Love Your Inner Goddess Journal: Writing and Creativity Journal, by Alana Fairchild
Llewellyn Publications, 9780738762838, 220 pp., 2019
As Alana Fairchild writes in the introduction to Love Your Inner Goddess Journal: Writing and Creativity Journal, following the heart is not always the easiest path to take. Sometimes we need support and guidance along the way, to make us feel stronger and not so alone. Love Your Inner Goddess Journal is filled with inspirational thoughts and images to help the reader — and writer, too, in this case — open up their heart and have the confidence to commit their thoughts and feelings to the page.
The heart is the sacred temple of the inner goddess. The heart is not bound by logic. The mind may believe certain steps are necessary, when the heart knows another way is not only possible, but preferable, as it will help us avoid unnecessary pitfalls and delays and learn skills that will be useful in the long-term…Following our heart often involves challenging preconceived ideas and letting go of self-imposed limitation… One must have courage to live according to the inner truth of the heart.
The journal has more than 200 pages and is printed on quality paper. Some pages are lined, while others are blank. The pages are not numbered, so you can have the freedom to write or draw wherever or whenever you choose. Following the introduction, the book is divided into 10-page sections. Each section begins with four vibrant images corresponding to the concept of an inner goddess. The illustrations depict women in their many and varied forms. One of my favourites is a woman with long blonde hair and butterfly wings on her eyelashes. Her eyes are closed and written on her eyelids are the words “spiritual gangster.”
And there is even more to the book than beautiful images and space to be yourself. Many of the lined pages have inspirational thoughts at the bottom. For example, “An active imagination can be used to create nightmares or dreams. There’s no need to torment yourself! Let yourself be free to be positive about your future and know that everything is going to be okay.” These thoughts can be used as affirmations or to inspire creative writing, or deep inner thoughts and experiences.
The journal’s pages are also interspersed with longer messages, each one under the heading “Healing Process.” These include Magdalene Priestess for soul medicine for when you have been abused, judged, criticized, or shamed; Inner Mermaid for when life becomes dull and disconnected from the imaginative and nurturing depths of your soul; and Elk Medicine Woman for patience, trust, and reassurance you are not falling behind as things are unfolding in the best possible way. Each of these page-and-half long sections offers spiritual guidance and reminders that each woman is unique and that collectively, we are strong.
For several years now, I have been toying with the idea of designing my own tarot or oracle deck. Over this time, while I have sketched a few ideas and developed partial themes and journey lines, I have never fully committed myself to the project. As soon as I opened this journal, I knew I was going to use it to record something special. A week and two significant dreams later, I had a much clearer idea of my plans for an oracle deck and decided to use this journal to record my ideas. Since doing so, I have already made significant progress, and I’m very much enjoying the process.
I would recommend this journal to every woman, but particularly those who wish to open up their creativity. The Love Your Inner Goddess Journal will inspire you and give you the confidence to be your true creative self.
