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ABSTRACT
Robert McDowell (2008. Poetry as spiritual practice (Kindle ed.). New York: Free Press) defines poetry as spiritual practice as “reading poems, writing your own poems and making them a part of your daily rituals, aspirations, and intentions” (Introduction, para. 5). I engaged in daily meditations on the Psalms in words and images by reading a Psalm, creating a mandala, then writing a poetic response. This practice incorporated poetry as spiritual practice, the I/Thou wholeness of mandala making, and the life-encompassing worship inherent to the Psalms. This spiritual practice rested on the foundations of expressive arts therapy as presented by Shaun McNiff (2009. Unifying elements for all media. In Integrating the arts in therapy: History, theory, and practice. Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas) – structure and freedom, witnessing and responding, and the creative space. This practice could be modified for use with any poetic text that lends itself to insight, personal growth, and self-reflection. It employs multiple modalities for high impact engagement with the Psalms and multiple entrances for self-reflection.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.
Notes
1 Retrieved from http://www.hwlongfellow.org/poems_poem.php?pid=39.