Adrift?
Don't let the current carry you out to sea
Adrift: unanchored, directionless, off course, without purpose or direction
Friends,
When you look at this fabric art do you think it represents a beautiful evening out on a lake with the stars twinkling above to guide and admire? Or maybe when you look at this you see a boat adrift with no land in sight? The sky is dark and you are left to figure out how to get back to shore. Is there more you discover? What curiosities stir inside of you? I find it interesting how we can look at the same picture and see something completely different depending on what is happening inside of us at the time we view it.
When things happen in our lives that shake us up we often feel like we are adrift. And when that happens, I have to find a way to ground myself until a way opens. During that time of floating between decisions or when I feel lost about what to do, it’s so important to anchor in the unknowing. What does that mean? I like to think about it as the ability to hold yourself in a space of being curious of what could be. All the pressure is off about decisions. Often there is fear when we feel adrift and a supportive community or a friend can be helpful if they are good at listening (and short on advice). Whatever you see in this picture, take stock. It can tell you some things you may have hidden from yourself. Maybe it’s a picture to daydream about!
Using art as a spiritual practice is called Viso Divina. In this practice you look at a piece of art for several minutes. Concentrate on all the details such as the medium used, colors, size, people, objects, etc.. After this time, take a few minutes to be curious about how this may connect to your life or how you might see God (Divine Spirit) reflected. You might pray about what is discovered within. It may also be helpful to journal about this experience to help lead you to a way more open and available to you.
I hope you take time to experience this to see if it could be a meaningful way to connect to a deeper self. If you find your thoughts spinning, maybe this can help you find an anchor to keep you from drifting too far off shore.
Blessings,
Jace
If you would like to explore this more here are some suggestions of how to approach Viso Divina from Click here
Try It Out
1. Pick out an image from a website: a photograph, painting, or icon.
2. Look at the image and let your eyes stay with the first thing you see. Focus your attention on the part of the image that first catches your eye. Try to keep your eyes from wandering to other parts of the picture. Breathe deeply and let yourself gaze at that part of the image for a minute or so.
3. Let your eyes now gaze at the whole image. Take your time and look at every part of the photograph. See it all. Reflect on the image for a minute or so
4. Consider the following questions:
What emotions does this image evoke in you?
What does the image stir up in you, bring forth in you?
Does this image lead you into an attitude of prayer? If so, let these prayers take form in you. Write them down if you desire.
5. Offer your prayers to God now in a final time of silence.
And here is a site The Upper Room maintains called Sight Psalms in which they add photos to contemplate every day. Click here
If you are wondering how this could be used with poetry, Emily Norton has a beautiful illustration of how this is done. I add the website and encourage you to visit it because she has written several poems from the same painting viewed at different angles.
Click highlighted to go to the link. Here is the link:
Jace Belz is a spiritual director with a certificate in spiritual formation and the art of spiritual formation through the Wellstreams Program.