Tag Archives: diary

A week-long course in journalling – Day 7

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In the Land of Imagination, anything is possible!

One of the coolest aspects of journalling is that it allows you to delve into the wild and magical stream of your imagination.  In the Land of Imagination, anything is possible!

This is  important news for  people who draw constantly on creativity to enrich their work-day, or perhaps even to sustain their livelihood.  A well-nourished imagination helps all problem solvers.  Sadly, writers, artists, musicians, performers and busy people often neglect to fill up the well that they draw on. Today we’re going to look at ways to use your journal to dip into that sparkling stream, wash off some of that gritty debris of life, and emerge refreshed and with new ideas safely seeded into your subconscious mind, or perhaps even flowering in the window garden of your mind’s front room!

 (heroes run 2011 (63 of 79), a photo by Split the Kipper on Flickr.)

Day 7 – Dancing in the Land of Imagination

Writing in a journal gives you a certain freedom – an opportunity to try on different lives, a chance to explore possibilities, a safe space to work with ideas and emotions.  Over time, we can use our journal to connect more strongly with the power of our imaginations.  When the writing is done, we can come back to it later, with a highlighter or a notebook, and use some of those captured fragments to inform and enrich our public lives and work.

Many a writer has drawn from their journal to create characters, places or to accurately express emotions and thoughts.

Over time, we often see themes emerge about what we would like to see more of in our real life, based on what we see for ourselves in our imagination. These themes can be used to make concrete changes in our lives to become more authentic in the way we express that inner richness.

Task for the day:

If you had an ideal life what would it be?  If you could go anywhere, do anything, be anyone, what would that look like?  Today’s task is to sit quietly and begin to touch on that space with your imagination.  Then when you’re ready, begin to pour some of that energy onto the pages of your journal.  Feel free to augment your writing with pictures, clippings and other things that spark ideas and emotions. Let your creative nature play with this concept until it is ready to move on to something new.

This little kid has the hang of it.  I give you permission to dress up or play theme music if it helps with today’s journalling activity…

If I was a fairy, my ears would look just like this.

A week-long course in journalling – Day 6

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How do you know what your deepest truth is, especially when you spend too much time in your head? There are the things we tell ourselves to be true, and things we know and believe, and this information is readily accessible to us.  In fact we’ve already tapped into it in Day 4‘s journalling work. It sits in our mind, at the front of our conscious awareness.

But there is also a great source of truth hidden within us, residing in our subconscious and unconscious mind.  How do we access that information?

Day 6 – Inner Child Work; Left Hand Right Hand Dialogue

Often we think that the best way to find guidance is to look to someone older and more experienced, or a Guide, Angel, God or our Higher selves.  There is, however, a wonderful source of Guidance within you, known as your Inner Child.  This is the refreshingly honest, loving and very caring part of you who can tell you with all the affront and careful attention of a five year old, what’s really going on in other parts of you. (This image by photostock)

There is a great wisdom that dwells within you, and it has the purity, honesty and integrity of a child...

The best way to work with your Inner Child is to have a conversation between the Big You, and the Little You.  You can do this through what is known as Left Hand – Right Hand Dialogue.  It’s an easy thing to do!

Task for the day:

Take out your journal and some different coloured pens or pencils.  Use your dominant hand (the one you usually write with) to be the Big You, the conscious awareness of you as an adult.  Choose one pen for this hand.  Then use your non-dominant hand to represent your Little You, and let that hand pick a pen, or pens to write with. (image by posterize)

Have your Big You write a question for your Little You, and then let your Little you respond.  The writing will be awkward, and please don’t worry about spelling or vocabulary. Just let the writing flow and trust… What you’ll get is honesty, and love, and isn’t that all we really ever need to get started?  You can do this to work on problems and blockages in your life, and you can even get your Little you to draw and create works of art.  Enjoy experimenting!

If you’d like to keep working with this technique:

Using coloured crayons or pens, have your Inner Child do a drawing of you with your non-dominant hand. (another lovely image by Stuart Miles)

Then use a left hand, right hand dialogue as described above, to ask your Little You questions about what the drawing represents, and any advice they have to give concerning this. Inner Children are very opinionated about what you need and why, and their advice will always come straight from the heart.

My own Inner Child Work has reminded me of the importance of spiritual work just for me, of the need to move my body and spend time in nature, and encouraged me when I need to spend more time playing with my dogs. ♥

Be prepared for some surprises!  This is a great technique for working with health and diet, career, relationships and so on.  And it may bring to the surface things you’d never even thought of!

Wishing you joy in your day, and a journal full of self-discovery. Bless xoxo

A week-long course in journalling – Day 3

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Australia is the land of ‘droughts and flooding rains’.  Trust me, when I say that this plays havoc with our storm-water drains!

(Image by prozac1)

“Ah, yes, Nicole,” I can hear you thinking, “but what has that got to do with journalling?”  Everything, my dear.

Day 3 – Clearing the pipes

Think of the pathway between your conscious mind, and that lovely, wise and creative source energy within you as a pipe, like the type of drain that carries storm water.  Over time, and with lack of use, the pipe is inclined to get blocked.  In times of drought our storm-water drains get clogged up with dirt and dust, sticks and plastic bags, parts of old bicycles and dead rats.  Is it no wonder that when rain finally comes we might be bitterly disappointed at the quality of water that flows from the pipe?  Maybe even the flow will be miserable, as the water dams behind all of the debris.

We need to clear the pipe before that pure, good water can flow.  We need to suspend our judgement of what comes out when the water first trickles from the pipe.

 

 

Task for the day:

Read through this section and then follow the instructions. Sit for a minute or so, with your eyes closed, and visualise a pipe inside you, clogged with all manner of rubbish.  Some of that rubbish may have even been useful at one time or other, but now all it’s doing is blocking your flow. Feel the power of that good clean water beginning to move down the pipe.  Feel it hitting the obstruction of all of that debris.  A journal is a very fine place for getting all of this mess cleared.

Your job is not to process this mess. Who would bother to filter through the crap that comes out in a stinking, stagnant stormwater drain when the wet season comes?  No.  Your job is merely to clear the pipe by writing.

Expect rubbish.  Expect pettiness.  Expect complaints and dead rats, pizza boxes and congealed plastics. Expect that most of what you write won’t even be true anymore (might not ever have been true, except in the heat of a moment), and will be an assortment of mouldering old hoo-haa.  Some of what you write might even sound like incredible soul wisdom.  Dazzling brilliance.  It won’t be.  It’s just an ego download.  Be happy about that.  Know that you are clearing the pipes. You’ll probably need to do this more than once.  But that’s okay – you have a lifetime of journalling ahead. Open your eyes, and start writing, beginning with the words The thing is…

Do this process often enough and your waters will flow clean and pure, to nourish and delight you in ways you didn’t know were possible. (this image by dan)  

PS: I so heart that goldfish!

Journalling brings many gifts, once we clear the pipes to allow good flow.

 

A week-long course in journalling – Day 2

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So here we are – ourselves, an empty book, and a few old-fashioned writing implements.  Over the next week I’m going to give you some techniques for extracting what’s on the inside of you and pouring it out onto those pages.  Exciting, huh?

Huh? Hello?  Yes… I know most of you are eager to get started, but I can also feel the hesitation in some of you. For some of you there are blocks before we’ve even begun.  So that’s a great place to start because EVERYONE is going to come to the empty page feeling like that at one time or another.

Be brave and turn the page... it's time to write the whisperings of your Soul

(gorgeous journal image by nuttakit)

Day 2 – Set your intention, and expect a little magic

Journalling is actually three parts effort and one part magic.  But if we start with the magic, the rest seems effortless.  The best way to get the magic happening is through our intention.  Write this on page one of your journal, and then sign it. Let it be the first thing you read EVERY time you come to this book, before you begin anything…

Just for today I will be gentle and generous with myself.  I will allow myself the freedom to think, feel, experience and express the emotions, creativity and soul wisdom I have locked inside me.  Just for today I will put self criticism and self judgement aside and simply BE.

 Just for today I will support and encourage myself and those around me.  I will refrain from criticisms, gossip and unkind words or actions towards myself and others.  Just for today I will be a friend to myself, and to the people I meet.

 Signed:

 

Task for the day:

Listen to the following sound file (which contains a simple guided meditation), and when you’re finished, take up one of those pens or pencils you’ve chosen and let your hand travel across the page.  Write for five minutes, or for an hour.  Just write until you’re done – without judgement of any kind.  Trust in the activity, and in the magic that connects heart-with-mind-with-arm-with-pen-with-page.

Day 2 of Journalling – Creating a connection

Congratulations on your first journal entry - contact has been made!

(this beautiful image by luigi diamanti)

A week-long course in journalling – Day 1

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Want to join me for a week of free journalling instruction?  I’m a big fan of journalling, and have filled endless diaries and notebooks over the last 20-odd years. It’s a great way to get time alone with yourself, and it helps with that often difficult task of knowing ourselves, and all our messy hopes, dreams, desires, blocks and resistance. Over the next seven days I’m going to explore journalling as a tool for self-awareness, creativity and spiritual development.  From the seeds of writings in our journal, many positive things can grow. (thanks to greenphile for this image!)

Day 1 – Select your tools

The beginning of 2012 begs for the opportunity to begin a journal if you haven’t yet started one.  Part of the joy is in the selection of that new book. Yes, old-fashioned paper rather than a digital device.

 What size will you select?  What colour shall the cover be?  Will it be lined paper or blank unlined pages?  Spiral bound or glued spine?  Art diary to capture images as well as words?

And will you use pen, ink, pencil, crayons, or a combination of writing implements? You may even want to buy a snappy pencil case or tin to keep your writing tools in.  Perhaps you’ll favour stickers, or things cut from magazines that will need to be glued. Keep open to the possibilities, especially if you don’t consider yourself artistic!

(journal image by vichie81)

 

Task for the day:

Today, take the time to choose your journal and writing tools.  Let it be a gift of time and energy for yourself.  You may have things lying around the house that you could collect, you may need to buy something.  What matters most is that you decide to journal, and gather your materials together.  See you tomorrow, for some WRITING! ♥

(another beautiful photo by nuttakit)