I would like to introduce you to my valued colleague Alyss Thomas.

Alyss is a trained Emerald Heart Practitioner and has worked with the Light for a long time as both a client and a practitioner.

She has recently written a book about Journalling and has kindly produced a Teaching for Circle of Light about this subject.

You may recall I guided you to keep a journal of the Earth Healing Event at the recent Solstice so that you can look back on this and review your feelings and experiences of when the Light was working through you.

At the end of Alyss’s Teaching are details of her book and Journalling Group if anyone would like to know more or order a copy.

Thank you for sharing this Teaching with us Alyss.

With Love and Blessings,

David.

Journal Writers for Success – Alyss Thomas

How to use journal writing to support you on your spiritual path

It is like everything in the world is intended to stop you from doing this. If it was not potent, to simply be present with yourself and go inside and listen, then why is everyone and every activity so keen on stopping you?

Even for those of us trying to stay firmly centred on our spiritual path, there are so many distractions and demands inside and out that it is difficult to focus on what is most important, and it is hard to have any clarity about where is best to place our attention. Meditation practice of some kind is essential, and there also needs to be a link between your meditation practice and your everyday life.

Journalling and Being Present

This is where journalling comes in as it provides a bridge between your everyday reality and your eternal Self.  The key is being present in your journal writing. You can use a journal as a place where you can build context, focus and intent, in order to help yourself build and maintain the frequency you desire. Use regular periods of focused journal writing to write about what you most desire, what you long for and what is calling you. Allow yourself to inhabit the feeling of these things already being present so that you entrain with this frequency within yourself.

Don’t get involved in micro-planning how it is all going to come about, as that is not your job but the job of the universe. The success of gratitude journalling rests on the same principle, that if you entrain yourself with appreciation and celebration of your life, you raise up your mind-set and invite further opportunities to be grateful.

Get to know yourself and clarify your consciousness.  When you are working on an issue, use reflective writing to identify and define it, as we need to fully understand an issue before we are able to let it go. Once you have clearly identified it, then you do not need to dwell on it any further, but release it for clearing.  You can also explore your subtle impressions and ideas that arise when working as a practitioner, or with a practitioner as a client, and in any way in which you are working with the Light.

A journal is also a great way to capture guidance. Source gives us many nudges throughout the day and night. This is often when you are in a peaceful state, when you are focusing on something, and it can get in through a chink when the monkey mind is not chattering away so hard that you cannot hear anything.  These nudges can be small, soft, quiet and easy to overlook. In my case I might get a few words that I need to write down, or an idea to do something. These soft nudges are an invitation to follow your guidance. Your guidance is utterly unique to you, and you will not be guided to do the same as someone else or to do what other people may expect of you. I feel it is helpful to have a journal with you always, where you always immediately write down anything you receive. This is a way of saying you are present, you are committed, you are taking this seriously and you are open for more.

The Sacred Practice of Journalling

You can also take some space to help yourself distinguish between what is your ego or subconscious telling you and what is your guidance. If you really pay attention to this, it becomes easier to make decisions and choices.  There is so much you can learn and develop through the process of being patiently present with yourself in a regular journal writing practice that becomes an integral part of your spiritual work. You can observe how you are feeling and what is affecting you.  When you write, you can rest your attention in the process of writing. You are mindfully present, centred and focused and treat your journal writing as a sacred practice where you are present with everything without self-judgement.

However what you choose to spend time writing about is of the essence. Don’t spend time narrating and rehashing the past, but instead ask yourself open-ended questions to explore, such as “What have I learned from this situation” or “key words for today” or “my definition, direction and purpose in this project” or “what is calling me today”. It is more important to explore your questions than to come up with the “right” answers. If you write first thing in the morning, before the rational thinking mind has kicked in, you can set your spiritual intentions for the day. However, don’t allow the fact that you are unable to journal in the early morning to derail you – do it at any time, but for your journal to give you positive results you need to stay with it consistently over months.

Precious Moments of Taking Action

A journal can be a place for your precious moments of inspiration and clarity, for the moment when a clear idea drops into your consciousness. By creating a place and context for this process in your journal, you demonstrate you are ready and available and you are paying attention, as writing in your journal is a form of taking action. So often we ask for guidance but when we receive it we may not realise it, nor act on it immediately.

A word about perfection. A journal that you are working in is likely to be messy. A journal is not about creating a finished product, but about engaging in the process of being present with yourself. The positive results will be experienced in your life, but will not be visible in the journal pages.  On the other hand, it is important that you respect the journal writing process, and you make it enjoyable, for example with colours, sketches and washi tape, an inviting book that you are happy to pick up, and you choose a place where you enjoy sitting to write.

Journalling in relation to the Earth Healing events

Record what you say to Mother Earth and how she responds to you. Record the subtle, subliminal impressions that you receive. Everyone receives differently, so it is helpful to have an open mind about what may result from this experience. Whatever you give, of your focus, your intent, your blessings, your compassion, or your money, you can be sure you will receive even more back, so can you recognise what is coming back to you? For the purpose of this exercise, do not discount anything as unimportant or not relevant, as you are not in a position to judge this! Sometimes things will make more sense when you read them over later on.

What happens within your inner and your outer worlds are really the same, so look for the connections between them. How is the outer world reflecting back to you something of your Self. What is the bridge between you and Mother Earth and how does your intimate connection feel within your body?  Write about the place that you chose for healing, and why you love it so, your connection to it, or was it given through guidance?

Spend time discerning the qualities of an essence and how it affects you. By tuning in and writing down your fleeting impressions, you can record your journey with an essence.

Taking your journal writing further

I have always kept a journal and when reviewing a stack of past journals, I was disappointed with them, as I had received none of the guidance I share with you above, so this is what I have worked out over time that you can benefit from.

When you archive a finished journal, date it and ensure the material you may want to refer back to is itemised in the index.

Alyss Thomas
Emerald Heart Practitioner