Spiritual Location Exercise

​This is a simple reflective exercise for quietly contemplating the landscape of your life. You can choose a short period of time (over the last few days, weeks, months). It is also possible to do it over a long period of time.
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This is an excellent way to prepare for a meaningful conversation with your spiritual director or a spiritual friend.
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It will be beneficial to set aside at least 30 minutes for this practice and have your journal or paper nearby.

Begin by becoming still before the Lord and becoming attentive to God's presence with you, preferably in a distracting free space.

When you're ready, start answering the following six questions. ANSWER IN BULLET FORMS —— DO NOT OVERTHINK THEM —— Take notes as they come to you. Allow 2-3 minutes between questions.

1. What are some facts about your life? If you were to say these things, people would readily agree with you.(i.e: I am a husband, I am a teacher, I am a mother)
2. What has been pre-occupying your mind over the period of time selected?  
3. What have your predominate emotions been? What emotional states have you noticed?
4. Where have you been noticing your thoughts and feelings showing up in your body?
5. What questions have you been asking/holding?
6. In your times of quiet, what longings of your heart have been surfacing?

Begin pondering what you've written in a slow, deliberate manner. You can pray, "Lord, what do you want me to notice here?" Maybe you wrote something down that piques your attention. If you've ever done Lectio Divina, you're familiar with this sensitive technique for finding words or sentences that have a 'shimmer' to them.
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Many people find it beneficial to move on to journaling after taking time to examine all of this in their hearts.

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