Code of Ethics for Spiritual Guides
Preamble
People have long sought to enrich their lives and to
awaken to their full natures through spiritual practices
including prayer, meditation, mind-body disciplines, service,
ritual, community liturgy, holy-day and seasonal observances,
and rites of passage. "Primary religious practices" are those
intended, or especially likely, to bring about exceptional
states of consciousness such as the direct experience of the
divine, of cosmic unity, or of boundless awareness.
In any community, there are some who feel called to assist
others along spiritual paths, and who are known as ministers,
rabbis, pastors, curanderas, shamans, priests, or other
titles. We call such people 'guides': those experienced in
some practice, familiar with the terrain, and who act to
facilitate the spiritual practices of others. A guide need
not claim exclusive or definitive knowledge of the terrain.
Spiritual practices, and especially primary religious
practices, carry risks. Therefore, when an individual chooses
to practice with the assistance of a guide, both take on
special responsibilities. The Council on Spiritual Practices
proposes the following Code of Ethics for those who serve as
spiritual guides.
Serving Society
Spiritual practices are to be designed and conducted in
ways that respect the common good, with due regard for public
safety, health, and order. Because the increased awareness
gained from spiritual practices can catalyze desire for
personal and social change, guides shall use special care to
help direct the energies of those they serve, as well as
their own, in responsible ways that reflect a loving regard
for all life.
Serving Individuals
Spiritual guides shall respect and seek to preserve the
autonomy and dignity of each person. Participation in any
primary religious practice must be voluntary and based on
prior disclosure and consent given individually by each
participant while in an ordinary state of consciousness.
Disclosure shall include, at a minimum, discussion of any
elements of the practice that could reasonably be seen as
presenting physical or psychological risks. In particular,
participants must be warned that primary religious experience
can be difficult and dramatically transformative.
Guides shall make reasonable preparations to protect each
participant's health and safety during spiritual practices
and in the periods of vulnerability that may follow. Limits
on the behaviors of participants and facilitators are to be
made clear and agreed upon in advance of any session.
Appropriate customs of confidentiality are to be established
and honored.
Competence
Spiritual guides shall assist with only those practices
for which they are qualified by personal experience and by
training or education
Integrity
Spiritual guides shall strive to be aware of how their
own belief systems, values, needs, and limitations affect
their work. During primary religious practices, participants
may be especially open to suggestion, manipulation, and
exploitation; therefore, guides pledge to protect
participants and not to allow anyone to use that
vulnerability in ways that harm participants or others.
Quiet Presence
To help safeguard against the harmful consequences of
personal and organizational ambition, spiritual communities
are usually better allowed to grow through attraction rather
than active promotion.
Not for Profit
Spiritual practices are to be conducted in the spirit of
service. Spiritual guides shall strive to accommodate
participants without regard to their ability to pay or make
donations.
Tolerance
Spiritual guides shall practice openness and respect
towards people whose beliefs are in apparent contradiction to
their own.
Peer Review
Each guide shall seek the counsel of other guides to help
ensure the wholesomeness of his or her practices and shall
offer counsel when there is need.
Copyright © 1995 - 2001 Council on Spiritual
Practices This draft for public comment was released 10
August 2001. The current version is available on the Internet
at www.csp.org.
Copyright © 1995 - 2001 Council on Spiritual Practices
Box 460820 San Francisco, CA 94146-0820 USA
Permission is hereby given to reprint this Code, provided
that the text is reproduced complete and verbatim, including
the CSP contact information, copyright, and this notice of
limited permission to reprint