The following is a manuscript for the video of this session. The titles will help you follow along in the pictures used during the video.
When the term "Images" is used in a title, that means multiple images are used for that particular Praying in Color, generally to show progression over time. Otherwise, the video will pan over or zoom in on various spots for each image.
Some words contain hyperlinks to where you can find my work as well as to other relevant websites.
My Personal Journey with Praying in Color
Back Cover of Praying in Color
In the past, I have talked about Sybil MacBeth's wonderful and inventive work in the realm of prayer with her book Praying in Color. Clearly I have a great deal of fondness and love of her work!
Praying in Color with Praying in Color
Now I want to talk about my own journey with Praying in Color, how it has helped me grow, and how it has changed my prayer life.
Metagem banner
I first met Sybil through the Spiritual Direction program at Metagem Institute. She was the graduation speaker for 2019. I hit it off with Sybil from the start, just as I found her books insightful and creative.
Me with Praying in Color Template
The time of the graduation and her address was just before Lent, so Sybil was kind enough to present us with templates for Praying in Color throughout the Lenten Season. She provides templates like this every year on her website, prayingincolor.com, for both Advent and Lent. I wanted to spread the word about Praying in Color and give an example of taking something on for Lenten fasting and praying, so I started posting my work to my Instagram page.
Ashes
This may seem counter intuitive to do. After all, the Gospel from Matthew, read every year during Ash Wednesday, speaks of making our "prayer in secret." At the same time, my role, as an ordained Episcopal minister, is to be an example in prayer and deed to others. I wanted to do so at that time.
Lent 2019 Praying in Color Images
This made my work a little difficult. Because I was making intercessions with Praying in Color publicly, I had to be careful with what I was praying for. I limited myself to family, events going on in the world, and all the churches and other communities I had served in the past. I've never been a great artist, but I've always loved drawing. This was a fun way to show that anyone can use Praying in Color as a method to pray.
Advent 2019 Praying in Color Images
For Advent that year, I changed my style slightly from Lent. I wanted to try leaning more on pictures rather than words. This allowed me to get more into what I felt was the Praying in Color spirit. I continued to post the progression of my work to Instagram, and you can find this for every year in the saved stories on my account. The link can be found in the description of this video.
Christmas 2019-2020 Praying in Color Images
Now Advent and Lent both have specific days within their seasons, but so do Christmas and Easter. During the 12 days of Christmas in 2019-2020, I decided to make a Praying in Color completely on my own without Sybil MacBeth's templates. This would be a precursor for what I would do in the years to come. This was also the start of my using digital art over paper and crayons.
Lent 2020 Praying in Color Images
For Lent in 2020, I continued to focus on pictures over words for my prayers, though I would add a one word descriptor on most of my Instagram story posts. I also transitioned to focusing on my own needs in prayer.
Easter Icon Images
That Easter, I did the same thing I'd done last Christmas with one notable difference. Led by the Spirit, I ended up developing what was really more of an Icon than Praying in Color. I depicted each of the 4 Gospels with Biblical Stories that connected to, or at least related to, each other. This would once again be a precursor for what I would do in the future.
Advent-Christmas 2020-2021 Praying in Color Images
For Advent that year, I continued to use pictures to depict my prayers as well as Sybil MacBeth's templates on her website. I continued to use the template even after Advent, from the Day of Christmas leading up to the Day of the Epiphany.
Since the Pandemic was in full swing at this point, it had become too painful for me to add descriptions for what I was praying about, so eventually I stopped. This did, however, allow me more freedom to continue to pray and showcase my prayers as examples to my parishioners and to the world.
Lent-Easter 2021 Praying in Color Images
I used a similar style for Lent 2021 as I had in the past, though I started to change styles toward the Easter Season. I actually started drawing around the template this time, throughout the Easter Season to the Day of Pentecost. By that point, I began using more lines and shapes to hold up my thoughts and concerns to God with my Praying in Color.
Advent-Christmas 2021-2022
This continued in the Advent and Christmas Seasons so that my prayers these seasons were entirely depicted by lines and shapes.
Lent-Easter 2022 Images
When Lent came around again in 2022, I continued this trend but with the added effort of trying to fill in as much white space as possible. At this point I was starting to get bored though. Now Praying in Color seemed less fun and more like work.
This boredom then turned into despair during Easter. It was at this point that I finally got COVID after attending a Clergy Conference. This exacerbated my feelings to the point that I was just ready to be done, and I wasn't even sure if I wanted to do Praying in Color again. Clearly something wasn't working.
Collects in The Book of Common Prayer
For the next Advent and Christmas set of Seasons, I decided to do something different. I set my mind on using the tried and true pattern of prayer with the Collects. The term "collect" is often said to refer to collecting our thoughts, and we see that not only with how they turn up in our services, but how they are constructed. First we say something about God, then we ask something of God, then we wrap up the prayer with some sort of conclusion or reflection.
Advent-Christmas 2022-2023 Praying in Color
I decided to tweak this formula slightly. I started with one of the Persons of God in the Trinity. Then I chose a word to describe that aspect of God, or at times of multiple Persons of God. After that, I connected this description with something I wanted to ask of God, on behalf of myself or others.
This process involved more words again, though I got a little more creative with it. I let the Spirit guide me with what I was thinking or feeling on a given day. If I was focused on a descriptive word, I would look at the etymology of the word. This led me back to some of the Biblical languages, which helped me relearn some of those tongues I had lost.
The process was fun, and it helped me move closer to God. Sybil MacBeth's Advent template also helped guide my progress.
Version of the Shield of Athanasius- St. Paul's Greensboro
When Lent came, I knew I wanted to do something similar, but use my own tools this time instead of one of Sybil's templates. I designed a shield shape, based on the Shield of Athanasius, to start my work.
Start of the Praying in Color Design
This Shield was based on the Athanasian Creed, which describes the relationship of the Persons of the Trinity.
Full Shield Praying in Color Design
Once I had the basic design down, I filled it with different descriptions of God. This time, I decided to use all Greek words, which was a huge help in going through the Bible. At the end of each day, I'd reflect and think about what aspect of God I had witnessed the most. Then I'd look up a verse of the Bible to try and find a word that fit that aspect the best. After that, I'd look up the Greek for that verse to find the word I would use, and I'd come up with a color, and sometimes other designs, to match it.
This had the added benefit of building back my Greek vocabulary, which was sorely suffering since my seminary days.
Most importantly, this Praying in Color helped me connect with God. At the time, I had really been struggling relating to, maybe even liking, the Person of the Father in the Trinity. Doing this work helped me see the positive aspects of God the Father that I had been missing before. It helped me feel closer to God as a whole.
Person and Shield Praying in Color Design
After Lent, I had the full Shield design. For the Easter Season, I decided to add the figure of a person around it. This figure would be made up of other words, again in Greek, that connected to each aspect of the Trinity I had described before. Sometimes this led to a repeat of words, which I allowed to a limited extent. I went through the same process as before to find each word, looking up words in Scripture that jumped out at me each day.
Jesus Heart Prayer
Now Praying in Color can be used any time throughout the year for any prayer we may have.
Personal Praying in Color Intercession
It can be used for our own personal intercessions,
Examen Praying in Color Template and Examen Instructions
Or it can be used with tried and true methods, like Ignatius' Daily Examen.
Full Pentecost Person and Shield Praying in Color Design
Yet having these seasonal times set aside for Praying in Color has always been helpful to me in my own life. Even with all the ups and downs, I am so grateful for what this past year has offered me in moving closer to God.
Me with Praying in Color Template
I don't know what the next year will bring with Praying in Color. I don't know if I'll design something of my own with the Advent/Nativity Seasons or if I'll use one of Sybil's templates again.
Start of Shield Praying in Color
I do know that at some point I'll use the Shield model again, though I don't know if I'll use the exact same design or if I'll use a specific language again to sort out what I'm feeling for each day.
Praying in Color with Praying in Color
What I do know is that this past year has helped me feel closer to God, and I will keep Praying in Color this way as long as that connection continues.
Fin