Find a nice quiet place where you won’t be disturbed.
Settle in and get comfortable.
Start with an intention. Express it clearly and succinctly.
Ask God to help you see what you need to see, feel what you need to feel and be open to the truth (in your own words).
“Drop in” the question about what is preventing you from fulfilling your longing. When I say “drop in” I mean to ask the question as if you were physically placing it inside your heart.
Let go of any preconceived ideas about what might happen, how the answer should come to you, what the “right” answer is, etc.
Be open to what may come up. Remember that you are exploring a part of yourself that you have been keeping hidden, so you might find out something that is difficult to swallow at first. But wouldn’t you rather know the truth, no matter how difficult, than hide from it?
If you do not appear to be receiving an answer in some form or other (it could be words, it could be pictures, it could be a sudden “aha” seemingly from nowhere, it could be a knowing, etc.), keep praying and keep observing yourself. Are you resisting?
If you notice you are resisting, you can change your focus to working on the resistance rather than the initial longing.
If we are sincere, God answers our prayers. If you got an answer, congratulations, you’re done!
And if, after a reasonable amount of time (whatever that means to you) you haven’t gotten an answer, there are at least three possibilities:
You received an answer but couldn’t “digest” it.
You have not received your answer yet.
You weren’t sincere–meaning that a part of you was sincerely asking the question but a part of you was also resisting.
Keep open to an answer coming when, where or how you least expect it. It might come in the form of a song on the radio. Or a friend might say something to you. And while you are waiting with a relaxed attitude, use the process to make sure that a part of you isn’t resisting–preventing the answer from coming. Here is the Cliff Notes version of the same process:
State your intention
Pray for guidance and help
Drop in the question into your heart
Wait and be open, praying for help as needed
If you meet an obstruction, stop and shift the focus of the process to the obstruction until you have cleared all the obstructions that come up.