Numerology and Journaling |
This month I would
like to talk about exploring your inner self through numerology
and journaling.
Keeping a journal can be an important aspect of
self-exploration, as you can uncover aspects of your
personality that you would like to blossom, and those
that you would like to weed out. Closely examining our
behaviors can be very enlightening. When we watch our
reactions to situations in our lives, we can learn a lot
about ourselves. When we write down our behaviors,
reactions, and feelings about them we can learn even
more. We then can become more aware of our surroundings
and ourselves.
Writing down your
inner thoughts is a way to tap into your inner voice,
unconscious, and the symbolism buried there. Through
your writing you can begin to tap into the
"symbolism" of your everyday life. Perhaps you
can begin your process, by pulling a Rune,
Tarot
card, or maybe a Whack
card. The Runes, and the Tarot are often
"overlooked mirrors" of everyday life, which
can aid in inner reflection. Many people use these tools
today for insight, and empowerment.
In my Numerology
Profiles, I use the Tarot cards extensively. I feel that
they have a great deal of information to offer. For
instance, suppose that you would like to know more about
the current day, or month. In April, I would examine the
"Emperor"
card as this is the #4 card, and April is the 4th
month. Look at the card, and ask what it symbolizes for
you. For me, the "Emperor" talks about being
constructive, having pride in what I do, and believing
in myself. You can also draw a card based on your
Personal Day Number.
Your Personal Period
Numbers are calculated by first finding your Personal
Year, and then finding your Personal Month, and finally
your Personal Day. For ease of use, I’ve provided an
online journaling
tool which calculates these numbers for you.
Jack was born, August
17, 1955. Jack’s Personal Year Number (PYN) for
the current year is: (8 + 17 + 28) = 53/8. Note that the
28 in the calculation comes from (1+9+9+9)
because Jack’s current Numerological year ranges from
his last birthday (1999) to the next one. Jack’s Personal
Month Number (PMN) is found by adding the current
month to the PYN, so 53+4 for April would yield
57/12/3 for a PMN. Finally, for April 6th, 2000
Jack would have a 57+6 (for day 6) which would be 63/9.
Jack’s Personal Day Number for April 6th will
be a 9. The Tarot card for #9 is "The Hermit".
For Jack, this card can often signify a time to be alone
and perhaps some inner reflection. He may spend part of
the day relaxing and evaluating his current situation in
life.
How you interpret your
Personal Day Number is up to you. This can be used in
beginning a daily journal writing ritual,
where you journal about your particular Tarot card and
Numerology numbers for the day. You could also jot down
your current feelings and emotions. You will be amazed
at the opportunity here to explore your unconscious.
This process can be fun, inspirational, and informative.
However, some people may not have a good understanding
of Numerology, and the Tarot. If this is the case, I
would suggest that you could start your journaling in a
different way. You can simply write about what the
"numbers" mean to you, or you may decide to
start writing about some of the big "first"
events in your life. For example you may decide to write
about your first friend, date, day of school, job,
teacher, or any other "first" in your life.
Using Numerology, you
can calculate your Personal Day Number, which can tell
you whether it’s a good day for personal
relationships, self-exploration, making money, or maybe
just having fun. By tracking your Personal Days
throughout the year, you can get a better grasp of how
certain days and times, "feel". You can then
begin to know which times in your life are best for
certain activities. Of course, other influences are
present, but your Personal Day Number can tell you a lot
about what to expect for a certain day or time.
It is important to
note that journal writing doesn’t have to be dull,
serious, and boring. You can write about family trips,
your pets, plants, landscapes, seasonal changes, places,
television shows, the movies, or whatever interests you
at the moment.
Also, don’t feel
constrained to just use lined paper and a pen. Feel free
to get creative and use whatever you feel most
comfortable with. Bring in whatever tools that you need
to get going. Try different pens, colored paper, chalk,
crayons, paint, photos & glue, magic markers or
whatever works for you! Part of the process here, is to
"enjoy" the recording of your thoughts,
feelings, and emotions. If you don’t like doing it,
then you probably will not continue your journaling
process for very long.
Journaling can best be
used to set goals and identify areas of your life, and
aspects of your personality, which you would like to
improve. However, It's not easy to change our behavior.
We read books, watch videos, take courses, and go to
seminars, but we don’t often have an immediate
overnight change as a result. Real change often requires
the right tools, effort, support and discipline.
Journalism done regularly, coupled with meditation,
counseling, coaching, affirmations, visualizations, voice
dialogue, and perhaps other focused activities can
begin to help to bring about change in your life.
Recently, Newsweek
ran an article entitled "Pen. Paper. Power!
Confessional Writing Can be Good for You," touting
the benefits of journaling. For about 20 years studies
have been done that have found that people who write
about their experiences, feel better and visit doctors
less often, and even have stronger immune responses.
Also, medical research on journaling has been reported
on in the Journal
of American Medical Association (JAMA). Their
findings, primarily based on the research of Dr.
Joshua Smyth, showed that just by writing, symptoms
of asthma and rheumatoid arthritis could be alleviated.
Often our lives have
become so cluttered that we often find it difficult to
recognize the patterns of behaviors that are causing
conflict in our lives. Often, we may be too preoccupied
to notice that problems exist. Time seems to slip
through our fingers. We loose sleep, or willingly sleep
less because of some change in our personal or career
life. Lack of time, or stress may cause us to skip
meals, eat fast food, drink soft drinks, coffee, alcohol
and little water. Perhaps we’ve lost a family member,
or friend and we find ourselves missing an important
source of physical, mental or emotional support in our
lives. All these are examples of imbalance in our lives.
We may not be ready to
admit to others that we have problems, but journaling
can help to bring focus on the imbalances that are
causing physical, mental, or spiritual problems in your
life. As noted in the Newsweek article, Journaling
research has also been done by a Dr.
James Pennebaker. He is Professor of Psychology
in the social and clinical areas at the University of
Texas. He is the author of Opening
Up: The Healing Power of Expressing Emotions. Dr.
Pennebaker is an expert in the area of stress and coping
whose work has made important contributions toward the
understanding of the links between traumatic experiences
and physical and mental health.
Dr. Pennebaker has
done extensive research, which shows how writing down
your thoughts and feelings can improve your physical as
well as your mental health. He conducted research in
which his patients would write for 15-20 minutes a day
about challenging aspects of their lives. The patients
reported better health even months after the research.
Now, that we can see
that there are at least basic health benefits to keeping
a journal, we can look at some of the other influences
it may have on our lives:
- Journaling helps to
clear the mind
- Retrieving and
remembering new information
- Fosters problem
solving
- Helps you to focus on
a given subject
- Helps us to become
organized
- Helps you to set up
plans, and strategies
- Maintaining healthy
relationships
- Planning for your
career
As planning seems to
be important for most of us, we can look to Numerology
to help chart a course in our lives through the use of Pinnacle
Numbers. Pinnacle Numbers represent key events in
our lives. They point the way to what it can be possible
for you to achieve in a certain period of time. Each of
us has 4 Pinnacle Numbers that represent a certain
period in our lives. Once you understand which pinnacle
you are in and its corresponding number you can begin to
better understand which life situations are best for you
at this time.
Your Pinnacle Numbers
can help you in setting goals, and measuring their
achievement. Through goal setting you are able to see
what you have done and what you are capable of. The
process of achieving goals and seeing their achievement
gives you the self-confidence that you need so that you
will be able to accomplish more difficult tasks in the
future.
In writing, you can
record your goals and accomplishments. Your journal
writing can help you to clarify your goals and greatest
desires. Once you are fully aware of what those are you
can begin to verbalize them and share them with others
in your life. If you share them in a lively, caring and
passionate manner this will engage people in your dreams
and desires. This can help your desires come to fruition
faster and perhaps better than you could hope to
accomplish by yourself. It will also attract real
opportunities, ideas, and advice.
This is not suggesting
that you suppress your grief, or pessimism. A person’s
ability to express any emotion
(positive or negative) is hindered when they suppress
negative emotions. There is evidence that people who
express negative emotion that includes anger,
rage, and stubbornness and those who express realistic
optimism, live longer and healthier lives, than people
who are not in touch with their emotions.
Using your journal to
tap into, and express, your feelings can help you to
develop a better relationship with yourself and others.
Expressing yourself will allow you to better appreciate
the "good" and "bad" times in your
life. You will be better equipped to handle stressful
situations when they arise. The stressful situations,
and challenges, in your life can be charted in
Numerology through your Numerological
Challenges. The Challenges represent obstacles we
must face in order to grow and advance.
The Challenges and the
Pinnacles can show you your potential risks, strengths
and weaknesses and help you to begin have an acceptance
of your current situation. As you begin to get a better
grasp of your life and the opportunities available to
you, you can begin to look at, and benefit most from the
symbols you find in your daily life. One approach that
helps you to understand your personal symbols is the
Intensive Journal Method developed by Dr.
Ira Progoff. The method utilizes non-judgmental
techniques to help individuals accept their life
situation and gain a perspective from which they can
access and develop their insight and full potential.
As you can see there
are many ways to start, and keep a journal. The method
you choose might depend on time available, personal
beliefs, cultural influences, or religious background,
but the benefits you receive from journaling can be
great. Remember that journaling alone; probably cannot
be your solution for all problems. Discipline is
important in keeping a journal. As is getting in touch
with your emotions, and goal setting. Goal settings give
you long-term vision, focus and helps you to organize
your resources. Find a reason to keep a journal, and
then begin the process.
Today there are many
excellent journal resources and software
tools to make your process easier. Also, remember
that you can use the journaling tool to print daily
journal sheets. Once you begin your process, you may
wish to find a special time, and place to record your
thoughts, hopes, and dreams in your journal. Doing this
on a daily basis can allow it to become an important
ritual in your life.
The benefits of a
keeping a journal are waiting for you, and the rewards
can last a lifetime. Journaling can give you a clear
understanding of your present condition. This
understanding can help you begin the process of making a
plan to fulfill your vision for the future. Keeping a
journal, studying Numerology, and incorporating ritual
into your life can be part of this process. As you begin
your journal you will begin to take the steps you need
in order to achieve your greatest potential
What do you do with
your journal when it’s full? Perhaps you will someday
want to go back and relive your experiences, or you may
wish to simply release them. Some people may keep all of
their journals, while some throw away the current
journal as soon as it is done. Whether or not you wish
to keep your journals for future reference, you should
always keep in mind that the journal is for your
benefit.
Good luck in your
journey into Numerology.
Click here to
learn more about Rob Ragozzine
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