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Feel Like Your Life's Out Of Whack? Take Back Control With This Quick Journaling Exercise
Humans are powerful spiritual beings, which is something we often forget! While we don't have total control of our destiny—and in some situations very little control—we are definitely meant to be co-creators of our own lives. Through our actions and intentions (and in even more subtle ways through our thoughts and energy), we can command more than we realize.
So think: What were some of the resolutions or intentions you set for yourself back in January? The key to making this a year of growth and achievement is to stay in touch with those intentions and keep asking the universe for assistance. When the universe sees you are serious, it picks up the pace with its end of the bargain.
Keeping up with the following journal exercise is an easy way to stay present with your intentions for the year. I like to complete it every weekend, but you might pick a morning or evening each week to create some sacred time for the enjoyable ritual. Here's how it's done:
Step 1: Get in a quiet space, grab your journal, and light a candle or some incense.
Take a moment to connect and ground yourself in your space. This might look like gazing at your flickering candle or inhaling that lovely incense smell. Feeling into your physical senses will help you be more present. The more fully present you are, the more powerful this ritual will be.
Then, think about your intentions, the ones that mean the most to you this year. Has a new intention or surprise development popped up this week? If so, consider that as well. Focus and get clear on what is most pressing in a big-picture way for you this year.
Step 2: Write for at least a few sentences about what you were grateful for this week.
If you've had a really challenging week, it might be the simple pleasures of a nice lunch you had at your favorite salad bar or the warm place you had to sleep at night. Or you might be thankful for a person or resource that helped you make it through some roadblocks. Conversely, if you've had something wonderful happen, go ahead and gush to the universe about how appreciative you are over this development.
Gratitude not only improves your mood, it raises your energetic vibration. When your vibration is high, it can dramatically increase your ability to manifest. Gratitude never means denying your challenging emotions. It's simply the practice of looking for things to be grateful for no matter what is happening.
Step 3: Now ask the universe for help with your yearly intentions.
Connect with one or more members of your spiritual guidance squad and ask for some support. You might just say, "Dear universe." Use any terminology that works for you regarding a higher power (goddess, source energy, Jesus, etc.). Get specific about what you need: more clients, more opportunities to meet potential romantic partners, more discipline to stick to a healthy diet, more courage to face your financial debt, more motivation to look for a new job, more direction about your dream career, the right doctor to help you heal. Don't be afraid to ask for something big. When we connect with a higher power and ask for what we want and need, we are exercising our powerful free will and enlisting the universe's infinitely vast capacity to assist. This will maximize the amount of grace that flows to you and through you.
Step 4: Close the ritual by blowing out the candle or incense and meditating for five minutes or more.
As you close your eyes and quiet your mind, what guidance comes to you about next steps for the week ahead? Pay attention to any images you see, words you hear, thoughts you have, or feelings you experience. Your intuition might speak to you this way about next steps to keep your intentions moving forward. Taking this time each week to consciously tune into your intuition (you can learn more about how to do this in my new book, Angel Intuition) will remind you to connect with your powerful sixth sense regularly.
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