Walking with God Guide

Today we’re going to invite you to go on a walk as a way of being present to creation and to the God in whom we live and move and have our being.
This walk will be about 40 minutes including some journaling time afterwards, but once you have the structure you can make it as long as you’d like. Going on regular prayer walks can be a really helpful practice.
Before you set off, it’s important to reflect on what this walk is for… What are you hoping for on this walk? A bit of space? Some mental or spiritual clarity? Time with God?It is helpful to have an intention for your walk. Offer your intentions to God now… Take a moment to notice: how are you in this world as it is today? (you might notice how you are in all forms… in your body… your emotions… your mind… and spiritually…) 
Given this context of how you are in the world as it is, notice what it is you desire at the moment… perhaps a particular wisdom… direction for something specific in your life… are there things you need to let go of? is there something you’re struggling with? is there a wound in you that needs healing? ... Whatever feels most resonant, ask for that, maybe even speak it out loud.
Now, find a threshold to mark the beginning of this walk. It can be a doorway, a stick on the floor, an imaginary threshold. Just something to intentionally step over or through to begin this walk. Take a minute to do that now…
Step over your threshold. From now on, assume everything you notice until the end of your walk, is important, meaningful, sacred. Be curious. Pay attention. Both to the outside world, using all your senses, and to your inner experience. This is an opportunity to wander, to follow what catches your attention. A time for sauntering, rather than marching around. You might want to stop at times, and move at others. Just go with your intuition. Now.. begin to walk. Notice how your body feels as it moves around the landscape… arms swinging, feet pressing to and then leaving the ground, the balance of your body as it moves, the temperature, the sensations of air on your skin…
Become aware of the places you are walking through with all your senses: What can you see – plants, other humans, other animals, the weather? …
What are the sounds you can hear? (you might need to pause and take your head phones out for this one). … What can you smell? …
What textures or sensations can you feel? (you might want to pick things up or reach out to touch things for this one) …
Can you taste any flavours in the air? As you carry on wandering, keep paying attention to what’s around you with all your senses.
What particularly is catching your attention as you wander? A colour, a sight, a sound, a pathway winding off, a fellow creature you’ve spotted? Allow yourself to follow your curiosity wherever it leads, wandering at times, stopping at others..
As you’re noticing the landscape outside you, also pay attention to your inner landscape. What is being stirred up inside you as you wander, or stop and sit. What emotions, thoughts, memories, bodily sensations, are going on in you? Pay attention to them with the same curiosity as you are the outer landscape. If people and life events come to your mind, wonder about their significance… Is there anything in particular that lingers with you, that you might like to talk to God about…as one friend speaks to another…
Without trying too hard, keep paying attention to both what you’re noticing outside, and how you’re feeling in response to it inside. Just notice what comes into your imagination when you hear this next question, and trust whatever emerges: thoughts, images, feelings … be curious and welcoming. How is God present on this walk with you today? Where have you noticed or seen or felt God around you?
The audio will continue here, but you might like some more time to have a conversation with God, or more time and freedom just to continue wandering. If so, you can pause this audio here and restart it again when you feel ready to end your walk, and are back at your threshold…. Now, cross back over your threshold with the conscious intention to end the walk. You might like to give thanks for the time you’ve spent. Is there something particular you are feeling grateful for right now?
It is often useful to spend a little time journaling about what happened on your walk, harvesting any experiences that seemed to be meaningful. The following questions might help you to do that: ·      
What natural objects, plants, animals, weather, and physical features caught your attention? …        
· What feelings, thoughts, memories did they stir up in you in response? …
· What might God have been speaking to you through these? …
·  How did your walk reflect the way you relate to yourself, the world, God? ….
· Were you keen to get to the end?…
· Did you have a goal in mind? Did you find yourself wandering aimlessly… did you find yourself playful… were you engaging your senses of touch, taste, and hearing, or remaining at a slight distance by just watching and thinking…
· What was God like? …
· How did God experience the walk with you? …
· Did you discover any sense of healing or wisdom for you on the walk? …  
You might like to end your walk with God no by saying a prayer such as the Our Father or Glory be… or any final prayer of expression or thanks to God… Take a moment to do this now.