Open the Window to your Soul: Using Art to Pray more deeply

The section continues with the conversation on the value of creativity in a prayer practice.  This excerpt is taken from the book "Windows in the Soul" by Mike Sullivan.

Let's talk about the barriers to being able to be creative that many people have that might hinder us from truly engaging this practice.

This section offers you a 2nd opportunity to reinterpret prayer as a creative practice.  Make sure to print off the resources for this exercise and also use your own materials to engage in this project.

I also have posted my work in progress so you can see how I chose to engage this project.

For this activity you will need the following materials:

-large piece of paper (you can tape two sheets of paper together side by side so it can fit in the storage you are using for your other projects.)

-glue

-scissors

-tape (optional)

-printed copies in the resources

-magazines (optional)

-pen/markers

NOTE:

Feel free to create with this exercise however you feel the nudge to work with it. It could be a journaling practice where you engage with each of the pictures or certain prayers or some combination of the two.

You could also deconstruct the prayers and create your own version of the prayers and allow them to accompany your prayer practice moving forward.

Perhaps it will feel intimate to just read the words slowly and allow your memories to engage the words.

Or you might allow God to move you towards certain words or pictures and let the conversation flow in that way.

This is your meditation and your prayer.

This section goes over the soul questions that accompany the unlearning prayer exercise.  Make sue to print off your page found in the resources.

This session walks you through a breathing and listening practice as you create your personal mandala.

Materials needed for this activity:

-at least 1 piece of paper 8.5" x11" or depending on how large you would like to create one

-crayons or markers/oil pastels even watercolor paint

A copy of one of my mandalas is posted in the resources.

This section gives a brief history lesson on the practice of Lectio Divina. 

This lecture goes over some basic practices of how to prepare for the reading of Lectio Divina.

This section is the practice of Lectio Divina in four parts.  Consider having a journal nearby so that you can record any thoughts from the practice.

Some final words about how necessary it is to let God 'have it' and in doing so, we remove the barriers to what will invite a legitimate as opposed to a cordial relationship with God.

Coloring can be a surprisingly effective meditation practice for a few reasons. First, it engages your hands in a simple, repetitive task, which helps ground you in the present moment. When you're focused on choosing colors or staying within the lines, your mind doesn't have much room for distractions or stress, and that shift in focus can bring a calming effect.

It's also a creative expression, which can be a gentle way to release emotions. Sometimes, words don't come easily when we're stressed or overwhelmed, but through color, we can communicate feelings that might otherwise be hard to express.

The repetitive motion of coloring can also have a rhythm that soothes the mind, much like breathing exercises in meditation. It can put you into a relaxed, almost trance-like state, where you're less caught up in worries and more connected to the act itself.

Plus, there's no pressure for it to be perfect. The focus isn't on the outcome, but on the process. In a world that often pushes for perfection and constant doing, coloring as a meditation practice allows you to just be and enjoy the act of creation without judgment.