Journaling Your Journey
This is the Final steppingstone of the second pathway in our journey towards awareness as we continue to learn how to unravel the depths of our dreams and discover their impactful nature.
If you have not already done so, please sign up to receive the four segments of the initial Mindfulness Pathway. Then continue on with this Letting Go Pathway having hopefully gained a better understanding of and connection to self, relationships, activity in repose, and the natural world.
Before reading below also consider spending some time experiencing Opening Up a Dialogue with Your Inner Child, as it is the third steppingstone of this Letting Go Pathway.
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12 MINUTE READ
Do you actively journal? If not, have you journaled previously?
Have you at least considered or wondered about journaling at one time or another?
Journaling is an enriching and multifaceted activity, and I believe people do themselves a disservice in choosing to brush it off as a depthless or mundane exercise. Afterall, everything is what we end up making of it and what we end up making of it can change everything. Journaling is so much more than self-reflection. Think of it more so as a path to personal enlightenment that can impart transformative change in regard to all the how, what, where, when and why’s that exist in one’s life.
Journaling is more than just a tool that encourages the betterment of an individual. It is a process that allows for the discovery of otherwise untapped perspectives that can push you to do better and to act better and to inspire better in regard to those whose lives are fatedly woven into the tapestry of your own. A fulfilled life both inside and out begins by being purposeful and intentional.
I always thought that I had come upon journaling later in my life. Then, something happened, and I began to see it as an experience, both powerful and interesting. This mindset took hold when I was cleaning out an old dresser from my childhood, and I caught a glimpse of some papers stuck behind one of the drawers. I removed the drawer and a bunch of old, creased papers fell out.
I began to read what I realized were my own words and I could tell that I was very young when they were scribbled. I looked at the small sentences, the occasional little word missing, as well as others adorably misspelled. I realized, from the content, that I was not writing to anybody or for any external reason. It was clear that I had been sitting alone when writing these pages and talking to myself, as well as the universal powers that be.
As I took in all the thoughts and feelings expressed by my younger self, I could feel her sorrow and pain. It was truly palpable. I wonder if her forgotten or lost journaling was not at least one of the reasons that she survived.
Decades later I had not even remembered having written these pages. This was, however, not really surprising to me as there are several gaps in my childhood in terms of my memory. There are many different circumstances that can lead to a person not remembering certain experiences had in their earlier years, or at least not the specifics.
What is noteworthy to me is that surrounded by her gathered “burdens” that little girl somehow instinctually felt the need to pick up that pencil and paper during a time when journaling was very much more so unchartered waters and, in many ways, still fledgling to the masses and not as of yet very well recognized for its cognitive benefits. Especially not in her part of the world.
Thinking about this I came to understand that the essence of “journaling” is imprinted within us as a hopeful liberator of the spirit of the human experience.
How can something that is innately known or felt within a human being’s soul be wrong, unworthy, or unnecessary?
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A journal holds our stories. It inspires A deeper connection with self that opens the flood gates of our intrinsic nature and allows for the freeest of expressions.
exercising our imaginations and taking a lighter approach, in other words having fun with it, will take us far in regard to beginning such a journey.
What is your method?
1) Pages in a binding
a) How does the cover feel? What color is the cover? What is depicted on the cover and on the pages inside? Does it contain quotes, phrases, symbols, lines, etc.?
b) Is your style to fill the pages with longhand writing, lists, sketches, flow charts, poems, questions and answers, etc.?
2) Collages
3) Voice recorders
4) Music notes
5) Paintings
As long as it grows, evolves, and changes along with us, then a journal can be anything and everything we want it to be for ourselves.
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It only takes a spark to forge a fire and discover the content that will lead to uncovering the ashes of NEWFOUND life. Such things are felt and born from someplace within that is at times beyond logic.
There are those who keep one journal at any given time and others who are comfortable with many depending on the variety of content they are looking to manifest for themselves. Remember that you can have more than one journal for more than one reason. The sky is the limit, know yourself, what you need, and when you need it.
What is your source of motivation?
1) A grief journal where perhaps we imagine somebody we have lost reading our words as well.
2) A journal that focuses solely on our communication and relationship building with our inner child.
3) A gratitude journal may be kept as a reminder of the simplest and smallest celebrations of each day lived.
4) Astrology-based journals may fit well with those who follow the planets, signs, moon, and stars as it pertains to them.
5) A journal for being attentive to the five senses and their inclusion throughout moments.
6) A positive reflection journal where we keep track of the details of ONLY our positive thoughts, actions, deeds, goals, desires, and so on. It could teach us a lot depending on how empty or full it becomes, as well as in respect to what we consistently see as “positive”.
7) A release journal may be needed for a realistic balance to a positive journal, where we confront our burdens, obstacles, barriers, and struggles in search of ways to overcome. Embracing this requires work and determination but it will without a doubt fruitfully influence our positive reflection journal.
8) A journal may spotlight boundaries being set, implemented, and understood, as well as all the successes and failures surrounding those boundaries in regard to different aspects of our lives and the people in it. Evolution in this area of our life, over time, is an important sign of health and well-being. This journal becomes evidence of that.
9) A revolution journal can center around analyzing, coming to terms with, and understanding our disappointments, worries, fears, and regrets, so as to learn from them. This allows us to realize how things might be made different next time around, how to try again visualizing things through a unique lens, how to take action and be accountable in fixing situations, or how to find ways to see ourselves and our needs in a new light. This can be a key building block for us to be able to flesh out the content of our release journal and gain more success therein.
10) A meditation journal to encourage continued unraveling and understanding of our thoughts, ideas, hopes, and realizations after immersing ourselves in a meditative experience. A purposeful opportunity to gain more knowledge by way of streamlining our creative thoughts.
11) A journal that encompasses our own recorded dreams and their subsequent interpretations as seen through our authentic eyes and explored from within our depths. A dream journal is so important in that its tentacles explore every other journal idea already listed above and undoubtedly any others we might bring into life.
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Journaling is commonly appreciated as an independent experience, but it is never a bad thing to think outside the box.
You could decide to be the founder of a journaling group that has topics and discussions therein each month.
If you choose to do a little research, there are opportunities for retreats all over the world that include journaling experiences and activities in relation to an overall focus on well-being.
Sticking with a more personal approach, you could even create a partnership or companion journal with your significant other or even with your child where each day you keep a record of anything pertaining to your relationship that you wish for the other person to be cognizant of and you can even offer responses in return in those situations that would warrant reply. You would be the only two people with access to this journal. This might help you to build a healthier, stronger, and more trusting and open relationship with that special person in your life.
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A sense of safety and security is necessary:
Some people might feel a pull to take action toward journaling, but they are perhaps afraid to keep a journal based on their current circumstances/environment and concerns for privacy, or even due to past traumas in terms of violated trust and boundaries.
We should not let bad memories keep us from doing something we want to do for ourselves. We do not have to let those past fears control us in the present. We need to remember our inner child work, take the reins, and look around us because we are not physically where we were so we should not remain there emotionally or mentally either.
If, however, we in fact do not live in a place where appropriate and respectful boundaries are a reality then, if we have the means and the will, we might consider different circumstances for ourselves or even advocate for ourselves and enforce boundaries where we are, if that option is available. If our current situation does not allow for any of this, then maybe a journal can be kept somewhere else, so it remains tangible with a little bit of walking or traveling.
Perhaps it could even be kept with someone trustworthy. If you have a person like that in your life, remember gratitude and let them know the impact they have on your life. Assuming options are limited in regard to respect for personal space, begin by writing or creating and then burn a candle and turn the paper to ash if that is what is needed or destroy it in some other way. Just the action of journaling can start to bring us “home”. Even if we unfortunately cannot keep hold of what we write, we can keep hold of what we learned from it in our hearts and souls which are always our safest places, that is assuming we remember the importance of self-care and self-love.
Note: please be aware that if you do decide to burn your journal entries it should be in a controlled and safe way to protect yourself, those around you, and the location in which you take this action. Be smart, be responsible, be observant, and be very careful.
Of course, It is always ideal to have our journals within reach for those moments of need, but everybody has to start somewhere and then hopefully given enough time opportunities for a better way will present themselves and then at least we have developed a relationship with journaling in the meantime.
Most importantly, if this is the situation/environment that we find ourselves subjected to, then we should use this realization as an epiphany and a turning point for us to finally take necessary actions, perhaps small and then big, towards being able to ‘get out’. We should ask ourselves, what does freedom sound like, smell like, look like, taste like, and feel like for us. If we know the answers to all these questions, then we already know it is worth fighting for and we would only be letting ourselves down by not trying.
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Opportunities to gain more knowledge on the path of journaling awareness:
Think back on all the nuggets from the first mindfulness pathway, as well as the first three steppingstones of the letting go pathway and how they can help you along the way in terms of discovering journaling in depth, how it can work for you, and what it can bring into your life.
The International Association for Journal Writing offers some excellent book suggestions on the topic of journaling, and so much more.
The website zenitjournals offers forward thinking and creative expressions surrounding journaling through informative and unique video sessions.
Dreamwork –
Is journaling a source of inspiration, or a companion you feel drawn to, or a helping hand of encouragement, or a light when it is difficult to hold back the dark, or a raft to depend upon during times of loneliness? Does it speak to you as much as you speak to it? Our dreams have the unfettered potential to offer all this and more.
There are no restrictions, not in what we journal, nor in what we dream. The only restrictions are those that we place upon ourselves. As we transform, our dreams will do so along with us. Just as different journals will have different reasons, different dreams will have different meanings on our travels.
If a journal or a dream serves a particular purpose and then that cycle or phase of our lives is completed, put it away but never forget what it gifted. See the value in recognizing the threads that will connect back to those experiences over time. Lessons forgotten are trials and teachings awaiting their chance to be reborn. So, if possible, we should keep our journals, like a treasure trove, and take them out to revisit them as simple reminders when life calls for it. Mercury in retrograde may be a good time to consider this particular action, depending on circumstances.
I believe that a dream journal for visions manifested during sleep is ready and willing to hold the secrets of our subconscious and should be kept nearby during times of slumber. This is a small investment in self that will provide opportunities to reap great rewards as long as we are willing and determined to put in the work along the way.
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The first steppingstone in the upcoming Courageous Choice pathway is admitting you are a work in PROGRESS, and it will become available on my blog, Dawning Descent, in due course.
If you were moved by anything that I had to contribute here please contact me regarding your experience. I am excited to travel this path and learn along with you. I look forward to our communications.
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