Issue link: http://maconmagazine.uberflip.com/i/1541815
December 2025/January 2026 | maconmagazine.com 95 importance of reflection. "I believe that we will live our lives based on the level of questions we ask ourselves and the level of 'revelation' that we have. An event is not an experience until it is reflected upon and reviewed." Johnson says that making time for this kind of reflection makes a difference. "I have gained much needed wisdom and became more conscious of my social-emotional state. I have learned more about me and became a better parent and leader due to taking the time to reflect." Spiritual Direction: If a personal spiritual guide sounds a little too wacky, I get it. I thought so, too. Until I began working with my spiritual director and realized the gi of having a trained companion help you notice moments in your own journey. Truly, I believe in gathering with your faith community for worship; communal gatherings are deeply meaningful. Spiritual direction is different. It is best described as a person trained to act as a coach or midwife, inviting you to see the holy around you and grow. From Warner Robins to Atlanta, local spiritual directors serve individuals in various capacities. Lectio Divina: This practice of "divine reading" involves reading sacred texts with What spiritual practices inspire you? Tag us @maconmagazine on social media as you reflect new insights. Read the same verses several times. Each time, ask something different about the Bible verses or poem that were read. It takes time and patience to engage holy words this way. Hannah Pye, executive director of Wesley Foundation of Macon, says this practice "allows the Holy Spirit to speak in different ways, or perhaps just gives me different ears to hear." Pye appreciates when Lectio Divina is paired with sensory experience, such as "fragrant spice and oil blends, different textures to touch, visuals, and various so background sounds. This was a neat way to engage the senses while also engaging our minds." Pye says openness to what is revealed makes a difference. "I o en find myself feeling more refreshed and renewed a er contemplative practice, rather than when I turn to the scriptures with an explicit agenda." A yoga practice of rest can also help return a sense of openness. FROM LEFT: The writer's family taking a winding path on the coast, Pastor Dominique Johnson, one of Pastora Krystle Moraska's "star words." Nidra: A guided practice of relaxation in which stillness in the body offers healing for the mind. Developed by an elderly woman, Nidra calls us to be open to "The Great Mother who offers unconditional love, infinite support and safety," said yoga instructor Rachel Bass. This is the kind of rest in which you "bathe your cells in the energy of your own divine purpose, to resonate with it, to embody it," says Bass. Who needs this practice? Anyone who needs to experience the safety of being held, the security of rest. Bass says, "There is a style of Yoga Nidra called iRest that has been used with veterans who experience PTSD. Cultivating a felt sense of safety in the body and trust in the mind is a powerful skill to have for a human. Star Words: At the start of the new year, Christians celebrate a liturgical season called Epiphany. Many congregations invite people to select a word for the new year - a "star word." Sometimes written on a card or a star, the word is a prompt for mindfulness and spiritual reflection through the year. Krystle Moraska, pastora of Faith Lutheran Church in Warner Robins, says that "the hope is that the star words will become an anchor of sorts throughout the year to pause and notice." Paying attention to how focus words show up in your life can direct our attention. "We encourage folks to sit with the word and their initial reactions to it. Then to ask questions about it or reflect on what they think it might mean for them," said Moraska. She encourages congregants to place their star word somewhere it will catch their attention, such as a vision board, bathroom mirror, or refrigerator door. Wanderers, I hope you venture off the well-paved roads and towards the wild paths. Carry with you the riches of your faith traditions and tiptoe towards the untamed places where God seems to call. What will we find in the wilderness to stir our spiritual imaginations? Let's start walking a way forward. "Wanderers, I hope you venture off the well-paved roads and towards the wild paths."