How to Listen for Your Inner Wisdom

Aug 24

Creating + Bringing Curiosity to Wisdom Collages as a Spiritual Practice

I believe we all have direct access to the divine (though our sense of this connection may seem inaccessible, at times).

We’ve often had little support in (or have been conditioned against) attuning to, trusting, and living from our deep knowing.

Experimenting with unconventional spiritual practices has helped me move from “head knowing” to “heart knowing.”

Incorporating deep listening with images as a spiritual practice I’ve come to treasure and return to seasonally, especially when I’m at a threshold or experiencing restlessness I can’t name.

I don’t consider these cards magic or explicit instructions, but they help me move beyond my intellect into a heart/soul knowing.

Here’s a step-by-step guide

What you’ll need:

Images/words you can cut out (magazines, old books, wrapping paper, greeting cards, etc.)

Something to affix your collages on (I use these mixed media artboards, but in-a-pinch, I’ve used printer paper. )

Glue stick or double-sided tape

Scissors

Instructions:

A starting place as you experiment and find your way of doing the practice!

I create my cards in batches of three using these steps.

1) Write one question or theme I’m holding on the back of each card.

2) Flip them over and mix up them up, so you don’t know which is which.

3) Sort through images in magazines, and listen to what you are drawn to AND what you feel resistant to.

4) Cut them out and begin loosely arranging them on the cards.

Note: When I began, I placed the images and words without much concern for aesthetics.

Over time, I’ve come to enjoy fashioning the images into a more artistic piece, like they are in a relationship with each other.

I usually arrange one card at a time and then affix the images.

5) Affix the images to your cards with a glue stick or double-sided tape.

6) After you’ve glued all the images down, turn each collage over to see which images made their way to each question (a quick peek!)

7) Take a break — walk around a bit, have a meal, sleep — you have a body and you’ve probably been sitting for a while. ;)

8) With fresh eyes, approach the cards with contemplative curiosity.

Tips for bringing curiosity to your wisdom collages:

Make a list of questions that arise for you as you gaze at the cards to be with. You can borrow some of my questions to help you get started…

What do you notice about the symbolism, themes, and color patterns?
What do you wonder?
What surprises you?

I open to my “inner teacher,” relaxing into seeing with the eyes of my heart.

10) Reflect on what you noticed in your wisdom collages. You might do this in prayer, writing, or a conversation with a friend or a spiritual director).

Note: I share these photos with a friend or my spiritual director — having another eye, another soul to ask questions and wonder with me — takes me into deeper exploration and listening.

Wisdom for Who You’re Becoming

I’ve found that my wisdom collages continue to provide fruitful openings for exploration over the seasons.

I realized last week as I was journaling that one of the symbols on the first set of wisdom collages I made in 2018 is just now making sense! I often notice that the practice did, indeed, lead me to some wisdom that supported my awareness and discernment.

On the blog, you’ll find spiritual practices, like this one, that invite you to bring contemplative curiosity to the cards I’ve created.

You’ve Got Options…Make it Your Own

A friend of mine has difficulty doing this exercise without overthinking it; she prefers to choose a single word for the back of each card instead of a question.

I like choosing at least one question about releasing or resistance because it keeps me from only choosing things I want to be on the cards; this helps me relax into the process, knowing I can’t control which images are on which cards.

I’m including some examples of my cards.

Enjoy!

Gratitude: Thank you to Tara Owens at Anam Cara Ministries for inviting me to engage with this spiritual practice in spiritual direction training.