The spiritual practice of vision encompasses the discovery of fresh insights about the way things are and the cultivation of different outlooks on what can be. It is how you find your own wisdom and align yourself with Spirit. Sometimes this process involves developing good judgment, deliberative skills, and common sense. Other times you may experience extraordinary perceptions, what are often called revelations.

Values and visions go hand in hand. That is why this practice is so often associated with ethical decision-making and social action. Begin by re-examining the assumptions beneath your understandings of reality. Identify an area that you might see in a different way. This could be as simple as reframing a household task as an act of service or as complex as recognizing the common bonds at the core of an international conflict. Seek and accept solutions.

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To see more resources about this practice, use the links in the left column on this and the following pages.

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Visionaries are called all kinds of names — dreamer, romantic, seer, utopian, altruist, reformer, crank — and often the title is not meant as a compliment. But in the spiritual life, idealism is welcome. The regular practice of vision creates and supports idealists.

Realists and pragmatists, on the other hand, have difficulty with this practice. They are the kind of people that when offered a new approach to a situation, request a feasibility study. They are not comfortable with unproven strategies. They tend to be short-sighted, preferring to consider immediate effects rather than long-range ones. If you lean in this direction, the practice of vision will give you a more balanced outlook on life.