In this session,
We're going to focus on getting the lay of the land of the landscape of our souls.
Noticing the different contours,
Layers,
Facets that make up the tapestry of our innermost being.
I invite you to take a couple deep breaths,
Getting settled in to wherever you might be sitting or laying down,
Closing your eyes if you're comfortable,
Lengthening each exhale and inhale.
Just gently noticing what's going on inside right now.
Noticing if there might be a current of anxiety that you just can't shake.
Noticing if there's a running to-do list that you can't get out of your head.
Maybe there's a pain or an ache that's a little more noticeable as you slow down.
This might be a physical pain or ache in your body or an emotional one,
Maybe one that is so heavy you feel it in your body.
Maybe there's skepticism about slowing down and connecting with the depths of your soul.
Whatever you're noticing,
I encourage you to take a deep breath and just be curious.
I'll open our time with a brief prayer.
Lord God,
I pray that you would give us eyes to see things inside of us that we cannot see or know on our own.
Would you give us wisdom and discernment that would ultimately connect us more deeply with you?
Would you give us eyes to see the pains and the griefs that stand in the way of experiencing communion with you?
And would you mercifully help us to have patience with the parts of us that need extra time and space in this process?
Amen.
As you continue to notice what's happening inside of you,
I invite you to bring up the imagery that we used in our last session when thinking about the soul and the different facets and depths of the soul.
It's okay if your imagery today might be a little bit different.
If there's another imagery you feel more drawn to or that feels a little more right for today,
It's perfectly alright to go with that.
As you think about the different thoughts,
Emotions,
Aches that you've noticed inside of you,
I invite you to think about where those things might be located in the landscape of your soul.
The way you can think about this is to imagine if those emotions or thoughts were embodied in a part of you,
What would their demeanor be like?
And where do you imagine them in your soul?
An example of this might be imagining an anxious part of you running around in a bit of a panic,
Maybe a bit frantic.
Maybe you imagine this as a hamster running on a wheel.
Maybe you imagine this as a chicken running around,
Another kind of animal or cartoon character that depicts how you experience anxiety.
Maybe you imagine an exhausted or weary part of you curled up in a ball or laying flat on the ground,
Completely depleted of energy or strength.
Maybe you imagine a part of you hidden at the bottom of a well or tucked away in a dark place where no one can see them.
Whatever is coming to mind,
I invite you to just notice with curiosity how your mind visualizes these things,
Letting your mind be creative and curious.
I'm taking a couple intentional deep breaths.
I invite you to consider if there are any other facets of your soul,
Any other depths of your innermost being that are not yet in the picture.
Take a nice deep inhale,
Nice deep exhale.
Thinking about the question,
What is the state of my soul?
Some people like to imagine their soul as a garden or terrain.
If this is helpful,
You can imagine what kinds of plants,
Flowers,
Trees might depict flourishing and thriving.
And if there might be different kinds of plants or terrain or the state of those things that might depict a weariness,
An exhaustion,
A stuckness.
Whatever is coming to mind,
I encourage you to spend just a few more minutes taking a bit of a mental snapshot,
Seeing this as an honest and safe space to explore what is the state of my soul,
Knowing that it is completely okay and completely normal for this to have a multifaceted answer.
Knowing that the Psalms actually give us a really great picture of what this can look like.
Joy alongside lament,
Praise alongside grief,
Dancing alongside sorrow.
Before we close our time for today,
I'm going to end us in a prayer.
I'd love to remind every part of you that's listening to this,
That through this series,
Our goal is not to push down or push away any part of us that we don't know what to do with or that we would prefer to hide.
But instead,
Our goal is to embrace all of those parts with God's loving-kindness,
Really making way for God to embrace his creation.
Embracing God's love,
God's mercy,
And God's compassion that is far greater than anything we could offer ourselves.
If you'd like,
You can join me in this prayer.
Lord God,
We thank you for being with us in all things,
In all circumstances,
And we acknowledge that we don't always feel this or sense this.
I pray that you would bring peace to the depths of us that feel or have felt alone,
Abandoned,
Cast off,
Ashamed.
Would you pour out your mercy and bring peace to the spaces that we cannot fix on our own?
Would you give us eyes to see your redemptive work of renewal as a gracious and healing gift that you offer to us freely?
Be with us as we continue this journey and help our innermost being to know that you are with us,
Not in a way that's a platitude or the right answer,
But a deep knowing that only you can bring.
Amen.
