Visualization Exercises :: Journaling Backward
Most of us start daily journal entries with what happened first, leading up to what happened most recently with the largest segment of the entry devoted to the event that created the greatest emotional impact that day. That event is the easiest to remember and the remainder of the entry may read, “Nothing else happened” that is not true and it robs the entry of its value for future review.
This exercise is intended to enhance visualization skills and is one I picked up while reading a book by A. E. Waite a few years ago.
The Exercise
Sit down with a journal in the evening, about a half hour before going to bed. Beginning at that moment, work backward through the day, writing down everything done, seen, smelled, touched, encountered, felt and thought that day all the way back to the moment of awakening with as much detail as can be recalled.
It is a difficult exercise initially and it is surprising how many things happen in a day that just slip by and are easily forgotten. Of course the most recent events will be the most detailed since they are the easiest to remember as will those events that created the greatest emotional reaction within, but after a time when the brain becomes used to what it is being asked to do, it will begin to recall moments that occurred earlier and earlier.
You will begin to visualize your day, in reverse order. Smells and sounds will come as will remembrances of the textures of items touched. These are the things that will enhance visualization skills because the most powerful visualizations are those that include each of the natural senses.
Additionally, this exercise will help one to recognize connections. Large events will be placed in the context of the smaller events surrounding them which will help put them in perspective and allow one to see the inter-relationship between them and most importantly, the individual’s effect on the circumstances and world around them.
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Article originally printed in Aeris' blog Simple Magics.
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