As promised, here is my imagery exercise I referenced in my last blog! Not all of it is necessarily true of real life, but offered some really amazing insight!
This exercise is not a perfect way to gauge things in your daily life or spiritual life. The questions are meant to creatively challenge you to open up to things that might be deeper than your everyday thoughts. This is meant to push you to seek God for answers to questions that arise from this activity.
We’ll pray before the exercise. You are encouraged to ultimately bring every question to God.
I am taking you on an adventure. This is your adventure and you can use your imagination as much as you want. The more color and detail you provide, the better the exercise will be for you.
Let’s begin.
You may see images that are familiar or you might create new scenarios. Both are okay.
1) You are standing in the WOODS. Is it day or night? What do you see around you? Are there animals? Are there any noises or activity going on around you? Do you see any signs that tell you where you are going? How do you feel as you walk through the woods? What do you say to yourself?
It is daylight, the sun is shining through the trees. I hear birds, crickets, bugs. I see a fawn – well a teenaged deer. There are fallen trees, leaves – I am not on a path I am legit in the middle of the woods. I am by myself but not scared. It is almost like I am on a mission or looking for something. “I am not alone,” that keeps running through my head.
(This represents HOW you feel about your life.)
2. There is a clearing in the woods and you come across a house. Describe the OUTSIDE of the house. What does the outside look like? Is it old or new? What colors do you see? How do you feel as you approach the house?
The house is visably older/an older style architectually; however, its paint is bright white and new. There are no other colors – just a shiny white house. Excitement and a sigh of relief as I walk up to the house.
(This represents HOW others feel when they approach or meet you.)
3. As you approach the house, you decide to go INSIDE of the HOUSE. What does the inside look like? What is the condition of the house? Is it clean, dirty, dusty, unkept? What colors do you see? Are there any pictures? Is anyone inside of the house? If so, what are they doing? Do they say anything to you? If there is no one in the house, whose house do you think it is? How do you feel?
It’s like I traveled back in time. It is fully furnished – but old, much like the outside. There are sheets over the furniture but no dust. The carpet is a deep red/maroon. Walls are white. Lots of glass – everywhere. Lamps/furniture are pale pink or brown. No one lives there – but there is a familarity to it. It feels like I should know it but I can’t think of whose house it is. There is a record player on a table. The banister is a shiny brown railing on both sides of the stairwell. I feel safe. I feel at home. I am super comfortable there.
(This represents how you really feel about yourself.)
4. You see a staircase. Do you go upstairs, downstairs or stay where you are? Whichever direction you move there is a note left waiting for you? What does it say? How do you feel as you read it?
I go up the stairs. A note is at the top of the stairs (on the floor.) I feel that I am being watched; I am slightly on edge, but not scared. The note says to go to the 2nd door on the right. I am excited but a little nervous.
(The stairs represent your mindset on life, up=positive, down=negative. If you don’t want to go up or down, you might be afraid to go deeper with people or life. The note is a word from God.)
5. You decide to leave the house and walk out the back door. You see a PATH in front of you. You decide to walk down the path. Describe the path. What does it look like? Are there any signs? Where do you think the path leads? How do you feel as you walk down the path?
It is a white large stoned path. You walk back into the forest by the white stones. Small trees and bushes line the path. No signs. I feel relieved and ready for whatever is next. I walk with an air of confidence. The trail just leads back into the heart of the woods; where I started from. There is a small creek that I walk by through because I hear the water.
(This represents how you feel about your future.)
6. As you are walking down the path, you come across a CUP sitting upright on the side of the road. What kind of cup is it? Is it valuable? What is the condition of cup? What color is the cup? What is inside of the cup? How do you feel?
A red solo cup/dirty, used, kind of smushed. Inside is dirt with a bug, maybe a snail. It was weird to see life inside of an old, dirty, used, cup. Was kind of cool.
(This represents how you feel and treat others, the quality of friendships in your mind.)
7. You continue walking down the path and you see a BODY of WATER in the distance. You decide to check it out. Is it a lake, river, ocean, puddle, creek or waterfall? What color is the water? In order to continue your journey you must continue down the path on the other side. How do you get across? Swim? Walk around? Wait? Sit?
The tiny creek trickled/flowed into a bigger stream. Water is clear – can see rocks/critters. It has a nice, steady flow so it has a nice current but is no deeper than 5 inches. I walk through it/try to jump on rocks to cross it.
(This represents your emotional health, your ability to handle the emotions in front of you. The type of water says a lot about how you see emotions, deep, shallow, rushing? If you walk around the water, you tend to avoid emotions, if you walk through it, you deal with your emotions head on. Depending on how deep the water is while you go through depends on how deep you go with your emotions.)
8. Out of the corner of your eyes you spot a KEY, on the path. What kind of key is it? Is it important to you and what does it look like? How do you feel about the key? What do you say to yourself? Do you take it with you?
It is a golden yellow key, looks old fashioned. Something inside tells me to pick it up and take it. Looks like it opens an old door. Something makes me think it belongs to the house; maybe the room I was supposed to go in?!
(The key represents how you receive wisdom, your desire to better understand challenging and deeper things. If you take it, you value wisdom.)
9. You continue walking down the path and you suddenly you see a threatening ANIMAL. Name the animal. Is it male or female? What size is it? What is the animal doing? You have to get past the animal. How do you get past the animal and what do you do to get past it? Describe what happens. Does the animal hurt you? How do you feel and what do you think to yourself?
I saw like a ram type of animal, male – gray with huge horns. It is taller than me and wide. I slowly start walking towards it. It stares me down. As I walk past it, it tries to charge and I just take off running. It does not chase me. It was holding its ground so my instincts was it was protecting something. I was not injured – just shaken up by being scared.
(This represents how you handle relationship problems (not your overall relationship) with your parents. Female = mother issues, male = father issues)
10. After the situation with the animal, you continue down the path. You come to a huge WALL and the path suddenly ends. There seems to be no way to continue so you’re journey has ended. What does the wall look like, is there something written on it? What material is it made of? What do you feel and think?
It is a giant, gray, concrete slab wall – no way that I could climb it, no holes to hang onto or put your feet in. The wall is blank – no writings or pictures on it. I feel confused that it is the end. I feel good though, like I did accomplish something. I just don’t know what that something is.
(This wall represents HOW you confront changes.)
11. You hear a voice that tells you there is a way to get to the other side of the path BEYOND THE WALL. Do you recognize the voice? If so, who is it? How do you get to the other side? What is waiting for you when you finally get beyond the wall? Describe the scene once you make it. Who is waiting for you and what do they say? How do you feel? What do you say to yourself?
Voice says to walk 20 feet to the left. One of the blocks on the bottom moves so I push it out and crawl through the wall. I do not know the voice personally, but it has a familiar sound to it. On the other side is an open field. A man is there, long gray hair and beard. He is smiling and says how proud he is of me. Again, not sure what I did accomplish, but I feel good. I feel light.
(This represents RESOLUTION and RESTORATION in your spiritual walk.)
*Read this after exercise, but before explaining representations.*
Each scene might be pointing to one specific area in your life, not how you view your entire life. Example: the woods might represent a season you are currently walking through, not your continual outlook on life.
Do not say what any of the situations represent until after you have taken them through the whole exercise. The brackets contain the representations for each step of the journey.
After I read my whole thing to Mikayla and Saraya; they encouraged me to do a listening prayer and ask what is behind the door to see if I get an answer! And boy, I did get an answer! Stay tuned for my next blog on the listening prayer and what God told me!
