Journals For Empowerment
If you have joined the free 16-part "7-Day Chakra Workout" e-Course
(available from this link) then you
will already be aware of the beautiful
Journals for Empowerment
by Nicole Graham
and Tara Spicer. Well, Nicole and Tara are currently on a virtual book tour promoting
this beautiful writing journal. Nicole has kindly offered her thoughts on
journaling as part of the book tour. Enjoy!
Journaling Techniques
Feeling a little stuck? Not sure what to write or how to start? At a loss for
ideas?
Trust me, it is not uncommon for writers block to appear when journaling. And
to help you overcome that hurdle, this article offers you a range of journaling
techniques that will help express your thoughts and feelings on paper.
As a person who likes to journal however does not journal daily, I find that
most journals with dates very daunting. Our journal, Journal for the Modern
Goddess was created with someone like me in mind. Not only do I write whenever I
feel like it, I also have no rhyme or reason in my writing. I write purely for
myself and am happy to tear a page out of my journal, to burn it.
We have also combined journaling with meditation as we felt that they
complement each other but at the same time have power in their own right. The
techniques we are encouraging journal owners to use are:-
Questioning - our guided sections (Dreams and Inspirations; Moving Forward;
Gratitude and Happiness) offer the journal owner a number of questions that she
can ask herself. Our questions are guides; therefore she is not limited to
asking herself more questions based on the theme of the section. Asking
questions provides prompts to move from writers block to writing.
Meditation - our journal has a companion guided meditation CD and is another
prompt for moving the pen across the pages of your journal. Meditation allows a
person to relax and by journaling directly after or throughout the meditation
process, allows one to record the insights or clarity that comes from the
meditation.
Free Flow Writing - at the end of the journal there are pages that allow the
journal owner to write whatever see feels like without being prompted. Free flow
writing has one rule and that is, there are no rules. It is a matter of just
writing.
To take this technique further, you could try "intuitive writing"
whereby you write whatever comes to you without being concerned about
punctuation, spelling, grammar, capitalisation, paragraph breaks etc. Generally
you set yourself a time limit, write without re-reading or proof reading and
stop once your time is up.
Other techniques include:-
Qualities and Attributes - write down the qualities and attributes you
possess and then write down ones you wish you did. Identify one quality you
demonstrate well and write about the how and the why, then identify on quality
you wished you possessed, and write how you could demonstrate it in your life.
You'll be amazed what comes forward during the writing process.
This technique can be adapted to use words that describe how you are feeling
in this moment and you can write about why you are feeling the way you do.
Dialog - another technique is to dialog. Dialogs are imagined conversations
between two or more people or higher beings. It could be a dialog between two
parts of a person.
Dialoguing could involve writing a conversation between a present or past
relationship, someone who is living or deceased. It could be about your role as
a mother, sister, aunty or friend. Dialoguing could involve writing about an
event or circumstance, traditions, cultural background, marriage, religion.
Dialoguing helps you move through any patterns, resistances or disagreements
you may be having with yourself or with others. If you need to discuss a
situation with someone, this technique can be powerful as it will allow you to
form your thoughts so that you can say what needs to be said in a constructive
and diplomatic way.
List Making - list making is a great way to help writers block. You could
create a list of 100 things you are grateful for, or if 100 is a little daunting
start with 25 or 50. Some examples are listing ways you could nurture yourself,
how you can improve your life, what you wish for, places you would like to
visit, things you value in life, ways to be more creative, ways to be more
productive etc. Once you have your list you can use other techniques for
journaling.
Overall journaling can be an effective tool of healing and self-empowerment
for everyone. There are many more techniques beside the ones I've mentioned;
however it is recommended that you find the techniques that suit you. Once you
become confident in journaling, explore and experiment with other techniques.
Happy journaling!
~ Nicole Graham
This beautiful hard covered, spiral bound writing journal helps women uncover
the beautiful, unique and powerful Goddess that they really are.
The journal features six coloured inserts with inspirational quotes, guided
questions, affirmations and 204 lined pages for journaling. The coloured inserts
divides the journal into sections -
- Gratitude and Happiness;
- Moving Forward;
-
Dreams and Visions;
- Journal Pages;
- Guided Meditation; and
- Sanctuaries and
Sisterhood.
The companion guided meditation CD features three tracks that provide women with
sacred journeys that inspire and encourage them to create positive life
patterns. These tracks help them to recognise and invite magic, inspiration and
loving energy into their lives.
The journal retails for $34.95 AUD including GST.
To view or purchase the journal, please visit Nicole and Tara's website,
Journals for Empowerment
Tomorrow, Nicole and Tara will be talking to Jenny over at Assential
Scrapbooking. Enjoy the tour!
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