Prayer Practices

Visio Divina

Visio Divina is a form of visual prayer that invites the viewer into "divine or holy seeing." It is a practice of "prayerful seeing" in which we allow God to direct our eyes and prayer as we pay attention to our accompanying thoughts and feelings.  Visio divina shares roots with the ancient practice of lectio divina. (Lectio divina calls for a slow, careful interaction with scripture through meditation and prayer, allowing a word or phrase to rise in one's mind and heart, a holy word to be savored and examined.) Similarly, visio divina invites one to encounter God through images.  It may be a  prayerful consideration of and interaction with a photograph in a newspaper, magazine, a sculpture, piece of art, something in nature or another visual representation that allows us to experience prayer or conversation with God in a unique and powerful way.  With this prayer practice we are not trying to determine or understand what the artist or creator was trying to portray.  Rather, it is about what God wants to speak or invite us to as we pray with our eyes.

Below are links to guided visio divina practices created by A Spacious Place.  You are invited to find a quiet place for 15 minutes where you can listen while prayerfully interacting with the image on the screen.  Simply listen and notice the Holy Spirit's movement within you and interact with God as you become aware of your thoughts and feelings as well as God's invitations to you.  A journal or piece of paper and pen may be helpful. 

The Shepherd   https://youtu.be/0kz2IT71PUE

Other Recommended Prayer Resources

Lectio 365 App with guided prayer for morning, mid-day and evening times https://www.24-7prayer.com/resource/lectio-365/

Daily guided lectio divina by Sharon Garlough Brown, author of Sensible Shoes series  https://www.abidingway.life/lectio-podcast