People are so taken with selfies, images of ourselves. I find the whole thing kind of amusing, but wonder what it says about us as individuals. Is there a way to move this idea for self documentation and self sharing into something more meaningful, a spiritual selfie? Is social media sharing in general just a mask for increasing anxiety?
When you feel anxiety coming up, take a moment to take stock of your spiritual state: call it your spiritual selfie if you want.
Spiritual Selfie: Basic Snapshot
The simplest way is to ask yourself: How well am I connected to the universe? And jot down the word or phrase that intuitively comes to mind as soon as you ask yourself. You can keep a record of these one-word or one-phrase “snapshots” as a record of your state of mind. The spiritual selfie is a record of your spiritual energy over time.
The Spiritual Selfie Wheel
To take the exercise a little deeper, you can draw a set of concentric circles on any scrap of paper. In the center circle, write the first word that comes to mind about your current state of mind.
Then, working outward in each ring,think of states of feeling and thinking that will take you from the internalized state of mind to connection with the world.
- Center: What are you feeling right now? (one-word snapshot)
- Ring 2: How do you feel about it?
- Ring 3: What connects this idea to the universe?
- Ring 4: What state of mind would you like to have? How do you connect outward?
This is only one way to guide your thinking. Get creative and find your own journey from self-focused to “connectedness” and universe focused. I would love to hear how you take a spiritual selfie.
Other Ideas for Spiritual Selfies
- If you can draw, make a quick sketch of your state of mind, and find a way to expand it beyond yourself.
- Take a photo of something in your surroundings that exemplifies your state of mind.
- If there is a situation (job, specific problem), person or relationship, issue (money problem, health issue) troubling you in the moment, follow this process to see how you can get connected to the problem and to a way beyond it. In the end this framework is all about getting energy flowing.