For me, journaling has been a journey. For years, I did not dare to write a word. Then I braved a few pencil scribbles on scraps of discarded envelopes—seeds scattered around my home. Eventually, I received my first journal from Fr. Richard Rohr on my first day at the Center for Action and Contemplation’s Living School. During the two-year program, I filled the pages with his words and with those of my other teachers, including Cynthia Bourgeault and James Finley. Only a few of my own insights made it into the margins.
But cracking open that first leather-bound journal, embossed by desert prisoners, broke me open. After being “sent” (graduating) from the Living School, I read Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way and learned to write daily “morning pages,” with the support of a community of women in “creative recovery.” Loose paper led to legal pads until I finally bought myself a journal of my own. Over time, I became less daunted by the blank pages. I began to appreciate their welcoming, witnessing space. Embraced in the fold of my journal, it was easier for me to hold the seeds of my experiences and to support their growth into new life. For me, journaling has become a practice of self-compassion.
Growing Seeds: A Journaling Practice for Nurturing Your Light
Start with a word.
Continue writing in a relaxed, stream-of-consciousness way for five minutes.
Let your inner life flow onto the page, acting as a faithful scribe to your noticings and wonderings.
When five minutes have passed, pause.
Reread your writing.
Allow a word or a phrase to draw your attention.
Mark this word or phrase in some way (e.g., underline, circle, star).
Write this word or phrase—your seed—at the top of a fresh page.
To grow this seed, respond to it with more stream-of-consciousness writing for five minutes.
Repeat this process as desired, generating and developing new seeds of awareness.
