What is Listening for Guidance?

Listening for Guidance is a specific form of spiritual journaling. It’s also a specific way to hear God’s voice. And… anyone can do it.

Right away, you might be wondering, Why have I never heard of this before? and, Is she making this up?

So, let me begin with a bit of backstory to this relatively obscure spiritual practice.

Photo by Artem Kovalev on Unsplash

Disclosure: Some of the links below are Amazon affiliate links, meaning that at no additional cost to you, I will receive a small commission if you click through and make a purchase.

Origins of Listening for Guidance

Author Julia Cameron and her friends practice this discipline. She talked about it a bit in The Artist’s Way (1992) and The Listening Path (2021). Her latest book, Living the Artist’s Way (2024), really zeroes in on the practice.

Author Janet Conner teaches basically the same practice in Writing Down Your Soul (2022). Cameron sort-of pointed Conner in the right direction, who then developed a practice of her own.

In her Substack newsletter, Letters from Love with Elizabeth Gilbert, author Elizabeth Gilbert describes a similar intuitive practice. In addition to sharing her own letters and those of special guests, she invites her paid subscribers to post their own Letters from Love.

Mark and Patti Virkler, co-authors of How to Hear God’s Voice, have been teaching and writing about the practice since the 1980s. They (and many others) call the practice Two-Way Prayer. The Virklers, prolific co-authors and YouTubers who claim over a million students, teach from a firmly Christian perspective. But from what I can tell, anyone can engage in the practice, really.

The earliest mention I’ve found is a 1930s book about the Oxford Group, a non-denominational Christian movement that would meet in small gatherings, lead one another to God, and share their stories. If you’re interested in learning more, see For Sinners Only, by A.J. Russell (1932).

The Oxford Group attracted primarily alcoholics in need of recovery. In fact, the founders of Alcoholics Anonymous were originally members. The Oxford Group also called it Two-Way Prayer. AA codified the practice as one of their Twelve Steps.

Although AA has since modified the practice to be more inclusive (i.e., less overtly religious), millions of people know about this path to seeking guidance for spiritual purposes.

Learning a New Spiritual Practice

I had never heard of this practice when I first learned about it at a 1990 Women’s Retreat offered by my church, Community of Christ. That was two years before Cameron’s The Artist’s Way appeared.

My retreat teacher, Gail, referenced a book called How to Keep a Spiritual Journal by Ronald Klug (1982). (Klug sort-of talks about listening for guidance, but not by name, and you have to look hard.)

Anyway, so now you know the practice has a history, and a respected following.

Here’s a quick summary of how it works.

How to Listen for Guidance

Basically, the spiritual practice of Listening for Guidance (or Writing Down Your Soul, or Two-Way Prayer) is accomplished in these steps:

1. Write a letter to God. In that letter, ask at least one question.
2. I like to turn the page and write “To my daughter Sharon.”
3. Listen for whatever words, or spontaneous thoughts, come into your head.
4. Write them down as they come to you.

Listening for Guidance — Write a Letter

Listening for Guidance — Write What You Hear

Not sure what to ask? No problem. Start by expressing your gratitude. Or just let God know you’re listening and invite God to speak to you.

Tip 1: I find it’s best to use a writing implement rather than a keyboard.

Tip 2: Don’t think about what you’re writing until it’s all done. Just focus on writing what you hear.

Remember, millions of people are doing this as part of their spiritual journey. Some are doing it every day.

Here’s some of what you can expect. Expect the messages to be benevolent. You can ask any question and expect good guidance, encouraging spiritual direction, meaningful things to think about. You should not expect to be commanded to do something, or be led in a direction that’s hurtful.

God won’t impinge on your free will either. God won’t make demands. God may say something rather forcefully, but it is always up to you to make the final decision, and to take action, or not.

What’s the Source?

Where do these words come from? In my progressive Christian worldview, they come from a benevolent, always listening God. My understanding of God is as creator of the universe, ultimate source, higher power, pure energy, in and through all things.

You may have a different understanding. You may see these words as coming from your intuition, your inner voices, or originating from your deepest, most authentic, true self. You’ll have your own names for that source of wisdom.

I’m okay with all of that.

My Practice

I’ve been regularly engaging in the spiritual practice of Listening for Guidance since I first learned about it. I have followed that guidance in each major life challenge or decision, including career, housing, parenting, relationships, ministry, health, continuing education, and personal development.

Up until now, I have kept this practice a closely guarded secret. In fact, this is something God has instructed me to do, every so often, from the beginning. For example, on September 25, 1993, this was part of that evening’s message:

Of course, there is ultimately a greater purpose in every gift I give, although that purpose may not be immediately obvious or even necessary to be disclosed. I love you and have given this gift (journaling) out of my love for you. Do not abuse it and do not neglect it or use it to prove your own points. Just keep most of the info to yourself for now until it is obvious that the info is important to others.

So what changed? Why am I talking about it now?

First, as I asked for guidance and then acted on it, over a period of many years, my understanding of and trust in the process has solidified. Second, God challenged me to become a better storyteller. Learning to do that took years as well. Third, I finally have a writing community that has given me the feedback and the confidence I needed to begin publishing.

So now things are finally coming together. I’m finally ready to reveal what I’ve learned, and to write about my experiences in an engaging way.

One more thing. In this soon-to-be-book and in my memoir(s), you’ll find me referencing entries in my spiritual journal (where I write the guidance), or identifying a statement as something “God told me.” Generally, when I quote directly from Guidance, I use a block quote and italics, just as I did above.

Try It. You Might Like It.

Now that you know about Listening for Guidance, consider yourself invited to try it out.

Check out some of the resources I mentioned earlier.

Next, we’ll look at the social pressures that repress conversation about this practice, along with research about the benefits of spiritual experiences.

Note: The content of this post was edited on June 21, 2024.