POWER JOURNALING

"Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind." ~ Rudyard Kipling

The focus of this newsletter is to take your journal writing to another level. My journal training was with Dr. Ira Progoff's Intensive Journal Workshop. He is considered the father of journal process, and the Humanistic Psychology Book Review said the Progoff Journal System was their chosen method of personal growth. Dr. Progoff would use twilight imagery and the dialogue process to teach his students how to truly transform negative feelings into creative expression and spiritual awakening. The benefits of journal writing have come a long way since the early 60's when he started teaching, and much of it has been studied with remarkable results.

The researcher who performed the most extensive studies is Dr. James Pennebaker, author of Opening Up, The Healing Power of Expressing Emotions. When you write about difficult memories in vivid detail and express your deepest feelings, you are power journaling. When you are fully in the present moment, as still and quiet as you can possibly be, you are open to inner guidance. You are also power journaling. When you are able to observe your thinking and be in touch with your purpose in life, you are power journaling.

Power journaling leads the way to transformation, living your heart's desire and being the best that you can be. We will continue to bring you tools and techniques to help you discover your highest good and well being.

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WHAT'S YOUR STORY?

We touched on how using personal narrative or storytelling can help us make sense of our experiences in the September newsletter. In order to see our lives as meaningful, instead of a collection of random pieces, we need to find our purpose or the part we play in the big picture.

Dan P. McAdams is the author of Stories We Live By, Personal Myths and the Making of the Self. He says that stories help us organize our thoughts, mend us when we are broken, heal us when we are sick. The fairy tale encourages the child to face the world with confidence and hope. Simply writing or performing a story about oneself can prove to be an experience of healing and growth. He even takes it a step further by saying that the good life story is one of the most important gifts we can ever offer each other, and that society has a stake in the stories we make. From that standpoint, each of us has a responsibility to live a myth that enhances the world we live in.

When we notice our actions through a timeline, we can see what we do in terms of a story. Look at parts of your life as chapters with key events like peak experiences, turning points, crossroads, perhaps defined by strong feelings, life lessons, special gifts, significant others and synchronicities. You may find patterns, themes and your life purpose. Look for clues in your dreams, engage in dialogue with others, notice relevant images, signs and metaphors. Pay attention to the kinds of things you hear and say in a normal day; you may be surprised to learn how much of your experience involves stories.

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TUNE INTO INTUITION

Intuition - your inner voice can come to you as a gut feeling, burst of energy or meaningful coincidence through twilight imagery, heightened awareness, or in an inspired conversation. David Richo, Ph.D. calls gifts of synchronicity "unexpected miracles," and believes that we can open ourselves to receive it.

Certainly we are blessed if we live our lives guided by our internal wisdom. This is where we will find our purpose or calling, clear sense of direction or affirmation that we are on the right path. When we receive this information, it's like catching the ego off guard, it's best to suspend judgment and write it down. Like dreamwork, make note of for patterns, symbols and images that are meaningful. You might even have a special journal for these special moments.

From a Whisper to a Scream

Oprah Winfrey teaches us how to "Live Your Best Life" by listening to intuitive cues that start out as whispers. A whisper becomes a message. A message becomes a lesson. Unheeded, that lesson turns into a problem. And if you let it, that problem will likely become a wall of bricks. Your journal is where you will capture those important cues that can turn into crises unless you pay attention. And remember, crisis just means turning point!

Send us a journal entry where you turned a crisis into an opportunity, and we'll send you a winter journal refill. Send to: felice@toolswithheart.com

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HOLIDAY SPIRIT - JOURNAL ENTRY - Free Gift

As we celebrate the autumn harvest and the calendar year draws to a close, we are reminded to gather the family together, give thanks, and share gifts and stories. Advertisers mostly dictate these reminders; and although most of us prefer to be guided by our own spirit or the tilt of the sun and moon, without the advertiser's messages, we may get carried away by our day-to-day busyness.

Where do you get your cues to connect with family and friends, especially around the holidays? And what does the holiday spirit mean to you? Send to: felice@toolswithheart.com

Each of you who send in an entry will receive a winter journal refill. Thanks to all of you who responded to our autumn journal entry. You will see a few of those in next autumn's newsletter.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL!

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AFTER THE HOLIDAZE - A JOURNAL RETREAT

My favorite time of the year is the first few days following the holidaze. I often go on a quiet retreat to reflect on my year, open up to where I am in the moment and set some goals for the New Year. One year, I combined photography with journal writing in Esalen in Big Sur, California. Another time I stayed in a quiet place in the desert where I brought all my recipes and a giant ring binder with tabs and organized a master recipe file. Take some time out for yourself, away from it all. It could be a room with a view, out in nature with no walls, an indulgent spa or an austere monastery - whatever moves you, near or far, alone or with a writing group. A journal-writing retreat can provide you with the time and place to explore what's on your mind and in your heart bringing refreshment and renewal to next year.

For some options, check out the guide to writing conferences and seminars presented by Writer's Digest at www.writersdigest.com/conferences, and for listings of creativity and health-oriented retreats, visit Shaw Guides at www.shawguides.com

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FEATURED GUEST ENTRY ~ Maggie Oman Shannon

Write the wrongs that are done to you in sand, but write the good things that happen to you on a piece of marble. Let go of all emotions such as resentment and retaliation, which diminish you, and hold onto the emotions, such as gratitude and joy, which increase you. - Arabic proverb, from Prayers for Healing: 365 Blessings, Poems, and Meditations from Around the World

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