First steps
Writing a soul journal can be a very helpful way of connecting with, nurturing and ‘growing’ your soul. The first step is to purchase a special notebook to use exclusively as your soul journal. Choose it mindfully and with care. See it as a gift to yourself and as a way of acknowledging the value and importance of what you are doing. You may also want to consider buying yourself a special pen to write with. It is possible to journal on your computer if you find that writing using a word processor works better for you. However, before you decide to do so, it may be worth experimenting with hand-writing as it can make your journal writing feel more personal. If you do choose to word process it, you may want to think about buying yourself (and possibly decorating) a special A4 folder to keep your entries in.
The second step is to find a special place and set aside a time in which to write your journal. As a minimum, you will need peace and quiet, privacy and freedom from interruptions. Writer, David Elkins talks about ‘creating a sacred space’ in which to do your reflection and writing. Ideally, this might be a room or a particular part of your home that you set aside, if only temporarily, for this purpose. He suggests choosing, arranging and possibly decorating this sacred space intuitively, letting the soul be your guide and ‘making the area rich with things of your soul’ such as objects, images, photographs, paintings, pieces of writing, quotes, music, flowers or incense – anything that helps you to tune into this innermost part of yourself. Creating a sacred space in this way can in itself generate an atmosphere that is hospitable and nourishing to the soul and that can encourage us to turn inwards and listen to that which is emerging within us.
The third step is simply to start writing! It is important to recognise that there is no right way to do this. Some people choose to set themselves the goal of writing a page or two in their journal every day as part of their spiritual practice. Others prefer to write when they feel led to. As a minimum, however, it may help to make a commitment to yourself to write in your journal at least two or three times a week and for at least twenty minutes each time. There is no upper limit!
Before you start to write, you may also find it helpful to engage in some form of ritual that helps you to enter into the sacred space you have created and to honour the work you are about to do. You could, for example, choose to declutter your space beforehand; light a candle or oil burner; play some sacred music; lay out your journal, pens and other material mindfully; or sit in silent contemplation for a short time.
What should I write about?
The simple answer is that you can write about any aspect of your spirituality, your spiritual self, your spiritual life or your spiritual journeying. Inevitably, at times you will also find yourself writing about other aspects of your life as our spirituality cannot be separated out from the rest of our life and experience. There are no rules, no set topics to cover, no programmes to follow, no criteria to meet! Allow yourself to write about whatever is uppermost for you at the moment when you set out to write. Some people find it helpful at times to engage in particular writing or self-reflective exercises as part of the process. For example, you might feel drawn to writing your own spiritual autobiography or story or to entering into an ongoing dialogue with your soul or to exploring your soul’s deepest longings. The possibilities are endless. Books like Stephanie Dowrick’s ‘Creative Journal Writing’ or Oriah Mountain Dreamer’s ‘What We Ache For’ can be rich resources for journal writers.
How should I write?
It is important to remember that you are writing for yourself, not for anyone else. There are no ‘shoulds or ‘oughts’. Your journal does not have to be beautifully crafted or elegantly written. You are not writing for publication! Don’t worry about spelling, grammar, neat hand-writing or even whether it’s legible! Just write whatever comes in whatever way you want to. Go with the flow of the thoughts, feelings and images that come to you as you sit down to write. Don’t censor, revise or edit it. Don’t analyse or critique it. Try to let whatever surfaces flow freely onto the paper, however irrational, nonsensical or outrageous it might seem at times. Be spontaneous and uninhibited. And then let it be.
You may find it helpful to write it in the form of a letter to your Journal – ‘Dear Journal’ – recognising that in doing so, you are addressing your deepest self or soul. Alternatively, if you have given your soul a special name, you may want to use that name instead. The journalist Anne Frank, for example, addressed her journal entries ‘Dear Kitty’.
Be as creative and as colourful as you want to be. You may find yourself wanting to use different colours of pen or crayon to express different things. You may also want to include images, symbols, drawings, photographs, poems, quotes from other writers – anything that helps you to connect with your soul.
Some basic principles...
Be faithful to your soul journal. Honour your commitment to your deepest self through paying it regular attention. Recognise that journal writing is all about the process, not the product or the outcome. Trust the writing process even through dull, stuck or dark periods. Continue to write when you’re bored, when you don’t know what to write about or when you can feel yourself resisting it. Be true to yourself and honest with yourself in your writing. Try to silence the internal critic or judge. And finally, celebrate the uniqueness and originality of your journal and whatever it is bringing to life in you.
Some useful resources
Lucia Capacchione (2002) The Creative Journal: The art of finding yourself. New Page Books
David Elkins (19980 Beyond Religion: A personal program for building a spiritual life outside the walls of traditional religion. Quest Books
Stephanie Dowrick (2009) Creative Journal Writing: The art and heart of reflection. Jeremy P. Tarcher/Penguin
Oriah Mountain Dreamer (2005) What We Ache For: Creativity and the unfolding of your soul. HarperSanFrancisco
©Copyright Kaitlyn Steele 2024
Kaitlyn Steele
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