Making my Way to the Sacred
photograph by Julie Elliot
By Julie Elliot
In spiritual direction we are deepening our relationship with God – however we would name that Mystery. Often, we recognize the yearning but we don’t know what to do with it. How do we know God more deeply? It’s a question not easily answered and I have a library of books about spirituality to prove it! But if we imagine God as a magnetic field and ask, “Where am I drawn?” the way towards the sacred is easier to see.
I am drawn to planting seeds, collaging monoprints, having deep conversations, sending art cards in the mail, clearing clutter, being with Silence, dancing, meditating – the list goes on. But most of all, I am drawn to journalling. This has been true my whole life. I have a deep need to write down what I’m thinking and feeling.
Daily journalling is a treasured practice. I begin each day by writing about the previous day, what’s on my mind, what’s in my heart. I have no plan for where I’m going. I light a candle, say an opening prayer and begin. My pen knows where to go and I consent to follow along. I’ve come to trust that the act of writing gives me access to a different kind of knowing. There’s something about putting pen to paper that offers up new insights and ideas. It's a spiritual practice that drills down to my deeper and more authentic truth. It moves me beyond ordinary awareness into a wider spiritual knowing.
Author Christina Baldwin puts it this way:
“The voice of the sacred appears gently on the page, written in our own handwriting but carrying a message of support and comfort, sometimes challenge, which we do not generate alone.”
I know this to be true. So, back to that question. If you imagine God as a magnetic field, where are you drawn? What is alluring for you? Where do you notice currents of aliveness in yourself and others? How then shall you live?
Julie Elliot
is a spiritual director trained in the Pacific Jubilee SoulGuiding program. She is an artist, teacher, writer and retreat leader. Julie is one of four program mentors for SoulGuiding 2020-22. Read about Julie’s spiritual practice here.
