Her Oasis
01
Brushstrokes for Her Soul
Hello, Lovely.
Imagine your prayer life as a radiant tapestry, woven with vibrant colors and textures. What if prayer became an adventure—an open invitation for your whole self to encounter God in fresh, creative ways?
Prayer doesn’t have to look the same every day. Awaken your senses and spirit by mingling sacred reading, seeing, music, and poetry.
Let scripture (lectio divina) speak with new life as you savor a passage—listen for a word or phrase that stands out and let it echo softly within you.
Allow beauty (visio divina) to guide you—gaze at an image or work of art, noticing where your eyes linger and what feelings or memories gently arise.
Let music (musica divina) become your prayer. Play a song or hymn, notice the emotions that stir, and let your heartfelt response become prayer.
Let poetry (poetica divina) join your prayers. Read a favorite poem or write a few lines of your own, letting words express what stirs deep within.
These creative, multi-sensory ways of praying are simple to explore and require no special skill—just a willing heart. Let words, images, and sounds linger as you rest in God’s presence, and allow your prayer life to unfold as a living, imaginative journey—uniquely your own.
Victoria Sandage is launching a new website and Facebook community dedicated to Mingle Divina Prayer. We warmly invite you to share what inspires you—a verse, a song, a poem, a work of art. Beauty shared together deepens our connection, both with one another and with the heart of our Father. (See links below.)
Blessings,
Ingrid
Dear Father,
Lead us as we explore new adventures in prayer, igniting our hearts to see as You see and bringing fresh light into our souls. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
02
Victoria Sandage New Adventure
Victoria Sandage is the daughter of the King, a passionate photographer, community cultivator, and beauty curator. One of her greatest joys is to inspire you to encounter God in the beauty that surrounds you—whether through art, words, or music.
With happiness and excitement, Victoria welcomes you to a new page where you will find resources for contemplative prayer and encouragement. For decades, she has been encouraging people to find God through beauty and design—inviting them to try Visio Divina with her photos.
Now, she introduces Mingle Divina: a sacred, multisensory journey that combines Visio, Lectio, Poetica, and Musica Divina. Here, you're invited to see, hear, feel, and sense God's loving presence as these types of prayer uniquely mingle, opening your heart to inspiration, comfort, and a deeper connection with God.
Why Mingle?
To mingle means to blend, unite, or combine.
Mingle Divina—Visio, Lectio, Poetica, Musica—mixes and unites us, opening our hearts to God, the Divine.
The Hebrew root for "mingle" means to knead, like bread.
When we open our hearts, God gives us the bread we need. Through this bread, He mixes, feeds, and comforts us.
Join Victoria and find comfort and food for your soul. This page is dedicated to you.
Victoria and her friends will share inspiration and encouragement through creative prayers and stories, helping you discover hope, connection, and the loving presence of God.
Victoria Sandage's New Sisterhood Facebook
Join our private Facebook group for personal community and inspiration. Click HERE to join.
03
Cultivating a Healthy Mind
The Neurological Power of Prayer
Dr. Caroline Leaf, a cognitive neuroscientist, encourages us to pray more as a key step toward a sound mind. Her research connects the spiritual discipline of prayer with neurological change. Dr. Leaf notes that 12 minutes of focused prayer daily, practiced over eight weeks, can reshape the brain. She sees daily prayer not just as a spiritual practice but as a practical tool for mental resilience and well-being. To build a daily prayer habit, Dr. Leaf suggests setting a fixed time, choosing a distraction-free space, and using reminders or a journal. Starting with a few minutes and gradually increasing to 12 can make prayer a sustainable routine.
Dr. Leaf's research shows that consistent prayer leads to positive brain changes, especially in regions linked to compassion, empathy, and social interaction. She finds that people who practice focused prayer for several weeks show increased prefrontal cortex activity and better connectivity in circuits tied to empathy and positive behavior. She urges making prayer a daily habit, highlighting lasting gains in emotional health, relationships, and inner peace. For Dr. Leaf, the path to a sound mind is rooted in daily prayer.
04
He Restores My Soul with Peggy Kroupa
Elohim. On the first page of the Bible, the Lord identifies Himself as the Creator. He tells us all about what He has created, and we get to reflect on the vastness and uniqueness of His creativity. If we have righteous motives, He must take delight in giving humans portions of His creativity and allowing them to use it to explore and create new things.
I was a special education teacher in my 20s when I accepted Jesus as my Savior. Not long after that, my church was desperate for Sunday school teachers. I started teaching a group of first-graders and learned the Bible stories with my class. The first topic was Moses. When we got to the Passover, I decided to have a Seder for them. With help from Jewish friends, I put it together. It was the first one I ever experienced. As special needs teachers, we are taught to intentionally teach lessons in which students experience concepts through as many modalities as possible, the most common being sight, sound, smell, taste, tactile, and kinesthetic (movement). God spoke this truth years ago so that teachers in years to come would know how to reach their students. The Seder is an example that incorporates all these modalities to help people of all ages engage and learn. From then on, I sought God's help to be even better equipped to meet my students' learning needs in this way. He spoke to me about this through listening prayer. I have given some examples.
Since I taught kindergarten and first graders, I found songs I could use in a fun, repetitive way to drill memorization, such as counting, the months, and the days of the week. For example, after I taught the money song with the names of the coins and their values, a mother told me she had to raise her son's allowance and the amount the Tooth Fairy left.
Building on this, the Lord used my enjoyment of cooking to inspire recipes to teach spatial concepts, vocabulary, and much more. For example, I made a recipe for each stage of the butterfly life cycle. I developed recipes so the students could experience that our tongues can taste sweet, salty, bitter, and sour. When we made hot chocolate from scratch, I cautioned them to only take the tiniest taste of the unsweetened cocoa powder. There was usually at least one in each class who did not heed the warning. Maybe they still remember the taste of bitterness.
I enjoyed developing art projects to provide hands-on experiences. As one example, I had an art activity for each letter of the alphabet. A mother told me that when her son came home with one of his projects, he would take it out of his backpack, hide it behind his back, and say, “Mom, you won't believe this one.”
During my career, I experienced the availability of technology and the ways it could be used to enhance learning. The Lord was constantly inspiring me with different applications. I often created teaching materials with it and also developed ways for my students to interact with it.
Reflecting on these experiences, I realized that when God inspires us, we are using listening prayer even if we are not aware of it. As a review, there are many ways He speaks to us: a picture in your mind, a still small voice, an impression, a thought, a dream, a vision, a memory, a scripture, etc. It's good to incorporate listening prayer in your time with God as often as possible. We can think that prayer is just our talking to God, but I read an article that posed the thought that God is more eager to talk to us than we are to spend time listening to hear Him speak.
05
New Spanish Offerings on our Sisters of the Crown Website
We are delighted to introduce new Spanish resources on our Sisters of the Crown website, thoughtfully designed for our Spanish-speaking sisters around the world. Our goal is to offer a space where you feel valued and uplifted in your native language.
Anoushka Riley, our Spanish Curator, has translated our homepage and launched a new Musica Divina page featuring inspirational Spanish worship music. We have also included a link to Lectio 365 in Spanish. A translator tool in our website footer allows for fast phrase translation.
We warmly welcome our Spanish-speaking sisters and look forward to expanding these resources together, creating a welcoming sanctuary for inspiration and connection.
06
Meditation Moment
Settle into a comfortable position and gently close your eyes. Take a deep breath in, then exhale slowly, allowing yourself to fully embrace this moment of stillness.
Our gracious Father gives us burdens that build our character and hope that helps us overcome. He gives us chances to grow spiritually through His love and wisdom. The challenges we face help us grow strong and resilient. Though hard at first, trials remind us of His love and care. Embracing these obstacles readies us to rise above what lies ahead. In the end, our hope and faith will lift us to victory. We find comfort in His love, knowing every moment with Him makes us stronger and lasts forever.
Father, thank You for the weights that train us and the wings that help us soar. Grant us courage and faith to embrace every challenge, and may Your strength uphold us as we grow. Remind us always of Your loving presence. As we continue this journey, deepen our trust in Your plan and fill us with hope for the victories ahead. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
