Last week I talked about the power of sacred reading, or Lectio Divina. This week I am going to share a few thoughts on Visio Divina, or sacred seeing. When we view a painting, sculpture, landscape, photo, or gaze at nature we can, if open to the invitation, allow our hearts and minds to view life in a new way, shift our focus from the mundane, enter a sacred silence, and allow that image to speak to us of greater realities.

As I mentioned last week, I was doing some audio recording, guided Lectio Divina and Visio Divina reflections, for an Advent retreat and I thought about my upcoming pilgrimage to Italy. I recall from my last trip to Italy, and more recently to Spain and Portugal, seeing beautiful and moving artwork. Artwork that touched me on a spiritual level. Artwork that helped me speculate about my spiritual beliefs on a deeper level. For this trip, I am especially looking forward to seeing the Fra Angelico frescos in Florence at the San Marco Museum, which was formerly a Dominican convent. Far Angelico was a monk there, then later the Prior, who painted the walls so that monks could reflect on the images of scripture as they prayed in their cells (rooms). Some of his paintings are my favorite but I have only seen most in images online. I wait in eager anticipation of seeing these frescos in person.

In a recent article written by the team at Center for Action and Contemplation, thoughts by Barbara Holmes regarding sacred art were shared in the daily email update. They quoted Barbara as saying: “Art can amplify the sacred and challenge the status quo. The arts help us to hear above the cacophony in the midst of our multitasking. The arts engage a sacred frequency that is perforated with pauses. Artists learned … there were things too full for human tongues, too alive for articulation. You can dance and rhyme and sing it, you almost reach it in the high notes, but joy unspeakable is experience and sojourn, it is the ineffable within our reach.” “This shift of focus bends us toward the universe, a cosmos of soul and spirit, bone and flesh, which constantly reaches toward divinity.”

Visio Divina can unfold in the same four steps as Lectio – read a scripture and/or gaze at the image asking what captures your attention, reflect again asking what the image might have to say to you, view it again and state a prayer that comes to mind or a grace you seek in life, then lastly sit in silence and just be in the presence of God.

While Lectio is listening with “the ear of the heart”, we can say that Visio Divina is praying with the “eyes of the heart”. During my pilgrimage I am going to share some photos of art or images along the journey. I might add a scripture or reflection based on the art we encounter. I invite you to spend some time with the images and see what it inspires for you.

This week’s image is a favorite. It is a watercolor by Corby Eisbacher entitled Jump for Joy, depicting the Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth. You can visit Art by Corby on Etsy here. Spend some time with the image. What speaks to you as you view it? What does the image have to say to you?

Create Joy, Deena