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Spiritual Wayfinding
Ebook
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Step into God's Presence with Spiritual Walking Meditations
From biblical times and throughout the ages, people of faith have walked and prayed. There's something profoundly reorienting about integrating prayer with our embodied experience of forward movement. We engage our senses, breathe deeply, quiet our minds, and center our hearts. It's a multisensory journey that integrates mind, body, and spirit as we notice God's gentle leading, one step at a time.
In Spiritual Wayfinding, spiritual director Deborah Gregory invites you on a pilgrimage through thirty-three unique walking meditations exploring the core questions Where am I? and Where am I going? Each experience in this easy-to-use guide offers a creative approach to walking, specific prompts for reflection and prayer, and Ignatian contemplation of Scripture.
Walking practices in Spiritual Wayfinding include:
Through these prayerful walks—which can be completed alone or witha friend—you'll deepen your discernment of God's presence, God's voice, God's leading, and God's all-encompassing love. Awaken to God's presence, step by step, as you discover who you are—and who you are becoming.
"As a pilgrimage leader and spiritual director, I found Spiritual Wayfinding both practically grounding and spiritually transformative. Deborah Gregory's rare gift lies in making every practice genuinely inclusive for all abilities and neurotypes while honoring walking as one of our most essential spiritual disciplines. This is a book that will accompany me both in ministry and personal journey—each reflection bridges the practical and profound, inviting authentic encounters with God.
Tara M. Owens, executive director of Anam Cara Ministries and author of Embracing the Body
"Writing this testament on the spiritual practice of walking was a hard and holy exercise and one so desperately needed in a world of chaos, static noise, and disruption everywhere. Deborah Gregory's walks, inspired by the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, can also significantly benefit parents of children with disabilities by encouraging walking in moments of joy, sadness, anger, disgust, and supreme fear; these exercises not only strengthen their relationship with God through prayer, meditation, and reflection but can move them toward more profound senses of purpose for themselves and their families. I appreciate how Gregory's Spiritual Wayfinding bridges our connection to God and to each other through touch, our senses, our voices, creativity, emotions, and the world around us."
Alexai Perez, administrative Coordinator at the Autism Society of Florida and parent of a daughter with Down syndrome and autism
"In Spiritual Wayfinding, Deborah Gregory has managed to write a book that is a bit memoirish, creatively instructive, and oh-so-livable! This book provides thirty-three doses of pure goodness in each meditation, helping readers (literally)walk out their faith in surprising, playful, and inventive ways. I think its special appeal is for those who long to experience more of God and haven't found the traditional models helpful. I truly enjoyed Spiritual Wayfinding and highly recommend you read it, get on your sneakers, and practice it!"
Beth A. Booram, cofounder of Fall Creek Abbey, author, spiritual director, and retreat facilitator
"Spiritual Wayfinding is the perfect book for your journey of faith. Deborah Gregory walks with you on the journey, sharing wisdom from Scripture and her own story of faith. With the disciples, you'll cry out, 'Were not our hearts burning while he spoke with us on the road!'"
Father Joe Laramie, SJ, director of Sacred Heart Jesuit Retreat
"As a Jesuit who has spent many years accompanying people in discernment, I found Spiritual Wayfinding a deeply resonant and embodied gem. Deborah Gregory writes with the kind of contemplative attention and practical wisdom that sits at the heart of the Ignatian tradition. She helps readers listen for God in the real, messy movements of their own lives, and she does so with a light, personal touch. More than once, I caught myself nodding in recognition at her insights. This is a book I would gladly place in the hands of anyone seeking a grounded, grace-filled way forward."
Father Brendan McManus, SJ, spiritual director and author of Redemption Road and Finding God in the Mess
"Deborah Gregory is a wise and tender guide. In Spiritual Wayfinding, she helps us remember that the discernment of God's presence begins in our bodies and unfolds as we move through the world with attention and care. She leads us into an on-the-ground life rooted in creation and helps us open our eyes to the grandeur of God along the way. Life with God is relational and communal, and Deborah is writing to help us remember that we never walk alone."
Jared Patrick Boyd, pastor, founding director of the Order of the Common Life, and author of Imaginative Prayer and Finding Freedom in Constraint
"If you're journeying toward reclaiming a robust faith that stretches beyond the head and shoulders realm, Deborah Gregory has laid out a bountiful banquet to welcome you. Prepare to experience the patient, unpressured Jesus in vibrant and grounded forms."
David Jauregui, assistant director of renewal at WinShape Marriage
Introduction: Finding Our Way
Pre-Amble: Put on Your Shoes
Walk 1: Right Shoe: Walk in Love
Walk 2: Left Shoe: Walk with Humility
Part 1: Sensory Awareness
Walk 3: Horizon-Gazing Walk: Sight
Walk4: Listening Walk: Sound
Walk 5: Picnic: Taste and Smell
Walk 6: Forest Bathing: Touch
Walk 7: Breath Walking: Interoception (Internal Sensations)
Walk 8: Silly Walk: Proprioception and Balance
Part 2: Exploring YourEmotions
Walk 9: Awe Walking: Exploring Joy
Walk 10: Blueway Walking: Exploring Sadness
Walk 11: Stomp Walking: Exploring Anger
Walk 12: Yuck Walking: Exploring Disgust
Walk 13: Walk Before Dawn: Exploring Surprise
Walk 14: Walk in the Park: Exploring Fear
Part 3: Becoming Aware of Your Thoughts
Walk 15: PoohSticks: Releasing Sticky Thoughts
Walk 16: Labyrinth Walking: Untangling Fantasy and Rumination
Walk 17: Creative Imagination: Making Nature Art
Walk 18: Collecting Memory Stones: Recollecting Grace
Walk 19: Getting Lost: Discovering the Prayer of Examen
Part 4: Spiritual Orienteering
Walk 20: Navigating with Trees: Orienting toDivine Love
Walk 21: Pattern Spotting: Finding Signs of God Everywhere
Walk 22: Tree-Eyes Trek: Pruning Attachments
Walk 23: Windflüchter Walk: Navigating with Wind-Shaped Trees
Walk 24: Desire Paths: Noticing the Way of the Heart
Part 5: Exercising Discernment
Walk 25: Bushwalking: The Courage to Want
Walk 26: Walking with Prayer Pebbles: Discovering What's Important
Walk 27: Birdwatching: Rewilding Faith
Walk 28: Walking Barefoot: Grounding in Hope
Walk 29: Labyrinth Dancing: Restorative Play
Part 6: The Pilgrim's Way
Walk 30: Rucking: What to Carry and What to Leave Behind
Walk 31: Japanese Interval Walking: Cultivating Inner Strength
Walk 32: Rogation: Beating the Bounds
Walk 33: Walk Together: Uniting Steps, Awakening Joy
Acknowledgments
Notes