This article is an excerpt from the Shortform book guide to "Seeking Wisdom" by Julia Cameron. Shortform has the world's best summaries and analyses of books you should be reading.
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What is your image of God? Can you create your own image of God?
In Seeking Wisdom, Julia Cameron explains that the first step in maximizing your creativity is to find and connect to your own image of God. She clarifies that you should create your own image of God to align with your identity and values.
Continue reading to learn how to create your image of God.
Creating Your God
What is your image of God? To find your own image of God, Cameron recommends first identifying the image you grew up with, then brainstorming what you’d like your ideal God to be like. To identify the image of God that you grew up with, answer the following questions:
Did this God have an image? If so, what did God look like? Describe this God’s characteristics. For example, was God supportive, encouraging, scary, judgmental, strict, comedic, or angry? And so on.
To identify your ideal God, Cameron recommends brainstorming a list of characteristics you think a creative, supportive, and benevolent God would have. For example, maybe your God loves to sing, has limitless love and understanding, is wise, gentle, and always listens. Maybe your God has an afro, looks like Harry Styles, or is just formless energy. The most important thing is to build an image of God that you can consider a best friend—one that’s always listening, that’s never judgmental, and that you can be completely open and childlike with.
Cameron explains that doing things you love, like being in nature, reading, or listening to music, can also help you find your God. She adds that it’s also ok for your image of God to change over time to meet your current needs. Ultimately, your ideal God should be whatever works best for you.
Finding God Inside Yourself
Cameron explains that to develop your God, you should brainstorm your God’s ideal characteristics and use external elements like nature or music to inspire you. In The Untethered Soul, Michael Singer explains that rather than conceptualizing God through external elements as Cameron recommends, you should instead look within yourself to find God.
Singer explains that everyone has an inner connection that gives us access to the divine perspective—seeing the world through God’s eyes. If we can access this divine perspective, we can fully know God. To reach this inner connection, you must disidentify from your body and psyche and connect to the true essence of your soul—your conscious energy. In this state, you can release all the negative energy stored in your body and experience peace and unity with God.
While Singer’s recommendation to find God within yourself contrasts Cameron’s recommendation to find and conceptualize God with external elements, this doesn’t seem like a strategy Cameron would disagree with. She emphasizes that above all, your connection to God should be whatever works best for you. If your ideal God is simply a feeling of connection and unity within yourself, so be it.
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- How to channel your spirituality into your creative endeavors
- How to begin communicating with the divine
- The types of prayers you should practice
