The Rowdy Goddess

An Ecstatic Vision of the Goddess, dancing in harmony with the Universe.

Archive for the tag “journaling”

15 Feb 2009
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A Lifetime in Quotations

If you have read other blogs, you read something on journaling. I discover that my good intentions don’t make me a dedicated journaling goddess. I used to feel guilty about it until I read some things about journals and grimoires in Patricia Monaghan’s book The Wild Girls. She describes different kinds of journals:
    • The  common-place book: copying passages from other sources including books, poetry, movies etc.

The Book of Shadows

  • The sketch diary
  • The daily Diary
  • The Thought Diary or pensées in which you limit yourself to one sentence that distills all your spiritual knowledge of that day.
  • The Poetry Diary in which you write one poem that summarizes your experience of the day
  • Vision Diary: a record of your meditations, trances and dreams
  • Nature Diary: a record of weather, sketches of plants, birds and other beings that help establish your connection to the environment and the natural world.

I find that I keep a variation of most of them. One of the longest journals I’ve kept is a quotations journal. I bought it in 1972 when I was in college. You can see from the picture that is oh so 70s in style and color. Too embarrased to write down my thoughts, I kept track of the quotes that captured my attention. A common place book, it’s called!

I haven’t been faithful but I have filled it. I’ve filled it with quotations that have captivated me, I’ve pasted in fortunes from fortune cookies, I’ve added the little cards you get with jewelry and other objects. It is a compendium of what I’m thinking about. As I look through it, I can see my growth, both intellectually and spiritually.

The first quote is from a book called The Rising of the Lark by Ann Moray a book, now out of print, I adored in high school.

What is longing made from?

What cloth is put into it

That it does not wear out with use?

Gold wears out, and silver wears out.

Velvet wears out, and silk wears out.

Yet longing does not wear out.

The moon rises, and the sun rises.

The sea rises in vast waves.

But longing never rises from the heart.

It’s an 17th century Welsh poem that I’ve never been able to locate anywhere else. The last quote was added at the end of 2008. “your luck has been completely changed today.”

I started a new quote book today!

May your day and your life be far from common-place!

Posted in Book of Shadows, quotations and tagged , , ,
06 Apr 2007
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Journaling Our Lives and Our Souls

The last ten days of March were incredible. I made several different kind of journeys that I will talk about in many posts. First I went to Akasha Con in Poughkeepsie, NY. I roomed with my sister-friend, Phae, and went to many workshops that rocked my world.

Then I spent a few days with my family in Parsonsburg, MD on the beautiful Delmarva peninsula. And then my sister, also a librarian, and I went to Baltimore for the Association of College and Research Libraries Annual Conference. It was fun on several levels.

I was really impressed by my sister’s sustained journal activities. She carries it around with her and draws and doodles in it as part of the process. She writes in it daily and during the day. She carries a pack of colored pens to enhance her journal. Even though she’s not a particularly religious or organized religion type spiritual person, this is a practice that enhances her creativity and gives her comfort, solace, and a place for private reflection.

I’ve kept various journals over the year, but never as a practice. One of the lessons in my tradition is to keep a journal for a period of time and I did that in a similar way as described above. It was fun and very comforting on a soul level. For the past four years or so, I’ve been very “religious” in keeping a journal of my shamanic journeys, coven activities, and meditations. But not a journal of my life.

Since we were right in downtown, we walked over to Barnes and Noble in Harborplace and got a journal. The next day at the keynote, I took some notes and doodled in my journal. I pulled out a highlighter [essential purse content] and started decorating. Suddenly, my sister reached over and put out her hand. She wanted to use it too! Sisterly bonding through doodling.

I must say, my sister and I haven’t shared a room since I was in Junior High and she was in elementary school. She’s a much better room-mate nowadays.

I’ve carried this journal with me. I’ve brought out pens, colored pencils, rubber stamps and other cool things to decorate. I picked up a couple of pictures at ACRL and I cut them out and pasted them in. It’s been helpful, fun and full of joy. And some grrrrrrrs. What is up with snow in April!!!

Last summer there was a workshop at Womongathering that taught this very skill. I didn’t take it but Rauncie and some others of the Rowdy Goddesses did and showed me their results. I was impressed. It was very cool and it stuck in my mind. And then I saw someone doing it as a sustainable and do-able practice.

I have to try very hard not to judge my entries harshly. it’s a curious process to be an audience and witness to your own thoughts and life. When you put your thoughts down and then know you are the only person reading it; it’s a very curious feeling. I can’t quite describe it so I will live with it for awhile. Probably like a pool of water, when the ripples still, I will be able to see my reflections more clearly.

May the pool of your life bring reflections of beauty and joy.

Posted in writing and tagged ,

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