The journal. Some people love them, others find them deeply challenging to keep. I love keeping a journal. The journal is sacred space. It allows us a space to reflect, to come into communion with our intuition, and to catch snapshots of our lives. Life happens quickly, and having a quite place that we can gather ourselves is necessary–the journal provides this. I also tell my clients that it is important to keep a pen and paper journal. I know we live in the age of technology, but with our fancy devices comes a lot of distractions. From time to time I’ll keep quick notes, or reminders to myself of things that I should write about in my journal, but I love the tangibility of a paper journal. When we write things out longhand we are also connecting to each word that kisses the pages of our journal. When we write things out we are also inviting our bodies into this process, we are able to make mistakes, scratch things out, and we tend to not be as polished as we are on our electronic devices. You can also keep an art journal if you are more connected to the visual realm.
Another things I tell my clients is that it is not so much about journaling everyday, but it is important to carry your journal with you daily. Daily access to the journal is giving yourself permission to write when it feels right to do so. Not having it with you, or leaving it at home puts distance between the intention to write and the action. Most of us might “want” to, or might be able to remember those insights later… but we also often forget. I keep my journal at arm distance. I like to have access to it at the gym, in the grocery store, or when I’m waiting in the car. I sometimes will just open it up to a blank page and sit. The blank page is possibility. I can rest on that page, reflect and energetically fill that page with my thoughts and intentions. I find that the simple act of opening the journal is entering sacred space. Things get quite, and my focus is now on the page, which also helps me enter into stillness. Everyone will have their own ideas surround what a journal is or isn’t. These are just my thoughts, and my personal connection to the journal. Feel free to develop your personal connection to it.
What to write?!
The next big question is: What do I write in my journal?!
Anything and everything you want. For a while I would keep a separate journal for different areas of my life, and still do to a lesser extent. I find that keeping my thoughts focused in one space helps to keep me focused in one space. I write my thoughts, my ideas, my struggles, my intuitive insights, my paranormal experiences, what foods I’m eating, manifesting lists, yoga postures and sequences that I am working on, show topics, drams and interpretations, self readings, tarot card exercises and readings, research..etc. The list is truly limitless. The idea is try not to limit yourself. You can do the “Dear Journal” and write about your day, or you can just allow consciousness to flow in whatever direction it wants to go in.
After making some big life transitions I felt that I needed to come back to center. I pulled out all of my old journals and began to sift through my personal story, my journey into the spiritual. I found myself again in those pages. They gave me a chance to reflect on the reasons I started doing this work, and also allowed me to have gratitude for my evolution along the path. Journals are our record keepers, they are our friends, and they at some point will become our legacy.
Do you journal? What do you like journaling about? If you are not currently keeping a journal, what is your resistance?
You are loved. You are Beautiful. You are Divine.
Mike Brazell CFT CSN MAT PAT
Movement + Ritual + Grief Care 