Journaling Nurtures Your Inner Spirit Wisdom

Written by Mari L. McCarthy | January 19, 2017

By Marie Higgins

What I teach is one of the ways to use journaling to develop your inner spirit wisdom. I recognize that there are many different practices and that individuals can and should modify the steps based on what’s best for them. Here is just a starting point with simple steps to follow:

1. Use a journal and write down whatever is on your heart on a regular basis. I do this almost daily now but when I started years and years ago it was something I did every once in a while, then once or twice a week, and now I hate to miss it. I am a morning person so I do it first thing or after a few chores. It often starts off with what I did the day before or what's coming today but then I also get into what's bothering me or what's making my heart sing. I might also write my gratitude list in my journal but not always. You decide what time of day is best for you and what you include in your journal.

2. When you think you have written out what's most pressing on your heart, write out the question "God*, what do you want me to know?"

3. Then write down what comes to you. If you feel compelled to use a tool, use a tool. Tools include things like meditation cards (I like the ones with one word on them), a book that you open up randomly and read what's on that page (I often use the Bible or Psalms for Praying by Nan Merrill but nonreligious books work too). If you're not sure what tool to use, let the Spirit* guide you. You might even find your way to my biweekly posts that give journaling prompts at cardinaltouch.blogspot.com.

This is the daily practice. It can take as much or as little time as you have. Doing it often provides value because it gives the opportunity to look back over your journey. You can look back over a period of time to see what was happening in your life and what your Higher Power* was telling you, often repeatedly. Maybe you want to look at the last week, the same week from a year ago, the last whole journal. Whatever timeframe is on your heart is right for you. Be a pattern hunter: was the same thing on your heart last year, have you pulled the same meditation card 3 times in the last month, did you write about the same place or person? Write down what you uncover.

The hard part is making the time to do the work. For me, it has made a significant difference in that I have found an easier way to live, allowing the Great Spirit* to be my guide.

* I use the term God as a universal term. You may decide that Great Spirit, Allah, Higher Power, Sensibility, etc. better suits you today. It is not for me to decide.

About Marie

In 2009 I left corporate America after over 15 years in Human Resources Management to pursue my life. In a short amount of time I found massage therapy and became a nationally certified, state-licensed massage therapist.

Having only one experience with receiving massage during the time I was exploring other career options, I began school with no real understanding of the body, mind spirit connection. With massage I came to quickly believe in the healing power of touch. At the same time I felt a partial hardening of the heart (figuratively and spiritually) and I found a coach to give me spiritual direction.

During this time I learned different spiritual disciplines (ways to pray) which helped me develop a more personal relationship with God*. It is at this time, during 2009, that I became an active journaling person. This activity has grown and changed over the years, but the most constant thing I put into practice is that after I journal what’s on my heart I ask God* what I should know and I include that in my journaling.

In 2015 I “broke ground” by setting up a blog site at cardinaltouch.blogspot.com and then, beginning in 2016, regularly share some of the insights that come from a journaling practice. With these posts, I pose questions that can give others some journaling prompts. More information can be found at CardinalTouch.net.

* I use the term God as a universal term. You may decide that Great Spirit, Allah, Higher Power, Sensibility, etc. better suits you today. It is not for me to decide.

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