Journaling for Self-Empowerment
Author: LuAnn Kennedy
Posted: February 25th. 2007
Introduction
Most Pagans want to become as in touch with nature, the Divine, and with themselves as they can. There are countless ways to do this. You can meditate. You can pray. You can be mentored by someone online or in a coven, if you’re fortunate enough to belong to one. But if these things don’t fit your lifestyle or personality, don’t worry! You can develop these connections on your own with just a notebook or computer and the willingness to open your mind to a few new techniques. For you see, journaling is one simple, but extremely effective way to gain more satisfaction on your journey to higher awareness and self-empowerment.
Journaling Types
First of all, it’s important to understand the difference between regular journaling and intentional journaling. As you probably know, journaling in general usually means recording what happened to you during a given period, your thoughts and feelings about it, your hopes and dreams, sketches, poems, lists, and anecdotes from your life. Intentional journaling often includes these things, too, but focuses on a specific topic for each entry. Thus, the name "intentional journaling." Before beginning, you pose a question, problem, or situation to your subconscious mind and then write down or journal its responses. These entries are very focused and have endless benefits.
The Benefits of Journaling
According to John Robson, a certified journaling facilitator and the founder of HigherAwareness.com, some of the 100 benefits of intentional journaling are:
Awareness and authenticity
Balance
Clarity, commitment and creativity
Decision-making ability
Expansion and empowerment
Focus, fun
Goals and growth
Healing and harmony
Intuition, insights, imagination and inspiration
Joy
Knowledge of self, reality, truth
Learning, love and letting go
Manifestations, motivation and meaning
Non-judgmental, clarifies needs
Opening, optimism
Peace of mind, planning, purpose
Quality of life
Results, release, relaxation and revelations
Spiritual connection and serenity
Truth and transformation
Understanding
Values
Wisdom and wholeness
eXplanation, eXploration and eXpansion
You get to know yourself better
Zest and ZZZZZZ – better sleep!
Journaling Tools
To make intentional journaling easier, there are specific techniques you can use to access any and all information in your subconscious mind. These are called journaling tools, and two of the most popular ones are Smart Questions and List-making. These will be explored below.
Before learning about these tools, however, you need to understand that anything and everything you want or need to know is already in your subconscious mind. Everything! You just need to access it. But when you do, you will have every answer, each solution, the wisdom, knowledge, and all the abundance you could ever need. You can use Smart Questions and/or List-making any time to tap into the vast stores of information in your subconscious.
Smart Questions–Statements and questions evoke different responses from your subconscious mind. Statements are perceived as fact and use the left brain, while questions create more "outside the box, " intuitive, and creative responses. They, in turn, use the right brain, where intuition, creativity, spiritual matters, and more abstract thinking come from.
However, you can’t just ask any old question and journal on it. Instead, it should be a "Smart" Question, one that will evoke a meaningful response. For example, "Do I love the healing arts?" isn’t a Smart Question, but "How can I enjoy the healing arts more?" is, because it produces ways to obtain the enjoyment you’re looking for.
Other examples of Smart Questions include:
How can I create more free time?
How can I discover my life purpose?
What can I do to express self-love?
What tradition is right for me?
Where is the best place for me to be alone to think or meditate?
Which gods/goddesses do I relate to best?
Who is my patron deity?
Who could be my spiritual mentor?
What do I have trouble accepting about myself?
Making up your own questions is extremely effective, because they reflect what you want and need most. Simply be sure they can produce multiple answers and aren’t limiting in the way you phrase them. Limited questions will work, but you won’t gain as much insight from those.
Before writing down the answers that come to you, ask the question three times to "drill" it into your subconscious mind. Then, don’t worry about what comes; just write what your mind throws at you without analyzing it. Later, you’ll be surprised at the responses and ideas you’ve generated in only a short time.
List-making–This is similar to Smart Questions, because it starts with a question. For instance, you’ve recently discovered a tradition that’s new to you, and you want to explore it more deeply. Whether you know a lot about it or not, you can use list-making to find out more information. Set a minimum number of responses; then, pose your question and start writing quickly. Duplicates are ok. Your list might look something like this:
What can I learn about this new tradition?
At least 5 responses required.
Views on gods/goddesses
How Pagan holidays are celebrated
The tradition’s main principles
Views about solitary Witches
Gender roles
Use of tools/clothing
Local/community events for and about Pagans
Ritual activities
The tradition’s degree system
When your list is finished, group the responses into categories. In this case, we could use social aspects, beliefs, and structure, for example.
Then, especially for a longer list, prioritize the responses in each category, putting the ones you want to learn about most at the top. Finally, start researching the tradition and asking questions! List-making takes the pressure off, organizes your knowledge, keeps you from becoming overwhelmed, and keeps the list up-to-date as you add new items and re-prioritize the list. In this case it also gives you a memory jogger that can help you retain more of what you’ve learned.
Conclusion
With Smart Questions and List-making alone, you can gain greater insight into your Pagan path, relationships, life purpose, business, education, metaphysical interests, developing your intuition, creativity, psychic gifts, and so much more! You can use them in any and all areas of your life for even more success and abundance. If you practice them for a few weeks, you will see life-changing results: guaranteed!
Article copyright 2006 by LuAnn Kennedy (luann.kennedy@gmail.com)
http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=uspa&c=words&id=11274
