Writing Down Your Soul: How to Activate and Listen to the Extraordinary Voice Within (Automatic Writing, Spirituality and New Thought, for fans of Opening Up by Writing It Down)

I started out using the Artist's Way practice of morning pages, writing daily each morning. The first year was just three pages of whining, with little insight into myself or my dreams. I burned that journal. The second year I did a core dump of the day first, and then I started writing about things I wanted to do. The more I wrote, the more answers came to me as I wrote and I had solutions to most of my problems by the time I stopped writing. Then there were times when I would read what I wrote and noticed advice I would not have thought of myself - but it was inspirational and amicably resolved the issue I was writing about. This process continued daily for almost a decade - until about three years ago when I stopped writing and focused on the long hours I was putting in on my job. I felt out of balance and I wanted to start journaling again, but in a way that would connect to that Divine Wisdom that seemed to showed up during my previous writing time. I came across this book and signed up for Janet Conner's online five week class. What she teaches is a very simple process to help you move from Beta (where we fret over problems) to Theta to connect to your inner wisdom. Now is this an easy process and do you connect right away? Not if you have fears and doubts about the process or what you are going to receive. Most people do not want to hear what their inner voice has to say because that means they will have to stop ignoring things that need to be resolved in their lives and they will need to act on them. Others fear they will hear their inner critics tormenting them to no end. Once you get past your fears and doubts, you relax into the process. You pick a time you want to write each day and commit to that time. Turn off your phone and computer, no eating or drinking, etc. Let your family know this is your quiet time. Write as fast as you can for about ten to fifteen minutes without distraction (no TV, no radio, no music - no interruptions.) And by write I mean in a journal or on paper. Do not worry about grammar, spelling, editing or anything - just write. Then act on any wisdom you receive. Now it may take time to clear the emotional clutter. Some people get clear in a few weeks or months. Once I got off my pity party wheel, my life began to change. I began to write things in my journal that helped me personally, helped resolve technical issues at work - you name it, wonderful things began to occur when I connected to my inner Voice - or what I call my own higher self or soul. Before you make a decision about using this process or buying this book, go to the author's web site and read her newsletters and blog. In addition to this book she also has a thirty day plan you can purchase that coincides with the book. Using this plan you can take it a day at a time, a few pages at a time and within a month have a good writing practice that connects you with your own inner voice.

It was yet another night of lying in bed, worrying about all sorts of things, when something told me it might be time to take a look at that book I purchased a while ago. I had no idea what to expect. I just knew I wanted to learn a little more about myself and my soul. So I started reading, and found myself moved by Janet's stories about the amazing surprises and blessings that are in store for us when we write this way. I felt a sense of peace that had become a stranger to me. I'm a seasoned journaler and I've read all the great writers on the subject -- Kathleen Adams, Christina Baldwin, Tristine Rainer -- and yes, Tristine's work is wonderful at helping us see how writing can connect us to something bigger, how patterns and meaning emerges through our lives, and how we can write our story in a way that is spiritually powerful. But nothing prepared me for Janet's work: here was someone talking matter-of-factly about the downright miracles that can happen when you connect like this, and she's the most down-to-earth person who talks about miracles you could ever meet! I knew she was right because at my most connected, most aligned, the miracles have happened for me, too. I even been working on a memoir about that for a couple years now because I thought I had so much to share with the world. This book and Janet's work is teaching me that I haven't scratched the surface. There's more. So much more. And I've experienced incredible things that most people just wouldn't believe, so that's saying something. It's the first thing to *really* speak to me in a really long time, and while I can name a handful of books that were life-changing in one way or the other (I LOVE reading), this one blows the others out of the water. The other books were inspiring, but this one is more than that: it expresses in the most concrete terms what to DO to change your life. It's a guide to that, to transformation, to how to be real, to how to listen to your intuition, to how to connect in the deepest way, to live authentically -- even how to get even more out of those other life-changing books! It works so well because she doesn't teach each of these things specifically; they just naturally emerge from this incredible process. Since I read this book a few weeks ago, I: * Have felt so creative that it's as though every muse is whispering in my ear at once. * Have felt God working in my life in so many ways. * Went from feeling that it would take a miracle to fix all the things that are messed up in my life to actually seeing that miracle. * Have clients rolling into my business no thanks at all to marketing; this process just led me to reconnect with what's valuable about my work, and they started coming! * Went off an antidepressant I had been on for 2.5 years. A little "glitch" in my health insurance made my refill more expensive than I could afford, and because I was paying attention, thanks to Janet's work, I took it as a sign that I didn't need them anymore. * Have a more focused vision of my passion in life than I have ever felt before, more concrete than ever, and I've been struggling with this for a long time. * Have had so many wonderful experiences that I'm surely forgetting some huge ones. * Have not gotten much rest, honestly, because I have a lifetime of Writing Down Your Soul to catch up on! And in fact, when I try to "do" something "productive" sometimes inspiration will suddenly strike and I'll have to stop to do something like, well, write this review. Full disclosure: I also joined one of Janet's telecourses since reading the book, and that certainly helped to propel me in this direction, but it's all thanks to Janet's stuff, and it all starts with this extraordinary book. Read it at your own risk.

I am on a journey to find myself, to find that inner voice of the child I used to be, and to find God, that elusive being that only speaks to regular church goers...like my mother. As I read the book, I found myself getting excited. Maybe this could work for me! I've been journaling, but rehashing the same old stuff. There were no answers for me in my regular journaling. I was going in circles, up one day and down the next. I started "Writing Down Your Soul" immediately. I soaked up the book, wrote the weird prayers and had faith. My eyebrows raised in surprise and shock as I wrote in my journal and read this book. The author tends to get a little "woo-woo" for my taste, combining every religion that ever was into one book. Raised a Catholic, the author speaks of tarot cards, Allah, and Buddhism. I'll be honest: It did feel like she was writing to please the masses. Yes, I was uncomfortable with a few things she wrote. I skipped the parts about all the names for Allah (prudish, confused Christian here, I fully admit), but I wrote. I came to the part about asking for a miracle and I did write something down. But the miracle came to me. Not ten minutes after I asked for my miracle, my engagement ring, a second one from the man I had just divorced and he recently proposed again (bringing our family back together) went missing. We have been engaged for two months. The ring is a beautiful diamond encrusted band, very special to me. I take it off at night as I can't sleep with any jewelry on. Anyway, I asked for my miracle in the journal and went to get ready to go somewhere. The first piece of "clothing" I put on is my ring. Then I get dressed and put my makeup on. I went to get the ring off of my nightstand. It was gone. Somehow, it disappeared overnight. I picked up books on my nightstand, hoping the ring ring was under them. I looked under the bed, shook out my sheets. The ring was gone. After searching with no luck, I picked up my journal, pleading to God (my voice) to help me find the ring. Please, I begged, I trust you. I went about getting ready to leave, pushing the negative thoughts of never finding the ring again out of my mind. I was throwing on the last of my makeup when TRASH came to mind. What? I asked. The ring is in the trash, came the thought. The trash can was full to overflowing and I had intended to take it out, but was feeling lazy that morning. I went to the trash can and looked at the mound on top. I had to trust the voice, I resolved. So I grabbed another trash bag and transferred the trash from the can into the bag, one nasty piece by one. I dug through last night's raw chicken tray, soggy paper towels wet with who knows what? But I kept going, trusting even though I didn't want to trust. And THERE, on top of a mound of used coffee grounds sat my shiny new engagement ring that meant the world to me. I hadn't realized that when I picked up the tissues that morning on the nightstand, I accidentally snatched up my ring and threw it away. I remembered how I stepped on the trash in my laziness, trying to push it down and get a little more trash in it. God, my voice, whatever you want to call it, answered my prayer in the journal that day. I'm still writing after a few weeks, still struggling with my own personal issues, and the initial "miracle" I hadn't asked for still hasn't come fruitful for me, but if it wasn't for the journal and speaking to my voice, my ring that is so very dear to me might still be lost. The author gets mystical, a little woo-woo at times, but I think she has a decent message. I won't tell you to buy this book or not to buy it, but I will tell you that there is something here. I haven't figured it all out and I still struggle from day to day, but if you have an open mind and a few bucks to spend, go for it. You never know.

This is a reread for me and I am so grateful to go back to this book after a few years. There are so many insightful strokes of genius gifted in this book. The methodology of how to use Conner's writing technique, the citation of other authors that pulls in the collective practice/credibility, as well as the way Conner invites her readers to find their spiritual language. This is not a one size fits all book, this is a collective conscious empowerment manual. Divine healing, yes. Deeper meditative prayer, yes. Stronger connection to what/who you might call God, Spirit, Allah, Shiva/Vishnu, The Great One, Universe... I love this little golden book. It reminds me of a Course In Miracles. Magnificently written, well-spoken, talented Author.

I started my soul journaling this morning and am already feeling good about it. It may be a small miracle but a person in our community bought us a bunch of specialty teas and brought them to work - a gift! There was even a special caffeine free one just for me! Can’t wait to fall in love with my soul - who’s been waiting for my consciousness to catch up!

Writing Down Your Soul is a tool...a path...that leads one on an incredible adventure to finding the God within each of us. Writing Down Your Soul is an amazing resource that gets one motivated to begin the personal journey into the depths of your soul. Go ahead...I dare you. Pick up your pen and begin writing. Pour your heart onto the pages of your journal. Let it all out. And then ask questions,all kinds of them. Why did this happen in my life? Where were you God when that arrived? Whatever your personal pain,your personal struggles, present your life's questions on the pages before you. But don't forget to ask for guidance, for answers. If they don't immediately arrive, don't give up because you most certainly are being heard and you will receive the guidance you seek if you just remain open and have faith. My journey is just beginning but already amazing things have happened in my life. Janet Conner tells us in Writing Down Your Soul how her trials in life led her to discover this unique path to finding the Voice of the Divine that is in each of us. It is when we finally "meet" that part of ourselves that our life is transformed. Janet Conner is a wise and wonderful teacher that helps to lead us on the adventure.

This book came to me highly recommended. It is so much more than what I expected. Author Janet Conner says: Show up. Open up. Listen up. & Follow up. Miracles will happen. I can attest to that. Too often, I have read books without doing the writing exercises. Not so with this one. This time I did all the writing exercises requested. I even bought the companion workbook. That’s something else I don’t usually do, thinking that a ruled notebook is sufficient. It may be, if your budget is pinching you. But the workbook offers so much more and it will continue to offer more as I return to it for the quotes, thoughts, and suggestions that will continue to inspire me even now that I have finished the book awhile ago. This time, I wanted to see if it really makes a difference; if completing the writing exercises in the book is that wee bit extra that makes a giant difference. IT DOES. Janet Conner put me in touch with my spirit guides. I’ve known for a long time that we all have spirit guides and angels that hang around us, keeping an eye on us and getting us out of trouble from time to time. I didn’t know that they were waiting around for us to actually ask them for help! What a difference that makes! Thanks to Janet, I found my guide, Timothy who said to me, “It’s about time. I get bored with nothing to do. I cannot do things for you unless you do your job of ASKING for guidance, help, and/or answers.” Whoa! I never knew that I could actually talk to my guides and get actual answers from them! There is so much more that I want to tell you about this book. So I am going to end this post and write more in the next post. A word to the wise, first; when you buy the book be prepared to write on the pages! Yes, this is something else I never allowed myself to do. I’ll be returning to this book over and over again. My writing in the margins, underlining, drawing little attention-getting icons and doodles, are an important part of the education of me, Arlene. WOW!

I would also have sent a terse response to the author about the name of "the Voice." This book could have been perfectly Christian. In order to satisfy political correctness, and her publisher, a good book was spoiled. I was captivated by the message, but heck, the whole book I needed to translate Voice into God, to put it in the proper context. Plus 'universe' and 'power' and 'divine' and a few other such phrases. That was excruciating. I lost half the reading experience because of that. The Power of Writing Down Janet described how she activated her subconscious mind with daily journaling. Her breakthroughs and transformation were nothing short of amazing. Among others, she tells a story about when she desperately needed $10,000 and wrote about this asking God for help. Sure enough, she got the money two days later. Once she asked in her journal for two thousand dollars. “And I need it now,” she added. An hour later her sole remaining client called and said the strangest thing: “I don’t know why, but I just feel you should send us an invoice for two thousand dollars.” My Experience I write in my journal 6 days a week since May 2013. I also keep three gratitude journals and use them every day. Pen and paper is not foreign to me, and I found the author's experiences very similar to mine. My traumas were not so dramatic, but I had my share. Strangely enough, my writing took me through all of them. I also write 700+ words a day for my books, articles and blog posts, and I try to be completely transparent in my writings. Even when writing according to the outline, I was surprised more than once by what appeared on the pages. I felt tempted to remove those unexpected fragments, but I didn't and I don't regret it. They were often my best pieces. I liked the author's passion and her transparency. I appreciated the insight into our dark side and how to heal it - by love and forgiveness. We are so similar to our oppressors, we are not so different. Forgiveness is always a solution for any wrongdoing. By far, the best part of the book, apart from personal experiences and testimonials, was the list of 200 insightful questions. I asked myself over 2,100 questions during the last few years and still found most of the author's questions attracting my attention. I'll go back to them many times in the future. It will take me a looooong time till I finish them off and, as the author says - there will be many new questions born out of them. Summary All in all, it's a worthwhile read. As far as you pick what works for you, what's good for you, and discard the more "magical" parts as a pure attempt to buy non-believers' new-agey crowd - you will surely benefit from this read.

What a gem! I’m already doing automatic writing following Michael Sandler’s book “AWE” and this one here is such a great addition to deepen my practice. It’s extremely well written. Love the memoir parts, and stories of people using the method. It makes it very accessible. So many interesting ideas and practical tips to reflect on your life and invite guidance. You can see that this book is written by someone who lives and breathes words, has deep insights into the readers’ potential fears and hesitations, and who has real care for human beings who want to find ways to live intentionally. It helped me deepen my automatic writing practice in new ways. For example, when I’m journaling and I feel stuck, I simply ask “Guides, are you here?” and a “yes” appears on the page. I ask questions and get completely new insights and views on what I’ve just been complaining about. PS: You don’t have to be woo or spiritual to try this - the author only ever offers her story and invitations but never pushes any belief system onto you.

Sencillamente espectacular, este libro tocará tu alma y llevar a cabo tu diario personal es aún más maravilloso ves magia suceder. Sencillamente recibes y das amor, tienes paz, sacas todas tus emociones y recibes respuestas. Atrévete a leerlo pero sobretodo a realizarlo en práctica!

An absolute game changer for me. LOVED it, could relate to the experiences so much - and was the start for my first in depth contacts…

I continue to enjoy "Writing Down Your Soul" as a basis for my journaling. Having journaled for many years, I am developing a new style as I read Janet Conner's book. It seems to be much more meaningful for me, and my writing 'feels' to be coming from a deeper place, as I listen to and follow some of her ideas. An excellent resource. An excellent read! shg

Brilliant book on writing, journaling, and sourcing your inner wisdom (and spiritual wisdom). I stumbled upon this book while looking for something else, saw so many great reviews, and having loved 'writing down the bones' - I had to get it -- wow, expectations exceeded! Love this book. Highly recommend.