Tracking Our Lives Through Reflective Journaling

Unlike regular diary-keeping, we begin with writing exercises that bring our focus to a recent cycle in our lives. We note down the atmosphere of the period, the people who were important to us, the projects we did, and the sensations, images, and insights that have stayed with us. We then expand upon our reflections on the period, through writing tasks that involve imagined dialogue with people that were close to us, personification of events that happened, and the chronicling of memories. These creative techniques for digging deeper into our personal experiences, through writing, and through sharing them with other participants if we care to do so, can bring new understanding, healing, and insight. Participants are asked to bring a new, five-subject, ruled notebook to the workshop. 

Dr. June Leavitt lectures in mystical literature at Ben Gurion University, works as a freelance writer, and facilitates writing workshops in Jerusalem. Her publications include The Mystical Life of Franz Kafka, and Esoteric Symbols: the Tarot in Yeats, Eliot and Kafka, as well as Flight to Seven Swan Bay a novel for young adults reissued as a classic for young readers. The publication of her diaries spurred her to experiment with journal writing for understanding and creative growth.