The primary form of imaginative prayer outlined by Ignatius of Loyola in his Spiritual Exercises, which he termed contemplation, reflects his active and vigorous spirituality. It requires that you use your thoughts, feelings and imagination to enter into an active conversation with God. But, also in his Spiritual Exercises, Ignatius suggests a very different type of imaginative prayer which he called the “application of the senses.” It is a prayer of memory in which you gently listen for God’s voice in the emotions and physical sensations of your earlier prayers.

Ignatius of Loyola places the application of the senses at the end of the day, when you might be tired or need to relax. For this reason, the application of the senses might be considered the Ignatian counterpart to traditional compline, a night prayer intended to draw together the strands of one’s contemplation during the course of the preceding day. However, unlike the forms of Christian contemplation which try to empty the consciousness of sensual images, this prayer uses the memory in concert with your emotions and five physical senses to gently reflect on God’s presence in you and in your world.

With this in mind, you might find it helpful to use the following approach when making an application of the senses:

1. Begin your prayer by relaxing into the moment. Take time to center yourself and become completely aware of your feelings and thoughts in the present. When you have properly prepared yourself, allow the memories of your earlier prayers to ebb and flow in your consciousness without trying to guide or control your reminiscences.

2. When a particular moment of prayer comes into your consciousness, remember the grace or spiritual gift you desired in the initial prayer. Then gently consider in turn the images, sounds, smells, flavors and physical feelings associated with your earlier prayer. Recognize that one of your senses may dominate the way that you imagine a moment in your prayer, so allow this sense to “lead” you into the events of your prayer — and toward other sense memories.

Note: Allow these sense images from your memory to surface in your consciousness without trying to control or interpret them as they emerge. Simply find pleasure as these images and feelings come to you in what has been described as “a gentle soak in meaningful impressions”. It is a highly visceral and, very often, pleasant experience.

3. Repeat this process with another prayer experience as it comes into your consciousness. Without constraining your thoughts, allow different memories from your earlier prayer to ebb and flow as you re-experience the feelings associated with different prayers.

4. When you are ready, allow these various memories and feelings to fade from your consciousness as you allow an image or object that encapsulates all these experiences to form in your mind. Take some time to speak with God about the meaning or significance of this object.

5. Conclude your imaginative contemplation with a short formal prayer, such as the Lord’s Prayer or one of your own favorites.

6. Write down any significant memories or feelings from this prayer shortly after leaving the space in which you prayed. You might find it helpful to compare notes from different applications of the senses since this will help you understand the ways your imagination guides you in prayer. Also, these acts of review will nurture your capacity to discern the growing presence of God in your life.

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