Making a Start

Take a few moments of stillness and consciously ask God to surprise you, to "shew you a new thing", to give you courage to work at experiences in your life which have been, and maybe are still quite puzzling and still cause you pain.

You may find it helpful to put the day’s date alongside the entry so that you can get a sense of movement when reading over it later in a week or a few months time.

Ask yourself, “How is it for me now in my life?  “Now” is not understood here as the present moment, but rather as an “elastic time” which may be a “now” that started a week ago, a few months ago, or even a few years ago.It will have about it a time with a certain “quality”, a dominant feature/s,a feeling, an emotionality.After taking some moments of stillness,begin to write down thoughts, feelings, reflections that might finish the sentence, “ It is a time when……….”As you write, as well as words, you might find strong images or a single image emerging. Make a note of everything that has come to your awareness, including images - draw any images or symbols - as there may be material here which might be important as your journalling work unfolds.

You may have written just two or three sentences or you may have filled up several pages, you may have jotted down single words or drawn several images or a symbol.There is no “right” way of journalling – It just IS SO!

When your writing has come to a natural end, take a few moments of reflection;pause after writing, become still.Then read the work over and write down a word or two or a sentence or draw something-- anything at all that summarises this exercise -- any feelings, images or insights that occur to you on reading over this work.By re-reading the work,the exercise is potentially deepened and “loosening the soil of memory” continues.Further perceptions and insights may come to your awareness. If so, make a note of them.