Tender Place to Hear Your True Voice
A page to create on after sacred reading, meditation and/or prayer
- Print me
“You have not grown old, and it is not too late To dive into your increasing depths where life calmly gives out its own secret.”
― Rainer Maria Rilke
Dear Spiritual traveler, meditator, lover of the unseen mystery,
I have for years used an expressive art journaling process called “Emerge” before prayer, reading sacred words, and reflecting/meditating. It helps massage left-over feelings that are sticking out, so I can calm down before turning to the sacred springs within. I will put the exercise at the bottom of the page in case you want to try it.
After doing your process of letting go and calming yourself, or the Emerge exercise, you may want to read something inspiring and then reflect.
“One hour of reflection is preferable to seventy years of pious worship.” — This quote is attributed to Mohammed though the source is obscure.
Other quotes on this page are here in case they bring you inspiration (not perspiration). After reflection you might want to write, to hear more clearly the deep inner voice, and have it on a page you can visit to take you again to that space.
“No one knows what makes the soul wake up so happy! Maybe a dawn breeze has blown the veil from the face of God.” — Rumi
“The meditative faculty is akin to the mirror; if you put it before earthly objects it will reflect them. …But if you turn the mirror of your spirits heavenwards, the heavenly constellations and the rays of the Sun of Reality will be reflected in your hearts, and the virtues of the Kingdom will be obtained…” ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Paris Talks
“Meditation is a deep listening with the body, heart and mind to find a graciousness, wisdom, and ease amidst all the change around us. Invite a sense of calm and steadiness with each breath. You are the loving awareness that is tuning in.” Jack Kornfeld, “Listening With The Heart Meditation”
E M E R G E, An expressive arts journey
I adapted this process from a “Polarities” exercise by Natalie Rogers, from her book, The Creative Connection: Expressive Arts as Healing.
You will draw/scribble/paint on four pages. What you need:
- at least two pens, markers, pastels, paints or whatever you have handy to scribble with.
- One file folder, or four pieces of paper.
Please read through all the directions before you begin. Then do this wrong, badly, messily. There is no right way to do you. It may feel awkward at first.
First, make a margin of about 1 1/4 inches on each side of your pages with a ruler, or free-hand draw a frame of your choice, on pages 1,2, and 3. I sometimes draw an arbor.
It is lovely to start the process by receiving a randomly selected Virtue Reflection Card from the page of “The Virtues Project” https://virtuesproject.com. Press the button on the right of the page called: Do A Virtues Pick.
The Virtues Project suggests that the virtue you receive is either acknowledging you for practicing that virtue/special quality or is inviting you to incorporate it and call on it more. The Catholic angelologists used to call on the Virtues, considering them angels. You can begin by reading the card. These cards are like ice-skates for the soul to skate at the rink of life.
Warm-up page: Let a color pick you. Scribble all over a page with it to warm up. Scribble in opposite ways — hard and soft, round and square, poetic and firm, with the tiny movement of fingers, then huge movement with the whole body, standing up, sitting down. If any words occur to you while scribbling you can write them anywhere on the page. (This is a warm-up. You can do it any time. You only need to do it once.)
Page 1: Scribble/draw on a page about one thing that is bothering you in your life.
Page 2: Scribble/draw what the ideal outcome of that situation would be.
Page 3: Scribble/draw using both hands, allowing yourself to gently remember your previous drawings. This integrates the left and right brain.
- On pages 1, 2 and 3, after scribble/drawing write four sentences in the margins of your page (or anywhere on the page), two that begin with “I…” and two that begin with “We…”
- After you get familiar with the exercise, from doing it a few times, after drawing and writing the sentences on pages 2 and 3 you may want to do movement to your drawing and words — a kind of improvisation of what the page feels like. This can be powerful and can provide another layer of expression of your insides/insights.
- When you are finished, look at your page 2 and 3— keep them around, hang them where you can see them and read what you wrote! This is the most important part! You can follow-up with on-line research in an area you are jumping in place about (where you want to learn more, where others have researched and focused so you don’t have to reinvent the wheel and may learn tips).
- When you get comfortable with this “Emerge” process you can do it with your non-dominant hand (the hand opposite your writing hand) which brings forth the subconscious feelings and inspiration more.
- This exercise can take three minutes to over an hour. For the longer version, instead of sentences you can journal on a separate page, write a poem or song if you want. And/or you can scribble/draw/paint on the pages with multiple colors. The experience deepens as you add layers of creative arts (writing, poetry, movement, music…) to your drawing and words.
- You can do this!
I’m so glad to create this page and share it with you! I’m also soooooo glad you stopped by. Please let me know how your journey went,
Claudia
*If you share the “Emerge” process, please acknowledge Claudia S. Gold at [email protected]. I plan to host a Zoom call to teach the Emerge process. Please send me your email if you’d like an invite.
