Vision Journal Creation

“I recently made a five-year starchart crammed with pictures of all sorts of wild adventures ... everything happened within four months!“ - Martha Beck in Steering By Starlight

“The sacred is discovered in what moves us and touches us, in what makes us tremble.” - Sam Keen “Your imagination is your preview of life’s coming attractions.” - Albert Einstein

Intro Called many things—a treasure map, starchart, vision board, or manifestation journal—a vision journal is a place to hold a vision for your highest self and your most brilliant life. Consider that optimism, planning, and jorunaling are all reported characteristics of high achievers. Vision journaling is like optimistic planning from your soul, intending to bridge the reality of your life with the desires of your deep, purposeful, knowing self. Is it any wonder, then, that so many people find vision journaling valuable beyond belief? Enjoy using this book and your imagination to create a tantalizing preview of your life’s “coming attractions.”

“Men do not attract that which they want, but that which they are.” - James Allen “When you find any image that causes a serge of delight, buoyancy, or shackles-off freedom, print or cut out a hard copy of that image. ... Remember, it’s not just putting up a picture that works the magic. It’s constantly getting past the shallows, and residing in the core of peace that creates powerful, conjuring juju.”

- Martha Beck in Steering by Starlight

Manifestation Tips Spend ten minutes each day in a peaceful, relaxed ”alpha state” • tune-in to your thoughts and feelings • turn your “heart light” on • get a clear picture of what you want ... if you don’t know ask questions then wait for answers • recognize and allow your deepest desires • boldly ask for exactly what it is that you want • release attachment & grasping • believe that you are worthy of receiving what you want • deserve it • mentally and emotionally shift form a place of not having into the place of having, already • this means, be in “vibrational alignment” with what you are asking for • invite it into your life with an open heart and mind • sense the juicy details of having it in your life • affirm the feeling • get ready! • prepare to get what you want • clear away judgement, resentment, bad vibes, and negativity • clear the emotional baggage and mental clutter • create a supportive physical space • make room for more • have faith • know that what you want, or something better, is coming your way • trust in “divine timing” • welcome change • listen to the “whispers” of the universe hinting at a “next step” ... say, “Yes!” • take action •

- Journal - Pen - Pencil - Colored pencils - Markers - Quotes - Papers - Envelopes - Greeting Cards - Glue sticks - Double-stick tape - LIquitex or other varnish - Stencils or stamps - Quotes - A ruler or straightedge - Trace paper - Photos or magazine images

Materials Work with the tools that inspire you. Simple is often best. Consider selecting a few of the materials on the adjacent list and working with these throughout your journal to achieve an effective visual consistency.

To attain visual style, think about how your pages might

balance

look individually and together.

You may find stylistic inspiration in a poster or graphic layout then reduce it into its main visual components. Once you

text images

make a basic assessment of the visual pieces and how they relate, you might implement these

Color & value

• What repeats • Depth vs. flatness • Use of color schemes • Radial or symmetrical balance • Touching or overlapping images • Margins & negative space • Placement of heavy/large images • Shapes

regularly to achieve a consistent style with visual confidence.

Notice

negative space

• Grouped items

Styling The grid is useful for organizing information, including visual information such as text and images, this page and the layouts on it are placed loosely over a 3x3, Tic-Tac-Toe-style grid. In a journal, light guidelines drawn in pencil would suggest an initial plan to be erased later. There are various methods for creating a grid including a. measuring even increments within a space or b. repeatedly dividing a rectangle in half by using diagonal lines drawn corner to corner to find the intersecting midpoint. Drawing vertical and horizontal lines through a midpoint point will divide the rectangle in half and create smaller rectangles to be divided. An alternative to creating a grid is to work on or over a grid. Journal entries can be created on translucent trace paper or vellum that is laid over graph paper. Later, these pages can be pasted into the journal.

Consider journaling on one area of your wellbeing

Relationships Wealth Career Health Environment Adventure

Structure

Deciding on a structural outline can break the creation process into manageable parts.

Page topics might include: Table of Contents Serendipity Affirmations Gratitude Conversations that Inspired Ways to Savor Things I love to ... do, hear, read, see, say, ask, believe What I Really Want Things I Love About My ...

Prosperity Tips Energy!

Where I am Going From my Archetypal ... warrior, hero, child, sage, great mother, mentor Letters Reviews ... books, magazines, shows, movies home, family, kids, marriage, career, boss,, body

“Ask the right questions of yourself ... you’ll find that your mind is opening ... and you’ll deepen your relationship with the most important person in your life: yourself.”

- Mark Goulston in Just Listen “The important thing is to never stop questioning.”

- Albert Einstein “Stop looking all over the place for ‘the answers’ - whatever they are - and start looking for the questions.”

- Neale Donald Walsch

Questions Questions are challenging and stimulating. Ask yourself questions to generate page topics, lists, and other content for your vision journal.

What am I grateful for? Where am I going? A year from now, what do I want to be doing?

What do I want more of? What gives me energy? What gives me hope? How do I want others to see me? What actions am I taking to nurture my dreams into reality? What role models can I emulate? What would I like to believe? What are my strengths? What brings me the most joy? What resources do I have available to me? What kinds of relationships do I want to establish and nurture? What do I really want? What do I love? What are the “inputs� in my life? How do they nurture my highest self? What are the questions that I should be asking?

“Letting go of our suffering is the hardest work we will ever do. It is also the most fruitful. To heal means to meet ourselves in a new way—in the newness of each moment where all is possible and nothing is limited to the old.” Stephen Levine “A dark night is like Dante getting sleepy, wandering from his path, mindlessly slipping into a cave. It is like Alice looking at the mirror and then going through it. It is like Odysseus being tossed by stormy waves and Tristan adrift without an oar. You don’t choose a dark night for yourself. It is given to you. Your job is to get close to it and sift it for its gold. … It is more like a stage in alchemy than an obstacle to happiness.”

- Thomas Moore

Clearing Techniques

Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed.

“Clearing” techniques help transform energy that does not serve us by replacing what is negative or static with something neutral, positive or active.

As we heal, grow and evolve emotionally and spiritually, we develop new thoughts, skills, and habits. The difficult part is embracing the unknown, with an innate trust that what comes along will be perfectly and brilliantly aligned with our current state and our highest-self.

The following are techniques that some have used in the past to help transform emotional and physical environments. You may want to further investigate any here that interest you.

Emotional Environment

Physical Environment

RAIN (Recognize an emotion or reaction, Allow it, investigate this with kindness, and find non-Identification with the emotion as the self; from Tara Brach) • Ho’oponopno: the ancient Hawaiian practice of reconciliation and forgiveness, where you think of a situation and say, with feeling, “I apologize. Please forgive me. Thank you. I love you.” • Nap or Sleep • Exercise • Sweat • Journal or write letters to others that you don’t send, perhaps from an archetype such as the your warrior or wizard self • Write letters to yourself from your archetypes, heros, or teachers (often our teachers may be the people we feel challenged by) • Ask “How is this serving me?” Or “What can I learn here?” • Move from reaction to emotion to logic to your highest self. Allow emotion to transfer THROUGH you/vent, then claim responsibility for what you can change, and make a plan of action. Review your plan with your highest self. Ash yourself if the plan leaves you feeling free or confined. • Laugh or cry • Read something inspiring • Listen to music or comedy • Let go of un-supportive relationships (relationships that do not support your highest self ) • Do something you love • Do something, finally, that needs to get done • Visit a sacred place: nature, hot springs, church, a forest, your back yard, the ocean • say, “No.” Or say, “Yes!” when the time is appropriate.

Smudge / burn incense • Dust, Sweep, Mop, Paint walls or ceilings, Scrub baseboards • Clean and open windows to let in light and air • Bring in fresh flowers (and fresh water) and/or plants • Oil squeaky joints • Display art to reflect your higher self and intentions and evoke feelings of your exciting future • Play music that supports your emotions • De-clutter (Walk around with a basket an place all clutter in the basket. Walk around again, and place things from the basket into their place) • Donate any objects that hold negative memories • Donate objects that don’t/no longer inspire you • Build an alter to your higher self and remind yourself that you are more than a physical being and have more than physical needs • Arrange a room so that it supports your future goals: writing, romance, healing • Change the View

“You are not a helpless victim of your own thoughts, but rather a master of your own mind.” - Louise Hay “Let go of the fighting mind and develop the dancing spirit.” - unknown

Affirmations

It is suggested that affirmations may influence the brain when in an alpha state, and help change neural pathways and thought patterns. Here are affirmations to consider including in your vision journal.

I am radiantly healthy: mind, body and soul • each day brings new reasons to be grateful • abundance flows freely towards me. • I deserve love and accept it now • My relationships are loving and harmonious • I trust in the process of life • life is full of delightful surprises • new doors are opening for me • I am worthy • I learn something everyday • I deserve and allow prosperity • Beauty and abundance surround me • I am connected to life • I give and receive gifts everyday • I do purposeful, fulfilling work • I am free to be me • I have all the time I need • I walk my own path • I conquer my fears • I am a positive role model • I release my past to focus on my present

“The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.� - Mark Twain

A Few Good Adjectives

Able • Accepting • Adventurous • Ambitious • Articulate • Athletic • Bold • Brave • Bright • Calm • Careful • Caring • Cheerful • Clever • Compassionate • Communicative • Confident • Considerate • Cooperative • Courageous • Creative •Curious • Daring • Determined • Devout • Dreamy • Eager • Effective • Efficient • Energetic • Excited • Expert • Fair • Faithful • Fancy • Forgiving • Free • Friendly • Fun•loving • Funny • Generous • Gentle • Giving • Gorgeous • Gracious • Handsome • Happy • Hard•working • Helpful • Honest • Hopeful • Humble • Humorous • Imaginative • Impulsive • Independent • Intelligent • Inventive • Joyful • Keen • Kind • Knowledgeable • Light • Light-hearted • Likeable • Lively • Lovable • Loving • Loyal • Mature • Merry • Mischievous • Neat • Organized • Outgoing • Patient • Personable • Pleasant • Radical • Realistic • Rebellious • Reflective • Relaxed • Reliable • Reserved • Respectful • Responsible • Reverent • Rich • Self•confident • Sensible • Sensual • Sensitive • Serious • Silly • Smart • Stable • Strong • Studious • Successful • Tantalizing • Tender • Thoughtful • Thrilling • Tireless • Tolerant • Tough • Trusting • Understanding • Warm • Wild • Willing • Wise • Witty

“Books are the compasses and telescopes and sextants and charts which other men have prepared to help us navigate the dangerous seas of human life.�

- Jesse Lee Bennett

Resources recommended reading: Peace Pilgrim: Her Life and Work in Her Own Words by Peace Pilgrim Steering by Starlight: The Science and Magic of Finding Your Destiny by Martha Beck The Secret: The Power by Rhonda Byrne The Soulmate Secret: Manifest the Love of Your Life with the Law of Attraction by Arielle Ford Yes! Energy: The Equation to Do Less, Make More by Loral Langemeier recommended authors: Abraham Hicks, Louise Hay, Wayne Dyer