What we think and what we then say depends on the contexts we are in at any moment. Recognising this is vital as we have many private thoughts and feelings. We all have degrees of control over what we say to whom, how where and when. Given that, I opt to focus here on what I am comfortable with being in a potentially an extremely public arena. Some of my Journal will thus remain private, only accessible to myself, whilst other aspects of it will be shared here.
Why am I doing this? For three reasons:
To use it as a tool so that you can see how I’ve applied it in practice.
To use it as a tool to aid me in the conception and early nurturing of Inspire Spiritual Health.
To inspire you to consider undertaking your own exercises; which hopefully you would be happy and willing to share with us.
There is so much work on Reflection, from a host of disciplines, and at times I find myself feeling like I’ve read too much of them! I also practice some of what I’ve read but it is mainly as mental exercises for myself. Occasionally, I share my thoughts with those I trust and have confidence in. I’ve only kept a written journal, because it’s been a requirements of others for me to do so. These, for reasons other than purely the value inherent in keeping a written journal. It takes time to write down and consider exactly what to put in it, especially to ensure I am protective of myself. Protective, meaning that whatever I put down will be of benefit towards what I am trying to achieve, whilst never possibly being able to be used in such a way that it comes back and bites me. Thus, public reflective journals are generally highly crafted stories that we are prepared to be put out in the public realm. Stories though, have their own unique values and worth; some more obviously so than others. We are, after all, story-sharing peoples and have likely been so; probably since the start of our species 300 000 years ago.
I suggest that Reflective Journals are forms of stories that we express in recorded form. I also suggest we need to be and are generally acutely mindful of who will possibly have access to them and what they could be used for. Whilst, also trying as effectively and efficiently as we can, to establish and sustain our integrity in a journal. Doing so, in order to learn and possibly share learning, using our expressed thoughts we draw from for our learning. But Hey! Those are just my thoughts on this subject.
Given all of the above, and my need for a template, I am opting to use the work of Barbara Bassot. (2016). The Reflective Journal. 2nd Ed. It’s published by Palgrave and MacMillan Education (UK). I am also acutely aware that I do not want to breach either Intellectual Property Right or Copyright Rules and regulations. Therefore, to ensure that I protect these and don’t do that, this Reflective Journal will develop with the application of Barbara’s template and all the provisos I’ve listed above already.
Just a gentle reminder; what is presented in the journal is and can only ever be a snap-shot in time. A snapshot of what in reality are dynamic thoughts and activities of which online a light outline is presented.
My responses I share here on this link, to the exercises set out by Barbara Bassot.
In this series of pages and related links I post here, I come at following months of further reflection, consideration, and knowledge. It is now the 13th of March 2019 as I type this. Here on this link, you will start to find the tentative emergence of my proposed model of spiritual health.
Inspire Spiritual Health 
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