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"We Are Here"
The other morning, I walked to a nearby park. I sat down at its rose garden. After reading and writing down my thoughts for some minutes I felt an invitation to put the notebook away and close my eyes.
I imagined Jesus sitting next to me. He inquired me to let him look at me. In the eyes of my imagination I pictured him looking at me, with a tender, loving smile. Immediately, tears of gratitude filled my eyes, and my whole body felt his loving nearness. It was not hard to listen to his gentle voice talk to me and address me by name, “Kaisa look, we are here! You have traveled a long way...”
I spent some time just sitting there, listening, and letting him to love me a little longer as we sat together.
When I got up I whispered “... and thanks for the roses!” sniffing them on my way.
God does not only bring me a bouquet of roses but an entire garden. All it takes is for me to take the time to notice. Be here, present to his love.
Experiencing God through Imagination
In my work as a spiritual director I often use imaginative prayer exercises, or ask questions to my directees that allow them to explore their experiences through the help of imagination.
Joseph Campbell writes, “The soul thinks in images”. This is certainly true of me, and most people who I have worked in spiritual direction with or shared the spiritual journey in one way or another.
In his book “Anatomy of the soul” David Benner describes a prayer practice which he calls “Practice Being Known”. In this practice he invites us to use our imagination to enter into an experience of feeling and receiving God’s affectionate love for us. He challenges us to regularly place ourselves in our imagination in a physical place that is safe and appealing to us. Once we have imagined this space in all of its facets, we imagine Jesus sharing the space with us, and allowing him to rest his loving gaze on us. This kinds of practice will allow us to experience a deeper awareness of being known by God.
Reflection Questions
- What images nourish your soul?
- What is it like for you to imagine Jesus looking at you?
Resources
I have written a couple short reflections before for Pathways to God 'Where I Found God Today' blog. I shared them here on my own blog as well and you can find them here:
If you would like to submit your own reflection to Pathways to God site, you can do so by following the link here.