Meditations of Listening Hearts Ministries

…discernment depends on a willing and open heart…
-Listening Hearts, p 95

You may want to print this guide in order to bring it with you to a quiet place where you can sit and write comfortably for a time without interruption. All you need is pen, paper, and a flat surface to write on.

1.  Become settled, quieting your body and mind by drawing slow, deep breaths. Bring the circumstances of your daily life into your meditation with you, taking time to identify any question or issue with which you may be wrestling. Wait in silence. If nothing comes to mind, become aware of how you are feeling in this moment.

2.  Read the following scriptural passage, or if you prefer, select another passage with which you’d like to meditate with today.

Make room in your hearts…

-2 Corinthians 7:2

Read the words over and over to yourself, allowing them to sink in. Take them into your body, mind, and soul. You may eventually zero in on one or two words; you may want to close your eyes. Allow God’s presence to wash over you. Take as much time with the passage as you like to become centered, attuned, and still.

3.  When you feel ready, open your eyes and take out your pen and paper. Holding both your words from Scripture and your discernment issue in your heart, write a list of questions that emerge for you: questions about your concerns, questions about your feelings, questions about your own life experience.  Write as much as you like.

Then go back and respond to the questions one at a time. Write a stream-of-consciousness passage to go with each one. Do not think about what you are putting on the paper or censor what you are writing. Do not worry about spelling, punctuation, or sentence structure. Let go of your inhibitions so that your words tumble out freely. Respond to your questions with whatever comes into your mind.

When you have finished, look over your words, or simply return to the stillness you began in. Remain open, that God might speak to you through your writing.

4. Take a moment to silently offer this expression to God.

After the meditation…
If you would like, share with the rest of the Heartlinks community. You may want to post an excerpt from your writing, or some reflections about your experience in meditation. Any kind of sharing is welcome. Return to this website over the course of your week to deepen your own prayerful discernment, revisiting your experience and nourishing your own meditation through the reflections of others.

Copyright. Listening Hearts Ministries. 2011.

To listen to God, we need to become still within.
-Grounded in God, p 12

You may want to print this guide in order to bring it with you to a quiet place. This exercise uses light as a focal point for meditation. Select a candle or other source of light (such as a small lamp or lantern) that you would like to use, then find a comfortable spot where you can sit or kneel for a time without interruption. All you need is your light (and a match if using a candle), though you might want to also have a cell phone or other device with a soft alarm handy so you can time your meditation.

1. Take long, deep breaths. Gently survey your current life situation. If possible, identify a specific concern with which you are wrestling. You may be struggling in a personal relationship, considering a career change, facing a moral or ethical dilemma, or simply feeling a need to clarify your priorities. Take as much quiet time as you need to allow this discernment question to become firmly embedded in your consciousness, so that it remains with you throughout your meditation.

2. Offer yourself, including your concern or question, to God.

3. Read the following Scriptural passage, or if you prefer, select another passage that you’d like to meditate with today.

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
—Psalm 119:105

Reflectively read your passage. Repeat it over and over until you fully absorb it. Eventually, but not necessarily, you may zero in on a single phrase, or even one word.

4. When you feel ready, place your source of light in a suitable spot. If you are using a candle, light it. You may want to set your alarm now for a set amount of time; 5 – 10 minutes of silent contemplation is about right for a beginner. Those who are more familiar with contemplative practice may prefer a longer period of silence.

Holding your discernment issue and your Scripture text close to your heart, allow yourself to become still before the light. Let your thoughts and feelings float as you direct your gaze toward it. If your mind is wandering too far, use the light and/or your word(s) from Scripture to gently re-focus yourself in God’s healing presence.

If a strong inspiration or an experience of clarity seizes you, neither push it away nor hold onto it; let it come, but also let it go. Return to the light, centering yourself, sitting open-handed with God.

After the meditation…
If you would like, share with the rest of the Heartlinks community below. Any form of reflection is welcome, be it fragments, a couple of sentences, or a long polished paragraph. Many find that writing – and sharing with others – deepens and enriches their own experience. Return to this website as often as you like, allowing your meditation with light to continue to unfold.

Copyright. Listening Hearts Ministries, 2011.