Building a Personal Art Piece - Stage III...{Finding Sanctuary - Part 12}

My reflection strips taped down and the beginning of weaving...

The complete weaving against our kitchen red wall!

Here is my personal art piece to date.  As I wrote on the colored strips, I continued to gain insights...so I was writing on the strips and then copying to my journal so I could keep these new thoughts!  I plan on sharing most of my journaling work with you next week...and the main idea of things that perhaps need to remain more private {smiling}.

But let's discuss the work so far...remember that the vertical strips are "reflection" writings and the horizontal strips are the words, phrases, and study of the branches I (and you) highlighted.  The piece represents the need to process and work through issues that are affecting our life. Without the reflection strips, the colored strips, representing the seemingly random words and phrases floating through our minds (and identified in the mind map) would continue to float around and have no place to anchor to.  Mind mapping identifies the thoughts floating in our minds.  Reflection brings those floating thoughts together so that we can make more connections. 

By now you have probably developed a good understanding of the issue you are working on.  You probably have learned new information about the issue in both a general way as well as how that issue is intertwined through your being.  We need to touch base with 3 questions asked on the first day of our Lenten journey:

1. What defines "sanctuary" for you?  
2. What is blocking that from manifesting in your life?  
3. What can you do to cultivate more of what creates "sanctuary" for you?

What we have been doing so far is answering question two.  You have a pretty good idea of what the block is and how it is operating.  There will most likely be more revelation coming as we move into answering question three.  To cultivate more "sanctuary" in our lives will require us to remove that block that we have identified.  Reflection is necessary, but we cannot stop with it.  There needs to be some plan of action implemented.

To start that action plan, we will look at our weaving, again asking for the Holy Spirit's help.  Are there new word combinations that bring more insight into your issue?  Write them in your journal and spend a few minutes recording the insight.  Can you find words or phrases that you want to change the message of, making it more positive?  For example, the word "punishment" was clearly visible in one portion of my weaving, so I am going to take my marker and write the word "no" above it, making it "no punishment" and then writing the reference of Romans 8:1 next to it.  Looking for these random word pairings or fragments of sentences isn't to create and find some "hidden" message...the act of deconstruction and re-construction serves to gently pull apart our habitual thinking and allows us to view the issue with fresh, new perceptions.  Continue till you are satisfied that you have found all the new connections the piece has to offer at the moment.  You can be as creative or simple as you wish - remember that this is a personal art piece!

Finally, take a figurative "step back" and observe your weaving as a whole.  Ask, "What do I need to add to make it look more complete?"  Look especially at at the vertical strips of reflection journaling... this is the area where you definitely will want to add some more color to balance the piece.  Yes, this was the purpose of using all white strips.  The result is a very graphic way of illustrating that (again) we need more than reflection to finish this process.  The colors you add will represent the actions needed to cultivate the

Peace  

Calm  

Rest  

Quiet  

Shelter  

Safety

Worship  

  Balance

of sanctuary that you desire your life to reflect.

I am having so much fun...are you?!

Older posts in this series: 
The Journey begins  
A new tool, part 2
A new tool, part 3 
A new tool, part 4 
A Soft Answer, part 5  
How do We Step Into and Out of Anger? part 6
A Time for Reflection, part 7 

My Mind Map and Thoughts, part 8  
Color a Prayer, part 9 
Using the Mind-Map to Build a Personal Art Piece, part 10 

Building a Personal Art Piece - Stage II, part 11