Toxic God-Images | spiritual-life

Welcome to Reflections on the Spiritual Life

Here you will find articles on spiritual direction, psychology and spirituality, contemplative practice, and the deeper movements of the spiritual life. Drawing on decades of experience in psychospiritual work and spiritual accompaniment, these reflections explore common themes such as shadow material, prayer struggles, images of God, dreamwork, and the emotional dynamics that shape our spiritual journey.

Whether you are seeking support in your own inner life or resources for spiritual direction practice,

I hope these writings offer clarity, depth, and encouragement.

God as a bearded man in robes above the Earth, holds a globe, surrounded by gold angel figures. The background features a detailed, ornate design.

Images of God: How Theology Shapes Our Experience of the Divine

In this series on Images of God , I have explored how our personal psychology can shape our perception of — and relationship with — God, through the potent inner images of the divine we may consciously or unconsciously carry. I have also reflected on how wider cultural consciousness influences these images, often in ways we barely notice. Another significant, and sometimes overlooked, influence on our images of God is theology itself — the ways we have learned to think about

Image of God as an elderly man with long beard gazes down at a dove with outstretched wings. Warm yellow and red tones create a serene atmosphere.

Our Changing Images of God: A Jungian Perspective

The ways in which human beings imagine God are never static. They shift over centuries, reflecting not only theological debates but also profound transformations in human consciousness, culture, and as I have shown in previous articles, our psychology - each shift revealing something about the inner landscape of the human soul. Carl Jung invites us to read this unfolding not as doctrinal confusion but as psychological evolution. The God-image changes because we change, it evo

A god-like figure with white hair and beard wears a red robe, standing frighteningly among clouds with light beams, conveying a powerful presence depicting the scary image we often have deep inside from childhood of God as the distant sky-god.

Letting Go of Toxic God-Images

Our Images of God Are Formed Early Spiritual direction conversations often touch on the process of uncovering and letting go of toxic images of God that have been absorbed during life, often in childhood. In an earlier article, The Spiritual Life & Our Images of God , I explore how these images are formed and the influences that shape them. Our images of God are not the same as our ideas or beliefs about God. Rather, they are emotionally charged inner representations — proj

A vivid blue eye with a cross and a figure in front. The iris has yellow and blue patterns. The mood is contemplative depicting the idea of the images of God we can hold in our inner eyes.

Healing Our Distorted Images of God

In my earlier article on the Spiritual Life & Our Images of God I looked at how our inner images of God (as opposed to beliefs about God) can impact on our spiritual journey. These images often lay buried deep within us and, because our distorted images often begin to form early in life, we may not even be aware of them. Why Our Images of God Matter Because our images of God operate largely beneath conscious awareness, they can quietly shape our spiritual life in powerful wa

A bearded representation of a male God in a pink robe gestures assertively, if not angrily, against a pale background. Another figure partially visible. Dynamic and powerful scene.

Spiritual Life & Our Images of God

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. Why Our Images of God Matter But our images of God are not the same as our ideas about God. Inner images are pictures not abstract ideas; they are a powerful combination of tho