On Journaling

From Jane Purtle:
On May 7, the group discussed journaling as a tool for wisdom and practices connected to journaling. Questions about why/how to preserve journals and protect privacy were raised.The rich history of journal keeping will give us more insight into the questions raised. The wisdom we can gain from journals left behind over hundreds of years is well worth considering. My first interest in journal keeping (as opposed to diaries, which I kept as a child) was when I read excerpts from John Woolman’s “Journal.” I was hooked and have never quit reading journals (from St. Augustine’s “Confessions” to May Sarton’s beautiful “literary journals.”) I cannot estimate how immeasurably all this journal reading has influenced my life. I have gleaned real wisdom and intimate understanding of the lives of people like Woolman, Emerson, Louisa May Alcott, and Etty Hillesum.

Because I was open to journaling as a tool for understanding my own life, I found Progoff’s “Intensive Journal” helpful at critical times of personal transition.