The Shine Bright Journaling collective is a high vibrational community dedicated to self care and personal growth. It is our intention to provide you with the conditions that create a foundation for becoming your best self: love, respect, kindness, acceptance, encouragement, and support!
Journaling is a great way to improve your mental health through both writing and art. Writing gives us insights into our thoughts and feelings and helps us make sense of our experiences. Art making adds to this by giving us a non-verbal means of self-expression that taps into our subconscious and offers a cathartic release of emotions. Art can give a voice to that which may not have words, and is often a more gentle bridge to enlightenment.
Our collective uses the Sun and Moon as check-in points for self-care. We come together once a month at our Full Moon Mingle and once every three months at the beginning of each season — the Solar Holidays: Spring Equinox, Summer Solstice, Fall Equinox, and Winter Solstice.
Our meetings provide accountability and a safe space for collective support and guidance for your self-care journey. Meetings are live from our studio and also on zoom. If you prefer to attend the meetings on your own time, we will send the replays to your inbox.
As a companion to our programming, you may purchase our 2024 publication, "Journaling with the Sun and the Moon: Your Check-in Points for Self-Care". Our printed yearly copies are sold out, but you may purchase a PDF version or a printed seasonal packet.
Finally, if you need supplies but aren’t sure where to start, we offer Shine Bright Journaling Kits that include our favorite recommended art supplies!
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We are happy to answer any questions at shinebrightinlife.chicago@gmail.com
an introduction by Jeanna Fearon, MS, MS, ATR-BC, CHt.
Through 20 plus years of informal research, I’ve learned to tune into a few key points in regard to helping people make change:
consistent therapeutic check-ins - with self and/or with a therapist
a community of support/accountability
positive self talk; daily affirmations
With these points in mind, we have created a simple yet effective way to keep you tuned in to your personal growth and self care, while connected to a high vibrational community of support. The following section goes over the format of the Shine Bright Journaling pages, and how I recommend you use them in your own daily practice.
This Setting Intentions 101 page is available as a part of our free Fall 2023 Journaling digital download, or in its own free digital download on our journaling shop. Use this page to help you create a daily affirmation for your journal pages. Write the affirmation down each day, think about it, and imagine the feeling you would have if your goal was met (this gives your brain practice being familiar with the feeling of what you want). REALLY FEEL IT!!!!
Month at a Glance - This is the place to help you organize your month. I start mine by recording things I most want to do, like classes, concerts, events. This helps me prioritize what is most important to me and ensure that I will have enough energy to do what I value the most. I think of energy like money in the bank. You only have so much, and you have to decide how to spend it well. Looking at my month at a glance also helps me notice where I may want to make sure to schedule in a little time and space to recharge my battery. Down time is crucial to my self care. I know that if I don’t give myself this time to fill my own cup, I will not have the energy to be my best self and do my best work.
Daily Pages - write down your affirmation on the daily page each day, and then take a few minutes to really bring up the feeling you would have when the goal has been accomplished. Really let yourself sit in that vibration and just practice the joy, the gratitude, the exhilaration! Use your senses as much as you can. How does it look, sound, feel, taste, smell? How does your body feel when it's so elated that the goal has been met? Practice these feelings right before going to bed because this is when you start to go into a natural hypnotic state. The brain is tired after the day, and it doesn’t have as much energy to fight new ideas. The longer you practice the better, but taking 5 minutes a day (out of 1440) is a very small commitment to self-care. Ask yourself... do I want to reach my goal enough to spend 5 minutes working toward it today? If you choose not to work on your goal that day, that’s is ok—life happens. You are fully in charge of your own pace, and you can always get back on track when you are ready.
Full Moon Reflection Pages - It takes 28 days to create a habit. There are 28 days in a moon cycle. This is the perfect combination! At the end of each moon cycle, you can evaluate your progress. Think about what you accomplished, what you may need to relate to make room for something new, and what your next goal/intention will be. Shine Bright Moon Mingles correspond with these pages. Each month at the full moon, our Journaling Collective meets to use these reflection points for group check in and accountability for self-care practices.
Full Moon Mandala - At each full moon, make an abstract mandala by using lines, shapes and colors rather than trying to create something realistic. This technique is very freeing and gives your higher self a way to communicate with you through symbol. Trust that your higher self is all-knowing, and that it will show you exactly what it wants you to see. The good news is, even if you don’t consciously understand what your art is trying to tell you, your subconscious understands and will use this information for your growth.
I use my monthly full moon mandala to help me release what is no longer serving me and to help me set my intention for the next lunar cycle. During our 30 minute playlist (either at our full moon mingle or on your won time), you will have a chance to practice presence with the moment as you focus solely on what is in front of you. I often fill in my mandala with abstract art and then look through magazines to see what words catch my attention. I then cut out the words and paste them into my art. This helps me create my intention for the next month.