from sorrow to joy, from resentment to gratitude, from fear to love, from exclusion to inclusion, and from denying to befriending death.



Potent Quotables:

When the word of God remains a subject of analysis and discussion and does not descend into the heart, it can easily become an instrument of destruction instead of a guide to love.

The spiritual life is a life in which we are set free by the Spirit of God to enjoy life in all its fullness. By the Spirit we can indeed “be in the world without being of it”; we can move freely without being bound by false attachments; we can speak freely without fear of human rejection; and we can live with peace and joy even when surrounded by conflict and sadness.

If we could, for a few minutes each day, just be fully where we are, we would indeed discover that we are not alone, and that the One who is with us in our hearts wants only to give us the love we need and the power to love others.

Fear engenders fear. It never gives birth to love.

Often in ministry, it looks like we are running around the rim trying to catch everybody. But God says, “Start in the hub; live in the hub. Then we will be connected with all the spokes, and you won’t have to run so fast.”

[Marissa Rapone · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first foray into Henri Nouwen and, wow, he makes the path seem so clear, the guideposts to a spiritual life so accessible; moving from illusion to prayer, from sorrow to joy, from fear to love, and so on. Among this richness is also the new-to-me practice of Visio Divina which is using art as an aid to meditation. Two striking images for me out of the 8 figures in the book were 'Woman Dancing' by Antonio Canova with the prompt "What would it take to make you dance with joy?" and 'Icon of the Old Testament Trinity' with the prompt "As we place ourselves in front of the icon in prayer, we come to experience a gentle invitation to participate in the intimate conversation that is taking place among the three divine angels and to join them around the table." I've been using this image in times of stillness and it provides so much comfort! Now I must be off, going to get my hands on some of his other works! Enjoy.

[Jeremy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the first third of the book to be incredibly rich and I am looking forward to practicing a great deal of what Nouwen discussed. From that point, it seemed to me that the book lost focus and force. This was to the extent that I started becoming concerned with how Nouwen was describing the Church; he came across as a bit of a universalist.

SO, I say read this until your brow furrows, and then toss it aside. The baby is way too good to throw out with the bath water.

[Amy Brunt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy guide to basics of spiritual formation

I loved this book. Nouwen’s ideas were easy to follow; the exercises to incorporate ideas presented in the previous chapters were enlightening. Highly recommend to those who are pursuing spiritual training!

[Grant Gunston · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is deep and challenging. Although I don’t agree with everything, there is much that I find helpful and reflecting on His principles formational.

Some excerpts that resonated with me:

The Emmaus story has 5 parts: mourning to dancing

1. Mourning your losses
2. ⁠connecting your sufferings with the great suffering of humanity
3. ⁠inviting the One Whom you recognise on the road into your house
4. ⁠entering into communion with the Christ living in you
5. ⁠going into the world with joy.

Nouwen identifies the following spiritual disciplines:

1. Hospitality
2. ⁠spiritual friendship
3. ⁠community forgiveness
4. ⁠celebration of life
5. ⁠contemplative prayer.

"The heavy burden is judging other people, and the light burden is accepting the judgment of others. Judging others is a heavy load; why not let it go? Being judged by others is a relatively light load; why worry about it? Often I have asked myself: What would it be like if I no longer had any desire to judge another? Or to be controlled by the judgment of others? I would walk on the earth as a very light person indeed!"

"To overcome that constant need to determine my comparative place, and to be simply who l am, can make me whole. To finally let go of that burden is one of the greatest joys and freedoms in life."

'Twins in the Tomb'
'Twins were talking to each other in their mother's womb. The sister said to the brother,
'I believe there is life after birth'. Her brother protested vehemently, 'Oh no! This is all there is. This is a dark and cosy place, and we have nothing else to do but cling to the cord that feeds us.' The little girl insisted, 'There must be something more than this dark place. There must be something else. A place with light, where there is freedom to move.' Still she could not convince her twin brother.
After some silence, the sister said hesitantly, '1 have something else to say, and I'm afraid you won't believe that either. But I think there is a mother.' Her brother became furious. 'A mother!' he shouted. 'What are you talking about! I have never seen a mother. And neither have you! Who put that idea in your head! As I told you, this place is all we have. Why do you always want more? This is not such a bad place after all. We have all we need. So let's be content.'

The sister was quite overwhelmed by her brother's response, and for a while, didn't dare say anything more. But she couldn't let go of her thoughts. And since she only had her brother to talk to, she finally said, 'Don't you feel these squeezes every once in a while?
They're quite unpleasant, and sometimes even painful! 'Yes', he answered, 'what's special about that?' 'Well', she said, 'I think these squeezes are to get us ready for another place, much more beautiful than this, where we will see our mother face to face. Don't you think that's exciting?' The brother didn't answer. He was fed up with the foolish talk of his sister and felt that the best thing would be simply to ignore her and hope that she would leave him alone.

[Steve Worsley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great material though I found the audio a bit monotone. Better to read it and do all the exercises and I'm sure you'd get much more out of it. It includes a fantastic short story about twins in the womb debating whether there is life after birth. A number of stories from history and famous mystics add a lot of value to this book. I liked Nouwen's journey to inclusiveness near the end (though he could have been more specific about what he learned on that journey). I also liked his comments on 'making friends with death'. What a concept!

From denying, to befriending death. 'Twins in the Tomb'

'Twins were talking to each other in their mother's womb. The sister said to the brother, 'I believe there is life after birth'. Her brother protested vehemently, 'Oh no! This is all there is. This is a dark and cosy place, and we have nothing else to do but cling to the cord that feeds us.' The little girl insisted, 'There must be something more than this dark place. There must be something else. A place with light, where there is freedom to move.' Still she could not convince her twin brother.

After some silence, the sister said hesitantly, 'I have something else to say, and I'm afraid you won't believe that either. But I think there is a mother.' Her brother became furious. 'A mother!' he shouted. 'What are you talking about! I have never seen a mother. And neither have you! Who put that idea in your head! As I told you, this place is all we have. Why do you always want more? This is not such a bad place after all. We have all we need. So let's be content.'

The sister was quite overwhelmed by her brother's response, and for a while, didn't dare say anything more. But she couldn't let go of her thoughts. And since she only had her brother to talk to, she finally said, 'Don't you feel these squeezes every once in a while? They're quite unpleasant, and sometimes even painful.' 'Yes', he answered, 'what's special about that?' 'Well', she said, 'I think these squeezes are to get us ready for another place, much more beautiful than this, where we will see our mother face to face. Don't you think that's exciting?' The brother didn't answer. He was fed up with the foolish talk of his sister and felt that the best thing would be simply to ignore her and hope that she would leave him alone. - Henri Nouwen 'Our Greatest Gift'

[Jeff Bjorgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whenever I sense a need to become more grounded, or feel like I've turned my faith either into something to consume, or a checklist of activities to disguise my hypocrisy, I turn to Henri Nouwen. "Spiritual Formation" is part of a series of books that were published posthumously, and remarkably, pulled from multiple sources of notes rather than from some sketched out but unfulfilled book. This is remarkable because "Spiritual Formation" feels both fresh and fluid; Nouwen's unmistakable cadence is admirably captured throughout.

When reading "Spiritual Formation", I am reminded again of Nouwen's contribution to spiritual theology, particularly his go-to approach of spiritual formation as a series of movements. He does this over and over again, book after book, but always with a fresh insight on where we have come from and what we can become when we give ourselves to the movements of the Spirit-filled life.

For instance, in this book, Nouwen sees spiritual formation as life movements (Early life, Mid-Life, and Mature Life), that include such experiences as the movement from illusion to prayer, resentment to gratitude, fear to love, exclusion to inclusion, and from denying to befriending death.

Each movement described makes up a chapter, and every chapter ends with some suggested spiritual disciplines to practice. This book is meant to be read slowly and prayerful.

As a whole, I find Nouwen's reflections authentic and inspiring. I appreciated his description of how resentment can be detrimental to the Christian life, and I have been chewing a lot on his thoughts on death as an enemy that we are commanded to love ("Love your enemies, bless those who curse you."). Happily recommended reading!

[Luke Wagner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Henri Nouwen's "Spiritual Formation" was deeply insightful and helpful. It is recommended that this book be read slowly and thoughtfully, and so I devoted a week to each of the book's seven chapters. At the end of each of the chapters, there are reflection questions and opportunities to journal thoughts down; as someone who can zip through a book quickly, it was difficult at times to take this work so slowly, but it allowed for me to really chew on the meat of the text, and to get something from it that was formational and transformational.

The seven chapters all focus on a "movement." The "movements" that were especially helpful to me were the movement from resentment to gratitude (Chapter Four) and the movement from fear to love (Chapter Five). One of my favorite aspects of this book is Nouwen's incorporation of the spiritual disciple of "visio divina," which is Latin for "sacred seeing." Nouwen includes in this book a number of color reprints of works of art that have been especially helpful to him in his spiritual formation and in these "movements." Some of these works are paintings from Van Gogh, others are icons from throughout Church history, another is a sculpture, and still another is a piece done by members of L'Arche Daybreak in Toronto, Canada. Meditating on and really "seeing" these images were helpful for me as I worked through the course of the book, and were wonderful, concrete examples of the "movements" Nouwen speaks of.

[Stan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spiritual Formation: Following the Movements of the Spirit is a book of the teachings of Henri Nouwen. Some of the content is from unpublished works. It was well edited.

Nouwen's ideas on spiritual formation focus on the movements of the Spirit - transformation. I really like this approach to spiritual formation as it examines the negative within us and what that can, should, must be transformed into.

The appendix, written by Michael Christensen, one of the books editors, mentions more than 20 transformations that appear in Nouwen's works. In this book, seven are presented.

Opaqueness to Transparency, Illusion to Prayer, Sorrow to Joy, Resentment to Gratitude, Fear to Love, Exclusion to Inclusion, and Denying to Befriending Death

Nouwen was a Catholic priest, University professor, and psychologist. Much of his life was spent in spiritual direction. So, his work is educated by high academic study, deep personal introspection, and profound ministry. His writing is not difficult to grasp.

Among other influences, Thomas Merton is mentioned several times. And, a post-Vatican 2, Catholic universalism is present. His transformation from exclusion to inclusion may go further than Scripture permits. So, the Christian reader should read with caution. And, this is a book that merits reading, discerning reading.

[Rev. Val Ohle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I may have to make it a mission of my life to read all forty of Nouwen's books. Finances depending, probably within the year (if you have copies you're willing to donate to the mission, the mailing address is on my website!).

The way Nouwen (and in this case, his two post-humous ghost-writers) writes, it's like you're sitting at his feet listening to him talk. It's clear. There is little redundancy (which, to me, indicates that he has faith in his readers' ability to comprehend his message). His books are an amazing introduction to Spiritual Formation and he leaves me constantly wanting to no more at the end of each book.

People who are new to Christian faith are sometimes referred to as "baby Christians". They've found Jesus. They just don't know what to do with him now that they've found him. There are plenty of voices out there that try to influence the new Christians and those angry, half-right but dangerously half-wrong, less than Christ-like parodies of Christian voices tend to get heard more than voices like Nouwen's get heard which is a sad reflection on the status of Christianity, especially here in the US.

Read Nouwen. Learn truthful and righteous interpretations through him. You can thank him later.

[Halle Wassink · Rating 4 out of 5]

“When we are willing to empty our cup and detach ourselves from making our individual experience the criterion for our approach to others, we may be able to see that life is greater than our personal life, history is greater than our family history, experience greater than our own experience, and God greater than our god.”

“When I think about what it means to live and act in the name of Jesus, I realize that what I have to offer to others is not my intelligence, skill, power, influence, or connections, but my own human brokenness, through which the love of God can manifest itself. Ministry is entering with our human brokenness into communion with others and speaking a word of hope. The great paradox of ministry is that when we minister in our weakness, we receive from those to whom we go. The more in touch we are with our own need for healing and salvation, the more open we are to receiving in gratitude what others have to offer us.”

3.5 - there was really great parts of this book and the more meaty sections weren’t quite brilliant. I often skip the meditation and practice parts of Henri Nouwen’s books and felt like those sections were a lot more prevalent in this book along with Catholic iconography.

[Bridget · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The world says, ‘if you are not making good use of your time, you are useless.’ Jesus says, ‘come spend useless time with me.’ If we think about prayer in terms of its usefulness to us—what prayer will do for us, what spiritual benefits we will gain, what insights we will gain, what divine presence we may feel���God cannot easily speak to us. But if we detach ourselves from the idea of the usefulness prayer and the results of prayer, we become free to “waste” a precious hour with God in prayer. Gradually we may find, our “useless” time will transform us, and everything around us will be different. Prayer is being unbusy with God instead of being busy with other things.” Pg. 19

“It is in this poverty of the mind and the heart that we can receive in gratitude the life of the Spirit within.” Pg. 22

“In a converted heart all our past can be gathered up in gratitude, be remembered with joy, and can become the source of energy that moves us toward the future.”
Pg. 68

“Fear engenders fear. It never gives birth to love.” Pg. 75

“Solitude always calls us to community. Community is where solitude kisses solitude.” Pg. 102

“Becoming a child—entering into a second childhood—is essential to dying a good death.” Pg. 112

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Woah this book is a book for the masses I assure you. It’s beautiful in the sense that it challenges you in your thinking of the outward and inward journey of the soul. This book was not just done for Christian’s, I feel as though it’s done for everyone. It’s not just about spiritual movements and disciplines, it’s about how to move your heart from being hard and jaded to softening it and seeing people and yourself as beloved. It mixes art, poetry, short stories and theology in such a way that I think creatives and intellects alike can find harmony in this book. Ugh I can’t recommend this book enough! It’s a book about blooming into who God made you to be and how life can be lived and death can be welcomed, but also how to love and fully embrace the people around you no matter if they stand with you or against you. The reflections at the end of each chapter help you really stop and pause to digest what you read in order that you can become a vessel of peace for those who need it most. It’s not about convincing people of your position, it’s about learning to love people of all walks of life knowing you have journeyed alongside them.

[Joe Hancock · Rating 5 out of 5]

As Nouwen beautifully wrote, "To live spiritually is to seek to breathe with the Spirit's rhythm and move in a God-ward direction on the long walk of faith".

This book is challenging, it is organic in the best of ways. Each movement of the spirit that Nouwen speaks to is helping us to see the constant tensions in our lives that are keeping us enslaved or in destructive patterns when God has called us to a life that is liberating and life giving. This is one of the best books I have read on the topic of Spiritual Formation and while I don't agree with everything that is said I would wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who is trying to understand the ways in which spiritual formation can play a vital role in our lives.

[Neil Saltmarsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written posthumously from the notes from Henri Nouwen's classes and unpublished writings this book is a gem on Spiritual Formation. The introduction itself is priceless as it is shows a different way of looking at spiritual formation to that of other writings. Firstly, it rejects the self grading of measurement as to where do we stand as a spiritually developed person and instead of just recounting spiritual disciplines, which it takes as given and describes them, it then proceeds to describe movements of the spirit from one state to another and sometimes back again. The book is broken up into early, midlife and mature movements of the spirit. Each chapter is clearly written and engaging in the stories that illuminate the movements.

[Sheila Dailie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A reflective book on spiritual growth that focuses more on moving what we already know in our head the eighteen inches down to our heart. Henri Nouwen says "it is of great importance that we leave the world of measurements behind when we speak about the life of the Spirit."

Following each chapter was a section called "Going Deeper." There were questions for reflection and journaling, as well as suggestions for deeper meditation.

Though not a long or theologically complex book, digesting and following the prompts make this a book to read slowly or incrementally. It just also might find a place on my reference shelf.

[A.J. Mendoza · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book does a phenomenal job walking the reader through a paradigm shift regarding spiritual formation. Instead of moments, or milestones, Nouwen gives us "movements" from one space to another. These movements capture major transitions the heart makes in order for union with God to be a lived in reality. Though this book was compiled after Nouwen's passing, it still carries his spirit wonderfully as his student Michael Christensen organizes the material in an expert fashion. I would recommend any person serious about their spiritual development to read this book.

Key Phrases/Words:
- Spiritual formation
- Soul
- Movements
- Prayer

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again, Henri Nouwen has touched my soul in ways that continue to amaze me. This is part of a three book series on Spiritual formation. Well written, using personal experiences to highlight his experiences, Nouwen has been able to make connections in so many different ways.. It's almost like he is speaking directly to the reader. Each chapter ends with a "going deeper" section that give ideas for further reflection and time to journal the reader's thoughts and reflections. A true spiritual journey.

[Janis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spiritual Formation: Following the Movements of the Spirit is the second of three books which were compiled posthumously from Henri Nouwen's writings and lectures. I read them out-of-order---finishing this book last---but that didn't really matter. I loved all three books, but this one was my favorite. It covered seven "movements" of the spiritual life, starting each chapter with a story or parable and ending with visio divina: sacred contemplation of paintings or photographs which are included in the book.