Why Keep a Spiritual Journal?

Bringing consciousness to experience is how we learn the lessons of life. When we observe for ourselves how things work, or how we respond in different situations, the resulting insights prove extremely valuable.

Keeping a journal can greatly enhance the process of learning through experience. Journaling contributes in two important ways:

1. 

The process of recording an experience in writing helps us see the experience more objectively, and understand it better. We take extra time to reflect on it. We recall it with the space that comes only after the heat of the moment has passed. And often, the actual process of communicating about it clarifies aspects that weren't obvious at first. (Interestingly, it is not unusual to feel very differently -- often, a lot better! -- about an experience in hindsight, than we did during or immediately after the experience.)

2. 

Keeping a journal allows us to go back and review our experiences and conclusions after time has elapsed. A journal constitutes a wonderful memory aid. Forgetting experiences can cause us to grow more slowly than we otherwise could, allowing us to "make the same mistakes twice." Reviewing past experiences empowers us to build on those experiences, draw new conclusions as lessons accumulate, and keep moving forward. Lessons that we may have forgotten, partially or entirely, can be recalled and reinforced.

Of course, actually DOING your spiritual exercises is the largest part of Bloom's value. Yet, writing journal entries about them adds still MORE value. It is not necessary to write about EVERY Bloom practice, but we recommend that you do so regularly. Even when you are not "in the mood" to write or feel rushed, discipline yourself to write anyway. Almost invariably, you will be glad you did.