Ok, this may be an unfair question to ask since we’re not sitting down personally with coffee and a nice view like friends would, but I’m going to ask it anyway.

​

Is there any area of your life where you feel like you could use some clarity right now?

​

Like maybe what you really want out of your family life, work life, relationships? (Anyone else suddenly hear the Spice Girls? No, just me?)

​

Sometimes what we really want is just below the surface, waiting for us to listen more deeply. Paying attention to ourselves and the voice of God can be really hard amidst all the noise of news, social media, family responsibility and just keeping up with … well, everything.

​

But if we want to get past our “official feelings” (what we think we should be, do and say) and drop into our real feelings (what we actually think, what we really want to do and what we say to ourselves when no one else is listening) we have to cultivate systems of paying attention.

​

If you’ve been around the Monastic Mamas community for any length of time, you know that I’m a HUGE advocate of practices like morning pages, artist’s dates and centering prayer.

​

But what if I told you that there are other practices to help you find the next piece of your puzzle?

​

Now before I share one of these practices with you, I want you to suspend your eye-rolling, adult brain for a minute and go with me.

​

What if I told you that with a bunch of old magazines, a sheet of blank paper, a pair of scissors and some glue you could get some clarity around the next steps in your journey?

​

Would you believe me?

​

It’s ok if your initial response is a resounding “NO!” I’m good with that. But keep reading just in case I have something to say that might resonate.

​

Sometimes the simple act of asking yourself a few questions and having some supplies at the ready can reveal something you never would have been able to see if you hadn’t taken the time to look!

​

Want to give it a shot?

​

Here are some simple steps …

​

1) Grab some old magazines (or score some at a local thrift store). Don’t be picky. You never know what images will speak to you!

​

2) Grab your blank paper, scissors and glue.

​

3) Ask yourself a couple simple questions, such as “What are my 5 favorite movies? What are my 5 favorite topics to read about?” and then draw themes from both. Using these themes, look for images and words that inspire you.

​

Or, if you are looking for something a bit deeper, ask yourself where you hope to be in 5 years.

​

Where do you hope to live?

What do you hope to be doing?

What do you hope life will look like for you?

​

After writing these down, tear or cut out images that resonate!

​

4) Once you’ve got your images torn out, start to arrange them on the paper. Don’t get perfectionistic with this! The more free you can be, the more you will be able to enjoy the process.

​

5) Once you are done, sit back and see what you’ve created! What really spoke to you in the process? Did anything surprise you about the process?

​

I recently worked on this collage …

​

My recent collage

​

I started by quickly jotting down 5 of my favorite films (ok, I’ll spill; Chocolat, Labyrinth, Amelie, Ladyhawk, 16 Candles) as well as 5 of my favorite topics to read about (Ireland, Travel, Celtic Christian Spirituality/Monasticism, Women in History, Social Justice).

​

From there, I began to look for images. While ideas like “Shared Places,” “A Bridge Between” and “Beautiful Tension” weren’t part of my original themes, there they are on the page because they called to me. Somehow, doing this simple collaging exercise showed me a deeper picture of what I care about and what I hope to create as a contemplative creative coach.

​

This one simple exercise revealed so much to me!

​

So, have I convinced you?

Are you willing to give it a try?

​