Developing your Spiritual Practice

Crazy Horse dreamed and went into the world where
there is nothing but the spirits of all things.
That is the real world that is behind this one,
and everything we see here is something like
a shadow from that one

Black Elk – From Black Elk Speaks by John G. Neihardt

Namaste ~ I Salute the God in you

An example of a Daily Practice which integrates these ideas and tools:
This example includes the major parts of the Daily Practice section from this website along with the

As you work with your Spiritual Practice, it can be a great idea to keep a journal recording your thoughts, observations, dreams, etc.  This will allow you to track your progress as well as assist you in learning the language of your dreams.

It’s great to keep an organized journal.  You can start each entry by recording the date and perhaps a few notes about the happenings of the day.  If you study Astrology, it can be helpful as well to note the phase of the phase / degree of the moon.  Phases of the Moon.

Find an example entry below.  And you can download this PDF worksheet to get started.
Getting your own journal is a great way to record your Spiritual Practice.

Practical Spirituality – Daily Journal Entry Example

Date – Saturday, January 17th, 2019

Moon in Capricorn

Moon phase – 120° Trine

• Daily Practice – Dreams last night.  Dream Journal entry – Note – this could be longer entry depending on your dreams.

Notes: First thing in the morning (or perhaps sometime during the night…), take the time to record any dreams you may have had in the Dream Journal section of your Daily Practice Journal.  Do this in a very legible and organized way.  You might wish to start the entry with the date and the year.  If you have studied Astrology, you might indicate the important daily transits and aspects.  Taking the time to make this easy to read will enable you to review your dreams easily at a later date.

Example: Note – this could be longer entry depending on your dreams.

I remember a short scene of a town in which some buildings are being removed to make space for something else.
And a scene of a blue car with white wheels and silver rims.  Sun out above on a nice day.

• See Keeping a Journal of your Spiritual Practice.
• See Dream Journals.
• See Phases of the Moon
• See Basic Astrology

• Daily Practice – Morning Notes – Time for Remembrance and Celebration. Also spending time in your Scared Space.

Note – Taking time in the morning to celebrate Life, love yourself, and remind yourself of the beauty of nature and the world around you is a wonderful way to start the day. A Sacred Space can provide a reminder of your connectedness with others, the Earth, and the broader Universe. You might greet the day with a salutation to all Life.  An example might be:  May well-being, happiness, and joy be with me.   May well-being happiness, and joy be with all sentient beings and living creatures on the Good Earth.  Take the time to find different prayers or salutations that work well for you. You might want to try something completely different.

 Example:

A beautiful Summer / Fall morning here in Nashville.  Took a walk.  Added a pine cone to my small altar / Sacred Space in the bedroom.  Found it on a walk.  Lit a candle and some incense for a while.   Added a small picture (from the internet) of Guanyin (Chinese Goddess of Mercy and compassion) alongside my candle for Mother Mary.  Spent some time in silence. Talked silently to the Great Spirit and Mother Earth some about my life and thoughts.  Simple.  Felt good.

See Sacred Space and Home Altars.

• Daily Practice – Basic Mediation & Concentration Exercises – Can be done in your Sacred Space

After your salutations, a brief meditation practice can be wonderful.  Find a comfortable chair to sit upright and allow yourself to relax.  Feel the ground beneath your feet and the slowly feel you body parts, beginning from your feet upwards.  Once you reach your head, perform a quick concentration exercise counting from 100 down to 0.  After that, simply take 10 or so minutes and meditate quietly while listening to the gentle sound of your own breathing.  You may wish to finish up with another quick concentration exercise.

Example and notes:
Used the Pause and Re-connect meditation method.  Just tried to listen to / follow my breath.  Meditated for about 10 minutes.  Felt very calm afterward.  Had some recurring thoughts. Remembered some angry exchanges I’ve had in the past week or so.  Just watched the thoughts and didn’t allow myself to get involved.  After a moment, the thoughts went away on their own.  A Question about this:  What are thoughts?  They seem to go away if you don’t pay attention to them… Interesting.

Used the count down from 100 to 0 method a couple of times.  Then I worked on visualizing a soccer ball floating in mid-air for about 5 minutes.  Hard sometimes to keep my concentration.

See Concentration Exercises and Basic Meditation.

• Daily Practice – Daily interaction with others – Practicing Kindness, Compassion, Positivity, and Tolerance

It’s important to be aware of being Kind to everyone you meet.  You can also practice abolishing Worry and Negative Thinking from your daily life.  Generally, you can be aware of your use of language.  Are you creating positively with your words?  Or are you allowing yourself to foster negative thoughts and attitudes into the world?

Example and Notes:

Finally cooling off a bit.  Had the day off from work.  Cleaned up the house.  Had a phone call with my Mom.  She’s doing well.  Encountered someone at the store who was in a bad mood and I got irritated at a couple things she said.  Remembered to pause – and not respond from anger or irritation.  She’s a wonderful human being, just like me.  Probably just having a bad day. Read a book and watched a movie.  Took another great walk.

See Positive Thinking.

• Daily Practice – Getting ready for bed –  Dream journal and Daily Review

A quick review of your Dream Journal in the later afternoon or before bed can help you get up to speed with your dreams from the night before.  You might notice if any of the dreams seem pertinent to events of your day.  Or perhaps a previous dream has come into your mind today because of some circumstance.  Please note these things in your Journal as well.

It can be helpful to spend some time at the end of the day going over the days events.  It’s best if you can do this in a non-judgmental fashion.  Just make a note in you Daily Practice Journal of instances in which you could have applied your Practical Skills and Tools.  And use the insight gained to aid you tomorrow.  Each day is a unique opportunity to Practice your skills.

Example and notes:

I spent a while going over the events of the day.

Did this not using any judgement about my, or others, actions.  Just re-capping.  Making a mental note here and there of how I might be able to better handle my thoughts, actions, or speech in those situations.  Thought about my selection of mental Foods during the day; how I might have made different choices:  maybe watched less news… and thought more positively about other people and myself.

Thought about friends and family. Gratitude. Gave thanks to Mother Earth.

See Developing your own Daily Practice for a list of basic practices.

There are some beautiful and ornate blank journals by Peter Pauper Press here.