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Getting a taste for God
Tonight at the church where I have been involved for the last year (offering spiritual direction, apart from anything else) we prayed in ways that most people had never prayed before. Imagine a spiritual experience version of a mix of speed dating and wine tasting (!) we offered the 50 participants a selection of ‘9 ways to pray’, over 2 hours, timed to 15 minutes by the clock; each prayer station was led by someone who loves a particular way to pray, and was able to briefly explain the ‘how to’ before leading a taster experience.
On offer were: body prayer (using the senses to experience God), centering prayer, praying for each other (out loud), the Ignatian examen, lectio divina, praying the hours, praying with poetry, praying with the breath, and praying with the imagination. It was exhausting as a leader, but exhilerating and moving too; for me to be sure, but clearly also for many of the participants. It was my idea - hooray! - and my role was coordinator, MC, and small group leader. I want to spend a bit of time reflecting on each type of prayer, continuing to practice these things real-ly and in my everyday life. Perhaps you would like to try them out too?