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St. John's Bible - Truett Course Guide

What is Visio Divina?

Visio Divina is translated as “divine seeing” and is related to Lectio Divina "divine reading".  While Lectio Divina is a form of prayer focused on scripture, Visio Divina focuses on images.   

"The human gaze is not the closed, fixed view of a camera but is creative and constructive...So much depends then on how we see things...Each of us is responsible for how we see, and how we see determines what we see.  Seeing is not merely a physical act: the heart of vision is shaped by the state of soul."  -- from John O'Donohue's Beauty, 2004.

Guide

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  1. Settle and Focus
    1. Start with a silent prayer
  2. Look & See
    1. Use Guide and locate themes/images
    2. Choose 1 theme/image
    3. Take the time to look at the image.  Where did your eyes first land?  Note the literal details; color, shapes, words, etc.
    4. Take a deep breath, close your eyes and be silent for a few moments
    5. Now look again at the image.  How does the image make you feel?  This image is for you.  How does God speak to you through this image? Where is God in this image?  If you could add to the image, what would that be?
    6. Engage by writing down your first thoughts or emotions; or drawing what you see (lines, shapes)
    7. Adding Scripture
      1. Find the correlating Scripture  
      2. NRSV
      3. Once you’ve read some of the verses, go back and look at your image.
  3. Respond & Prayer
    1. End with a prayer

Themes & Images

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