If we are a follower of a spiritual path then our images of God (or the sacred) are key. When we try to pray, we must have some idea of God in our minds, and this idea will influence how we pray and whether we pray. It will also influence our behaviour and ethics, often without our conscious awareness. But our images of God are not the same as our ideas about God. Images are pictures not abstract ideas; they are a powerful combination of thoughts and feelings loaded with pote

Art can be a wonderful way of communicating (both listening and sharing) with God beyond words. It is not about creating masterpieces, but about allowing patterns to emerge that can offer you new insights and be turned into prayer. Mary Daly (an American philosopher and theologian) understands that it is the creative potential itself in human beings that is the image of God. And our creativity springs not from the intellect but from the play instinct: 'Perhaps the time has co