Paint Your Prayers
Prayers You
Can Touch.
Lament and celebration through the work of your hands.
If you already make things, make them prayerfully.
If you already pray, pray with your hands.
Sound familiar?
Prayer was never meant to be boring.
We were taught prayer is words on the wind.
Maybe you’ve prayed the same way for years. Same words. Same chair. And you wonder if you just need more discipline.
Maybe you’ve never prayed at all. All you know is that prayer is words.
The problem isn’t you. It’s a narrow definition of prayer.
Endless ways to pray
A prayer can be a cup of tea, held a little longer. A stitch, made mindfully. A card in the mail. A walk through a cemetery. A painting, torn apart and sent to fifty people.
Your guide
I left church.
I kept praying.
When I stopped going to church, I realized I was still praying. Making art. Walking cemeteries with a camera. Sewing tiny pieces by hand.
I thought I’d traded my spiritual practice for a creative one. They were the same thing. The work of my hands was my prayer life.
“Your studio and your spiritual life don’t have to live in separate rooms.”
I’ve taught Soul Cartography for years, guiding hundreds of people to bring their journals to their spiritual practice.
I’ve spent years studying creativity, contemplation, and ritual:
• The Living School, taught by Richard Rohr and his team at the Center for Action and Contemplation
• The Order of Hildegard
• Countless painting classes
I wrote this course ten years ago, alongside Soul Cartography. It’s been waiting.
How this began
Fifty prayers, painted and mailed.
In 2020, I asked for prayer requests. More than fifty people answered.
I wrote every request into the substrate of two large paintings. I wrote. I wept. I covered the prayers in music, poetry, and paint. Then I added gold leaf, tore the paintings apart, and mailed each person a painted prayer.
Their prayer, held in their hand.
The practice
Notice. Make. Offer.
#1
Notice
Something beautiful. A need. Your pain. Celebration, request, lament.
#2
Make
Pray with your hands instead of words. Make a painting, a quilt, or a cup of tea. Hold the prayer while you work. Let the spirit guide you.
#3
Offer
Send it out. Fly a flag in your garden. Mail a painting. Leave a note for a stranger.
What we’ll make
Explore new ways to combine prayer and creative work
We start slow, with music, movement, and simple marks. Then we make a simple piece in each.
1
Mark-Making
You know how to make marks to calm your nervous system. Now bring ink to prayer and meditation.
2
Altars and Amulets
Focus your attention and honor the divine in your space.
3
Tend to Your Correspondence
Fashion visual prayers and messages for loved ones, and create ways to bless a stranger.
4
Thread and Beads
Sew tiny quilts, tie knots, or string beads. Humans have been threading their prayers together for centuries.
5
Helpers and Guides
For centuries, people have acknowledged their ancestors and guides, from page one of a journal to amulets and icons. We’ll explore creative ways to bring your guides into your practice and your space.
What you’ll leave with
Prayer, in art form.
A practice you can return to. Prayers you made yourself. Your creativity and your spirituality, integrated.
Who it’s for
Anyone who prays.
Anyone who’s thrown a request out to the universe. Anyone who’s lamented. Anyone so moved by beauty they had to celebrate.
That’s prayer. You’re welcome here.
What people say about Betsy
“Betsy gave me the language and tools to have space for both intimacy and mystery in my faith. She taught me how to live presently in pain…”
“She asks questions and allows space for silence. Betsy not only reminded me to sit with myself and my story but reminded me to move through the things that feel ugly to get to the other side.”
“The tools Betsy provided are unique, creative, and inspiring and her authenticity provided space and freedom for me to learn how to fully show up for first myself and then others.”
The details
Paint Your Prayers
Holiday Beta
$297
Thank you. I’ll email you when January opens.
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Dates
Thursdays, October 29 – December 10, 2026. Six weeks, skipping Thanksgiving.
Time
7 pm Eastern
Format
Virtual. Zoom calls and Circle app posts.
Supplies
Simple. The full list arrives when you join.
FAQ
Do I need Soul Cartography first?
No. Paint Your Prayers is the next step after Soul Cartography, but it stands on its own.
Do I need art experience?
What if I’m not very spiritual?
Is this for my tradition?
How much time does it take?
What supplies do I need?
Still have questions?
We’re here to help!
Not spiritual enough?
Not creative enough?
You don’t have to master either. You just have to make something.
Come pray with your hands.
