Journal Prompt: Spring Clearing and Planting Your Desires
Image by Reverend Kathleen Kendall Davies
Welcoming Spring
My yard and garden is a “survival of the fittest” situation. Despite good intentions, I often don’t give my plants the care they ask for. Therefore, if a plant makes it through the winter, they get to stay. Otherwise, each spring I clear what is not still living or healthy and make room, prepare the soil and space to plant new plants.
During a recent workshop, we used the theme of spring clearing and planting to provide space for reflecting and looking forward into this next season. I’m sharing these Vision Journal prompts with you today in hopes that they may aid in your personal processing and mindset creation.
Supplies:
journal or piece of paper
1 loose sheet of paper, any color
pen or something to write with
optional: glue stick
optional: lit candle & something safe to burn paper in
optional: colored pencils, markers, or crayons
Spring Clearing
Imagine your life as a garden. Regarding your time, attention, and resources…On a loose sheet of paper, answer this question. What are you uprooting or clearing out to make space for new growth this season?
To signify releasing these things, either tear up the paper or burn it (safely, outdoors :). As you do so, consider thanking those things for being a part of your life, the lessons you have learned, and the person you have become from their presence.
Art Option - If you chose to tear up the paper, you could glue the torn pieces around the edges of a journal page to make a border or glue them in the bottom half of a page to represent soil/ground.
Spring Planting
Now it’s time to plant new seeds or plants in our newly cleared space. In the open space on your journal page, write or depict your answers to these questions:
Regarding your time, attention, and resources…what seeds are you planting this spring? What do you hope they grow into?
How will you direct your care, focus and investment towards helping those seeds grow?
Art Option: If you would like to play with art more, create a journal page with collage, drawing, or both, that represents what you hope the seeds grow into.
Resting and Trusting the Growth Process
Just like watching water boil, or paint dry, watching seeds or a plant closely impatiently wanting it to bloom does not speed up the process. I have made the mistake of overwatering my plants several times. From the yellow leaves and root rot that appeared, I learned the hard way that watering too much does them more harm than good. Instead, I’m learning that each plant has unique needs for light, temperature, water and nutrients. My goal is to learn those things, making slight adjustments, and then wait while the growth process ensues on its own.
I was reminded by Andrea Mosley recently about how worrying about what you are creating in the world does not help them grow. Using our energy to ask a million questions regarding if, how, and when something will happen while waiting on it to come to fruition lowers the vibe to a place of insecurity. During the Personal Power Retreat, she encouraged us to rest after identifying our desires, focusing on imagining what those would be like to happen, have, or be, rather than focusing on exactly how it will happen. Resting in faith that our desires have been heard and taking each of our next inspired step leads to an easier and more fruitful path. As she explained this, I realized that so many times, the email or text I’m waiting for comes when I’m engaged in something else entirely, a creative project, running errands, working out, etc. It is hardly ever when I’m staring at the computer or phone screen worrying that it's not there yet.
In light of this concept, consider this question and write your reflection:
How will you rest this season while you trust the growth process?
Nurturing Your Growth
I hope you enjoy your journaling session! If you would like to learn more ideas for vision journal prompts, or have the rich experience of journaling alongside each other, I’d love for you to join in on my monthly open workshops! Click below to view the schedule. Beginners are welcome!