Bullet Journaling As A Spiritual Practice + What It’s Taught Me About Spirituality

Today I want to talk about how bullet journaling is a spiritual practice and what it’s taught me about spirituality. For me, spirituality is all about connection. Spirituality is something that is deeply personal and very different for everyone across the board. Whether you’re religious or not religious, there are many different ways to approach fostering your spiritual growth and working on your personal spirituality as an individual and how it relates back out to a group, community or the world.

But let’s get back into bullet journaling and how bullet journaling is a spiritual practice.

Connection

For me bullet journaling helps me connect inward back to myself and then also outward to the community, and that’s what spirituality is to me on the most granular level.

Mindfulness

Bullet journaling has also taught me to be more mindful. It has taught me a lot about tracking and being observant of my situation and any trends that are happening in my life, or re-occurrences. Now that I have a view of everything that I was tracking I’m able to look back and actually analyze the data that I recorded in my bullet journal and start to understand why something happened or didn’t happen. For me knowing those things is a spiritual experience because you’re able to gain so much insight into what’s going on with your body, mind, or mental health.

Forgiveness

Speaking of mental health, my bullet journal has taught me forgiveness. I have ruined so many bullet journal spreads! I’ve spelled things wrong. I’ve scratched things out. I’ve been unable to erase things. I’ve had ink bleed through the pages had to tear out whole sections of my bullet journal. It has taught me to forgive myself and that I can start again.

Every day is a new chance to start over, actually every moment is a chance to start over, you just have to choose. It was a really really deeply spiritual and connective moment for me to realize that I can just start over and it’s okay! I learned that my journal doesn’t have to be perfect, because it’s a reflection of me, and I’m not perfect.

My journal reflects the seasons of my life and I love that about it. That reflection on the pages is such a spiritual experience for me when I go back and view it, because I get a look back into who I was then, what I was thinking and feeling. It gives me more insight into my innermost true self, right down to my bones and in my soul. That is a deeply spiritual experience for me.

Gratitude

Bullet journaling has also taught me about gratitude when it comes to my spirituality. It has taught me to say thank you for what I’ve been given, whether that’s good, or seemingly bad. Everything that we are given or not given, we should be grateful for. Having a gratitude log and my bullet journal has given me a chance for pause to say thank you to the universe, thank you to myself, and to be grateful for my station in life.

Manifesting & Goal Setting

(I promise this is not woo wooey)

What we focus on is what we’re going to manifest and see in our lives. I don’t use the word “manifest” as in creating something POOF out of nothing. I mean manifesting as actually doing the work and creating the thing yourself that you’re wanting or goal you’re working towards. I think that anyone can manifest what they want with real world action steps. I talk a lot about goal-setting. Achieving your goals is just another version of manifestation.

By breaking your goals down into granular tasks that are much more approachable you are able to manifest anything. Its all about tiny steps, tiny habits, and actions that are going to get you where you want to be.

Also, If we’re happy then we’re going to see happiness. If we’re sad then we’re going to see sadness. If we’re angry we’re going to see red all over. I think we all need to have the ability to change our perspective. Because if you change your mind, you can change your situation, and that is what I think manifestation is about. It’s not about creating something POOF out of nowhere. It’s about taking the conscious step to change your mind and to change your actions toward an end goal of something you want. It could be anything.

Savor The Little Things That Bring You Happiness

My bullet journal has also taught me to savor the little things. This is also a deeply spiritual experience for me, because if I can find joy and gratitude in these small moments. Then I will be able to carry those over into the moments that are difficult or hard, and be able to find the positive in the situation.

There’s a quote that just really really resonated with me that I wanted to share with you today,

“Slow down and notice what you see, hear, smell, feel, and taste, really paying attention to the experience. This simple shift in attention can boast your happiness, and it will increase your capacity to enjoy the pleasant events overall. This is connectivity, which is, in a sense spirituality.”
Jamie Pierce

When I read that I was so excited. I haven’t seen anyone else talking about spirituality as connection and I love that. I’m going to write this out and stick it up on my wall because spirituality is all about connection to me. It is connection back into your truest self, your core, your soul, your spirit and then back outward to the community. My bullet journal has taught me a lot when it comes to my spirituality and I love using my bullet journal as a spiritual practice.

I talk alot about secular spirituality, bullet journaling, and how those two meld together for me. I also set goals by the moon phases! Every time there’s a new moon I’ll set a new goal. Then I’ll work on that goal for the 28 days of the lunar calendar. At each moon phase I check in and see where I’m at on my goals to see if I need to tilt or pivot or shift them. Sometimes I need to scrap them and start over.

There’s nothing wrong with needing to start your goals over. It’s okay! It’s totally okay and this year has definitely taught me that. In my yearly review journaling prompts you’ll see the thing that really worked for me the most this year was pivoting.