Journaling for self awareness: write your way to clarity

journaling for self awareness

2020 has been a highly uncertain and a very unusual year. No one would have imagined we would be locked up in our homes, that self-isolation and social distancing would become our new normal.

And yet here we are. Isolated. Distant. Uncertain of how and when all of this will end.

For those of us familiar with the tarot, this year represents Tower time. Everything that we knew as truth, everything that we took for granted, has been shaken right down to its foundations.

Tower times can be terrifying, as this year has shown. When you strip away all that is known…when the future is still murky at best…sudden transitions like those can be rather stressful, to put it mildly!

But it is also important to remember that the Tower is followed by The Star…by renewal…by hope. Because when everything is lost, when we have fallen from our thrones, after the shock wears off and the grieving is done, the only thing left to do is to get up and start building again. The only way to go is up.

With countries around the world starting to open up, we are slowly emerging from Tower time – though we are not fully out of it yet. I believe we are in liminal time. A time when we are still getting accustomed to the new normal, when life hasn’t yet picked up its relentless forward motion. Liminal time, especially in times like these, is when it is of the utmost importance for us to create some maps for ourselves.

Journaling for self awareness

This time, when we have all been forced to remain indoors, in close proximity with our families, cocooned in many ways from the outside world, can help us to focus once more on what is important, what we value, and what changes we wish to make in our lives.

Because after Tower times like this, if we do not make any changes to our lifestyle, well…let’s just say it ain’t gonna be pretty.

Journaling is one of the best ways to develop greater self awareness, clarity, and purpose.

So how do you go about making these changes? And before that, identifying and clarifying your values, refining your sense of purpose, and figuring out what you truly want to accomplish with this one wild and precious life?

Using a life audit for increased self awareness

The best way I know how is through a life audit.

Sounds fancy, but all it involves are paper, pen, and a set of carefully thought out questions.

And that’s where the Inner Quest workbook comes in.

To help you plot a course forward, looking at where you have been, what you have been through, and where you want to go from here.

All of the questions in this workbook are based on my own journaling through these months. They’re designed to help you anchor in – examine your life before and during Tower time, and heartstorm how you want to rebuild your life.

Here’s a little peek at the workbook.

Journaling for self awareness - the Inner quest workbook pages sample

If you’d like to heartstorm your way through these times, click on the button below to download a copy and start journaling for self awareness, clarity, and to make some meaningful and lasting changes in your life.

Posted in Journaling.

I’m an artist and art educator, podcaster, tarot reader, and writer. I share my discoveries along the path to inspire you to live a more creative, soul-centered life. Receive my love letters for more of my musings on life and creativity. P.S. I love Instagram - join me there?

13 Comments

  1. Oh that line made me reach for google – Tower times! Its such an abstract concept but so relevant in today’s times of this pandemic where as you say- the foundations of everything we know as truth is shaken. We are all rebooting to this new normal and slowly finding our way around, bit hesitant as we wonder if this might topple over too. Glad to know the Star times are up ahead- I know I could use a healing and rejuvenation from 2020 now 🙂

  2. You’re so right about our foundations being shaken! I wish it didn’t take a pandemic for us to re-evaluate what’s important! I’ve really learned to rest a lot more and take care of my health during this time.
    Your book looks lovely. I need to start journalling again. Thanks for creating this, Shinjini.

    • I know what you mean, Corinne. Although I think it’s just that with the sudden break from everything that was keeping us busy and occupied, we’ve all had a chance to stop and think. Not something too many of us did pre-covid, I wager!

  3. Pingback: Have You Found The Treasures of Journaling? - The Frangipani Creative

  4. this is an amazing inner check in for this unique pandemic time.I have used it twice so far and one thing for sure there is a refinement of my core values.With all the shifts and changes this year of 2020,what works,what no longer works so many mini breakdowns,lulls and insights to breakthroughs.I highly recommend this for anyone in transition…..oh wait.. everyone is in transition…
    what a great invitation for looking within for what the heart wants.

  5. Working with self, journaling is the best place to be in. I absolutely love it, advocate it and I am thrilled to bits after reading this post. Truly said, it would help cross over from here examining past.

  6. Taking stock of ourselves once in a while especially when we feel overwhelmed with all the work, uncertainty, change in routine is so important. It will help us leaps and bounds to work on ourselves and handle the lemons that life throws at us.

  7. Loved your detailed analysis of Tower times, something that I wasn’t aware of at all, since I know zilch about Tarot. Indeed, it took us this deadly pandemic to realize a lot of things & unlearn stuff that we had believed to be true, Shinjini.

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