Knowing Part II (Use our Senses)

One of the ways I was taught to pray with the Bible is using the Lectio Devina Method.  You can read more about that here:  https://www.ignatianspirituality.com/ignatian-prayer/the-what-how-why-of-prayer/praying-with-scripture.  It's about putting yourself into the story and asking yourself, "What do I see/hear/feel/taste?"

I was reminded about this method yesterday when I considered the pond fish and whether or not to feed them anymore.  There's so much advice out there by experts.  In this case, it's the pond experts, the fish experts, and the fish food experts.  They all say something a little bit different.  So who is one to take advice from?

The best advice for me (the advice that made me say "YES, YES, this feels right") is to put myself into the story, to put myself into my life by asking what do I see when I watch the fish?  Margaret Roach, who blogs about gardening, put me on to this thought wave with her latest blog post.  She wrote, "My fish actually tell me around October that they are done eating:  even if I toss pellets into the pool, they show disinterest once it's cold." 

How simple!  I can take advice from what's in front of me - in this case the fish - and determine next steps based on what I see, hear, taste and feel.

As a result, I used this advice again today.  In front of me I found a memoir I haven't read yet and also business cards from three women I met recently who asked me to speak at their synagogue and/or women's groups. It gave me a moment of pause and discomfort because they said they would contact me but I haven't heard anything.  I needed to decide on whether or not to follow up. 

Considering the hearing, seeing, feeling pieces, here's what I know: 

• Chasing a lead is what I was taught, but it is not what I feel to be best for me.  I am grateful that these women took steps based on seeing the promotion about the event and feeling that they should come to meet me.  They acted upon what they saw and felt and therefore our interaction that day was good.  The ball is in their courts again and that feels good to me.  

• Taking time to be still allows for hearing.  What I hear in my prayer time is that right now I will reach the destination by being instead of doing.  It's not to say that I should not work, it's that I shouldn't push.  Instead, I should relish this journey by taking time.  The right people are right in front of me, I see them, and I should savor (taste) these moments.  

• I have started reading that book.  It's called Waking Up in Eden by former journalist Lucinda Fleeson about leaving her career in Philadelphia and beginning a new one in Hawaii.   Doing so is putting me into a story where I am seeing, hearing, feeling, smelling and tasting with my imagination.  My senses are alive and this is where I KNOW I am to be at this moment.

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Now for the reflective questions which you can journal about or if you'd like to share your story, the community and I would love to hear from you!  Your comment could have a major impact on someone else.  Most likely it will be just the right thing at the right time for one of the readers. For me, God* wanted me to know that helping even just one person is wonderfully impactful.
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Reflective questions:
1.  What do you KNOW based on what you see, hear, feel, smell and/or taste?

2.  What does God* want you to know about this (ask directly, "God, what do you want me to know?")

* I use the term God as a universal term.  You may decide that Great Spirit, Allah, Higher Power, Sensibility, etc. better suits you today.  It is not for me to decide.

Photo by EJH

Note:  These posts are part of a broader call to do spiritual journaling which is simply journaling what's on your heart and mind and then asking God* what else you should know (read more at CardinalTouch.net).