What is Intuitive Journaling? How Does Journaling Help Intuition? 

Intuitive journaling, or automatic writing, is a way for you to process messages from your subconscious. Through this, you will get in touch with your higher power (or higher self). As a result, you connect with your innate (or inner sense of) knowing.

On any given day, intuitive messages are being shared with you. However, we have been trained to only listen to the logical mind. This results in the intuitive messages being missed.

As an example, think about the knots you may feel in your stomach during a stressful time in your life. In some cases, you might feel as though it is just your baseline feeling. Therefore, you dismiss this sign. On the other hand, when you tap into your intuition, it is your body trying to let you know to reassess the current situation, the people surrounding you, or something else.

Another example, suppose your subconscious is trying to alert you to a toxic relationship or friendship. In that case, you may discover a common theme in your writing. Perhaps you write about feeling uncomfortable in certain situations. You might not be consciously aware of this, but your writing helps to reveal a common theme. In that case, your inner knowing is trying to get you to pay more attention to how your body responds to certain people or situations.

As you practice intuitive journaling, you will notice you’re more in touch with the messages your mind and body are communicating. When you learn to truly harness this power, you’ll find yourself recognizing these important messages more frequently.

Before Journaling

Gather your intuition journal and pen.

Find a quiet space to journal.

If you have enough time, consider engaging in a mindfulness practice beforehand. For example, take time to sit in silence, meditate, or do some yoga. Though, this is not required. If you are unable, don’t let it prevent you from journaling.

At the top of the page, write down the question you plan to write about. Alternatively, you may write down a questions specific to situation in which you seek guidance.

Before you start writing, take a deep breath and recite the prompt from the top of your page. This allows you to set the intention for your intuitive journaling process. As you do this, imagine your whole body relaxing. Repeat this process two or three times. When you feel relaxed, it is time to dive in.

During Your Journaling Process

Let the words flow to your paper.

As thoughts come to your mind, write them down. The key is to let go and write without judgment or criticism.

This is not the time to edit your writing or thoughts. If anything, consider this practice similar to a brain dump. Anything that comes up gets written down. Let your thoughts guide you.

If you find your judgmental (or logical) mind comes through, take a break from writing. It is time to re-center yourself. This means you take a deep breath and recite the question or prompt to yourself. Again, focus on relaxing every muscle in your body.

If you find yourself in a thought loop, consider putting the journal down and attending to that thought. If you need to write something on your to-do list, do it. If you are feeling a need to go for a quick walk, listen to your body. Return to journaling when you are able to be fully present.

After Intuitive Journaling

After you finish writing, read through your thoughts. Then ask yourself the following questions:

• Is there a common theme in what you wrote?
• What do you think you need to learn from what you just wrote about?
• Is there a particular line or message that grabs your attention? What does it mean?
• If a message grabs your attention, does it spark further thoughts for you to process through intuitive writing? Alternatively, how does it apply to what you are going though? Is there something you need to change in your life?

Journal & Writing Prompts to Connect with Your Intuition

Start with the prompt that calls to you most. It is not necessary to work though all of these prompts in a single sitting. It will take time to strengthen your ability to truly get in touch with your intuition. Therefore, a best practice is to approach this one question at a time.

25 journal prompts to strengthen your intuition

• What bring me the most joy in life?
• In what ways am I connected and present in this moment? How can I become more engaged?
• If I were to ask my closest friend (or family member), what would they say is my extraordinary talent?
• What qualities do I already possess that support me in creating my ideal life?
• How can I get out of my own way to pursue the life I desire?
• Who inspires me the most? What qualities do they possess that I secretly wish to embody? As a follow-up question, in what ways do I already possess these qualities myself?
• What am I doing when I have the most amount of energy? Alternatively, what am I talking about when I light up the most?
• How would I feel if I were to completely and totally trust myself? How would my life change?
• What types of opportunities do I seek most? In other words, a list of things I would love to manifest?
• What are the words I need to hear most right now?
• What story do I need to let go of to allow happiness to fully manifest in my life?
• As I sit here, what is my body trying to communicate with me?
• What emotions are coming up for me in this moment? What is this feeling trying to teach me?
• Am I experiencing any emotions that I’m struggling to process?
• When was the first time I recall feeling this strong emotion?
• What negative thought loop am I allowing to control my life?
• If I were at the end of my life, what would I be most upset about not doing? What would be my biggest regret?

Capturing the Power of Journaling to Tap into Your Intuition

As you engage in the process regularly, your intuition will start to come through more easily. To help you get the most out of it, try journaling most days of the week. It’s not the type of thing that must happen daily. However, there is no harm in journaling daily. The point being, don’t stress about or force yourself to write every day if you are not feeling it. Do what feeling works best for you.

You want to listen to your intuition on this one — is it calling to you to write? If the answer is yes, do it!