Belonging & Bridging Divides

Exercise

Cultivating Belonging and Bridge-Building

Time: 15 minutes

Things you will need: A quiet space, journal, and pen (optional)

  1. Center Yourself and Recall: Find a quiet space where you won’t be disturbed. Sit comfortably and take a few deep breaths. Allow your heart and mind to settle. Gently bring to mind a time when you felt deeply connected and accepted. It could be with family, friends, a faith community, or even in nature. Reimagine the scene and notice how it felt in your body and Spirit to belong truly. Let feelings of warmth, love, and security fill you.
  2. Extend the Circle: Now, imagine that sense of loving belonging as a light or warmth in your heart. Visualize it expanding outward. First, extend it to people you care about easily. Then, gradually include others you know but who might be outside your immediate circle. See each of them surrounded by the same light of care.
  3. Bridge Outward: Next, bring to mind someone or a group with whom you have differences or difficulty, perhaps someone of an opposing viewpoint or a community you don’t understand well. Gently invite them into your circle of caring visualization. Remember, you are not condoning harmful behavior. You are recognizing their shared humanity.
  4. Reflect and Act: Take a moment to notice how you feel. Journal briefly if you can: What came up for you as you included those “others”? Do you sense any softening or insight? Finally, consider one concrete action to implement this practice in your daily life. Commit to one small step of bridge-building in the coming week, and approach it with the same heart of compassion you cultivated in this exercise.