Journaling is not only a spiritual discipline – it’s a journey of discovery and illumination that takes you on a trip inside your heart, mind and soul.
It creates a light for you to follow wherever your thoughts lead you – through transformational chapters in your life, towards your hopes and dreams for the future, or down dark tunnels of incidents and emotions long past.
Through regular journaling, you can come to the gradual realization that everything in your life – the good, the bad and the ugly – can, upon the reflection that journaling facilitates, turn out to be important spiritual lessons that guide and redirect your path.
Perhaps most importantly, the true gift of mindful, regular journal writing is that it creates a powerful, direct link between you and God. Done with sacred intent, the things you write in your journal can actually facilitate a private “conversation” with God, and give you a clearer intuitive understanding of your mission, and how to live a purposeful life.
One way to quiet the mind and open your heart to God’s guidance is first to surrender any resistance to the idea that you truly can have that kind of a personal connection with the Creator. Believe that when you approach journaling from a prayerful and heart-centered space, you can trust the insight and inspiration you will receive.
When you desire to do that kind of journal entry, begin by writing the first part of a sentence stating the specific information you desire to receive. For instance, you could write, “God’s plan for me today is…” Another exercise could be to write, “The three most important disciplines for me to bring into my life right now are…”
After you write the beginning to that first sentence, stop and set a timer for 10 minutes. Start the timer, and continue writing in your journal without consciously directing your thought process. The only rule is, you must keep writing for the entire 10 minutes.
You might find yourself starting to write something like, “This is not going to work. God doesn’t speak to people in this way,” or, “breakfast this morning was delicious, particularly the seed cheese.” That’s fine. Let it flow. Because since you set the intent to tap into divine wisdom and guidance, within the first few sentences, you will. Without you making a conscious effort to retrieve or edit information, the stream of consciousness you’re writing for the 10 minute period will gradually shift into wise, illuminating and very specific information to support the statement you wrote at the top of the page.
Besides this “question and answer” type of directed journaling, you could choose to write your thoughts about the Word of the Day as shared in OHI Austin and OHI San Diego’s first group prayer circle of the morning. If the word is “hope,” how do your thoughts about hope gradually shift as the day goes on? Journal about it, and reflect on it later.
Journal about your latest dream – how did it make you feel? Taking it apart and looking at specific symbols, colors, sounds and other people in the dream, what do you think it might mean? Journaling your answers can help you unlock the divine wisdom of your “night school” adventures, and enrich your life.
However you decide to focus your intent, journaling is a spiritual journey, discipline and mind practice that not only helps you connect body, mind and spirit – it connects you more closely to God. Write on!
When your body, mind, and spirit are aligned, you can achieve good health. If you are looking for a holistic healing program, in San Diego or Austin, visit Optimum Health Institute . We can help you achieve your mental, physical, emotional and spiritual goals for optimal health. For more information about OHI, visit our website at www.OptimumHealth.org . To make your reservation, please call us at (800) 993-4325.