|
|
Writing the Journey:
The Spirituality Journal
by Ray Whiting |
There are nearly as many reasons for keeping a
journal as there are people who do it. Some write with
daily devotion; others write only sporadically as the
need to express lights upon them. Some record a mundane
account of events; others highlight one or two events
and launch into an essay of emotion about the event.
The Spirituality Journal,
however, is unique, in that instead of writing about our
lives and how we relate to the world around us, we are
documenting our inner relationship with the Divine. This
includes writing down what we believe "the
Divine" is or what it means. The Spirituality
Journal often contains three main sections -- your
spiritual heritage, your present spiritual identity, and
where you would like to grow from here. You might write
the first section, then the second, and spend the rest
of the pages on the third. Or, if you are writing about
a particular aspect of your spiritual life (e.g.,
prayer, social service, etc.) you might include all
three views in each entry: where you are, how you got
there, and where you want to improve or grow.
The only rule about keeping a
spirituality journal is this: there are no rules. You
will find guidelines, suggestions, ideas, inspirations,
and examples from other people. Making someone else's
experience the rule for your own journal changes it from
spiritual development into an exercise in religion
("rule-following").
How do you start a Spirituality
Journal?
The logical beginning would be
to simply identify yourself. This will be your Spiritual
Heritage section. Write about yourself -- your religious
training (or lack thereof) as a child, the mentors and
teachers who shaped your beliefs about the world, God or
Divinity, and your relationship to it. (I use the word
"God" as an arbitrary mechanical convenience
-- you can define, or even replace it with a word that
has more meaning for you.) You might consider such
questions as:
What is the Nature of God --
those from monotheistic traditions might have been
taught to consider God as a Male Figure, a Supreme
Being, or Bearded Old Judge. Those from Wiccan
Traditions might consider God to be Female, or Neuter
Gendered, but more nurturing, creative, and loving
(rather than judgmental and fearful).
Has your path changed since
childhood -- write about times when your beliefs may
have changed, and what prompted those changes (for
example, you may have changed churches because there
were more people your own age in the new church; or you
may have walked away from your childhood faith when you
discovered your priest or pastor was just another human
being) Many things prompt us to take a detour, and none
of those reasons are up for judgment; we're just
documenting what happened and why we think they
happened.
You spiritual heritage has a
direct bearing on where you are today -- explore your
current spiritual life as a logical result of what you
have already explored up until now. Were you taught to
be inquisitive? If not, how does it feel to be asking
questions today? Are you afraid of what you might
discover, or what might be done if there is a God who
thinks you are asking too many questions?
Remember that all of these
things can be amended at any time. I sometimes tell
people to write on only one side of a page at first --
this is because as you write later on you will remember
things you meant to write as part of your spiritual
heritage or history. Leaving room for forgotten memories
to bubble up is a good practice. Exact chronology isn't
so important; you can insert notes on the back of pages,
just be sure to add what time period each note might
refer to.
An example for the spiritual
heritage section:
I grew up with
alcoholic parents -- absolute and demanding, but without
much emotional support, little nurturing and guidance,
and even less spiritual direction. As a teenager, I got
involved in the Jesus movement of the early 70's, which
led me into a fundamentalist and narrow version of
Christianity. At that time it provided boundaries,
direction, and the kind of nurturing I needed, After my
divorce several years later, the "shelter"
became a form of prison that not only failed to support
me but prevented me from healing and moving on in my
life. I explored a metaphysical path for a while, then
read some Wiccan teachings, a little of the Hindu ideas,
and then a while in Buddhist writings.
Your Present Spiritual Identity
This is the section about your
current spiritual development. It is important because
the next part of the spirituality journal focuses on
where you want to go and what parts of your spirituality
you want to develop. Stating a destination is fine, but
you can't chart a course to get there if you don't know
where you are right now. So now is where we connect our
past to our present.
As you think and write about
your current spiritual life, try to avoid value
judgments (good/bad, weak/strong) as well as comparisons
(he prays more than I, she is more joyful). Instead just
notice your current condition and your relationship with
the Divine without judgments; for example, "I read
spiritually uplifting magazines once in a while,"
or "I take time to meditate several times a
week." Later on, you will have opportunity to focus
on things like "I would like to read uplifting
books more often", when it will be as a goal to
develop, rather than a failure to accomplish from the
past. There are NO failures, no one has authority to
judge your spiritual life, and only you can determine
what is sufficient or lacking.
Some of the questions to
address in this section might be:
What is "God" for me
today? Is "God" the right name, or is there
another title or word? Include any thoughts about God's
nature, activity, involvement in human life (generally,
or yours in particular). Is God a
"person/being" or more like a way of being or
a sensation? In your experience, does God tend to be
more judgmental and demanding, or nurturing and
understanding? Are there any noticeable similarities or
differences between your view of God and your childhood
relationship with your parents?
How did you arrive at
your current understanding of God? Has it evolved over
time without a lot of thought, or was there a "dark
night of the soul" when you had to really think
about these things? What spiritual landmarks and turning
points do you recall? Who were your mentors and guides
along this path? Who would you like to go back and
question some more? Who do you wish you had not followed
so arduously?
These and so many more
questions will help you think about what the term God
means as you try to get your present spiritual bearings.
An example of the Spiritual
Identity section:
Having read and
experimented widely, I have come to find that all the
world paths are useful and have something to offer, but
none are complete. I have come to accept that there is
not a supreme being separate, apart, and distinguishable
from humanity, but that "god was made in the image
of man" -- we all invent whatever higher power or
spiritual beings we happen to need at the moment -- yet
none of those gods is permanent, or even real, except to
the degree we individually need them to be at the
moment. What there is, is Life, plain and simple. The
object of Life is not to figure out if there really is a
God and what that God wants, but just to discover the
flow of Life and how to ride the tides with it, instead
of struggling as if to swim against the tides.
Charting the Course and Writing
the Journey
So far, our Spirituality
Journal has been reflections of where we are and how we
got here. We've included all the people, places, things
and events that shaped us. Now we begin adding
decisions.
I prefer the word decisions
more than the term judgments. We document and accept
where we have been as a matter of historical record, but
now we can decide:
Do I like where I am?
If I continue as I have been,
what is the likely outcome?
If I could change one thing,
what would it be? (Note: If you choose a spirituality
improvement program, choose one area to focus on for
three months. Write out your questions or concerns,
document your experiences or responses, and then let it
rest and work on something else. For example, try to
build your habit of reading thoughtful books and
magazines, and write about what you are reading or
learning and how it affects your daily life. Once that
has become a habit, work on building up your times for
meditation, or social service, or some other activity.
Focusing too long on just one area can lead to an
imbalance.)
This section of the journal
also records things like answered prayer, or significant
spiritual guidance, and even the mundane 'nudges' toward
or against something. It becomes a record of your day to
day explorations -- what happens and how you feel about
it. Here's an example of a nudge:
I have become
"addicted" to fruit smoothies. But at three
dollars apiece at Smoothie King shop, they are
expensive. I've been looking for a blender, but they are
more than I can afford. So I put it up to the Universe,
confident I would be directed to a blender I could
afford. When I took a break from writing this article, I
went to the hardware store. On the way back I saw a
notice on a light pole for a yard sale -- "baby
clothes, cribs, jeans, household, etc." I'd just
spent my available money at the hardware, and I didn't
want to look at baby stuff, but I felt impressed to walk
the many blocks out of my way to the yard sale.
Surprise! A brand-name, high-power, nearly-new blender
was there on the table... TWO DOLLARS!!! The woman had
just gotten married, and simply didn't need another
blender! It worked fine!
Being directed like this is
really not so unusual in my life. Spiritual development
is not something separate and apart from everyday life,
and my life has been one of learning to listen inwardly.
I don't believe there is some supreme being actually
taking time to pay attention to me. Rather, I believe
that as I align myself with the flow of Life, it is only
natural (not supernatural) that I would find the things
I need, whether it is material goods, creative ideas, or
answers to the deep esoteric questions. I believe the
spiritual life is part of a natural way of being, not
something mysterious and separated from our everyday
life.
A piece of the Charting the
Course section would be something like this:
This week I want to
find time for reading more. I have gotten several books
from the Buddhist traditions lately, and I want to
explore the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism and see how
they apply to my life. I have become sidetracked and not
spending as much time meditating as I would like, so I'm
going to stop watching the early evening news (with all
its chaos and troubles) and use that time for my inner
peace and calm.
Your spirituality journal will
become a treasure over time as you document your
spiritual explorations and discoveries. You might add
special poems, inspiring pictures, or even letters
written from dear friends. You can add whatever you
wish.
It may be helpful to have time
and place for writing in your spirituality journal.
Begin with a quiet time to focus your thoughts and quiet
your mind and body. Allow yourself to write whatever
bubbles to your mind's surface -- don't censor yourself.
Most of all, enjoy yourself. You will come to know and
love the person writing your spirituality journal, more
than you might imagine.
Ray Whiting has been a minister
and coach for over twenty five
years. Ray's international ministry focuses on a humane
approach
to spirituality. His daily newsletter, Two Scoops
reaches around
the world delivering the tools and techniques for
creating the
life you always knew you deserve. It's like having your
own
personal coach visit you each day! There is no question
or
concern too sacred to be examined, questioned, and
challenged.
BACK
TO "FEATURES" PAGE
|
