Sometimes, the hardest part of journaling is getting into the headspace so we can get started. That’s where you’re able to hear your own thoughts.

When I need a little help getting my thoughts to move from my brain to my journal page, I use a fun little transition ritual.

It makes sense that we need this because the world is loud, and sometimes we don’t even realize how much space all that noise is taking up in our minds.

Our own thoughts can get drowned out by the noise of the world…

It’s not a prompt. It’s a process, but I call it a ritual. A prompt can work too, but I find this to be a bit easier for me, and honestly, kind of fun. I call it…

✦ The Bubble Ritual ✦

It’s a cozy little imaginary space where your thoughts can settle and the outer world gets dimmed for a while.

So here’s how I do this: I find a calm, cozy spot where I can spend at least 5 minutes, and I gather my journal, pen, markers, and whatever else I want to use in my journaling session.

If I’m starting a new week, I’ll make sure I have my habit tracker sticker ready to use.

Ok, so I get cozy, sit and have my journal where I need it, maybe some floaty cosmic music and a candle. Then, I take a deep breath and close my eyes. It’s a little silly, but I imagine a star, any shape or color, on my forehead, like a sticker.

And, feeling a bit calmer, I imagine a bubble forming, iridescent and soft, like a soap bubble, puffing out from the star. It grows to surround me and my journaling spot and gear. It feels safe and quiet inside the bubble. I can hear my own voice, and everything else is a little quieter.

My voice is from my interior world, my true self. And then, I just start writing whatever it is that comes into my mind.

Usually, I start with those typical surface thoughts about my day or a project I’m working on. I just trust the page with my thoughts, and if I don’t know what to write, I’ll tell that to the page.

Journaling is a type of meditation. I’ve written here before about how I tried meditation (for several years, twice a day) and it never brought me the clarity and peace that daily journaling does.

What happens when you write is you slow down enough to get your thoughts on paper. Thoughts normally feel as if they’re moving at the speed of light. By slowing your thoughts down, they become visible for long enough to catch them!

I love that metaphor! Physics tells us that light is both a particle and a wave, so it seems our thoughts change from the light-speed wave to the slower-moving particle.

The shift happens when you make space for your thoughts, and then the writing part is way easier. Your thoughts begin to untangle, and you just put them on the page.

When you’re done, imagine the bubble dissolving.

Creating that bubble space first changes how the writing feels.

✦ How Journaling Heals Us ✦

I’m reading a great book called Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us by Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross.

The authors explain that by writing emotion-drenched words and stories onto paper, it helps our brain to organize them and put them into context. It actually helps us “absorb” them and heal at a neurobiological level.

Amazing!

Expressive writing helps us map our own minds—just like we map the starry night sky—but into constellations of thought. We write what happened, the story, and then we learn from that.

What’s also fascinating is that we really don’t have to do anything else. The learning just happens naturally after we write our story on paper.

According to psychologist James W. Pennebaker, journaling about real-life events actually improves our physical and mental health.

So, what do you think? Are you surprised that journaling heals? What’s been your experience?

Make space for your thoughts.

This is where the quiet magic begins ✦

Have a great week,

🩷 Laura ✦

P.S. This week’s ambient video is the Magical Ocean:

I’ve been thinking a lot about why journaling matters.

Last week, I shared some of the tools I’ve been enjoying… journals, pens, and other cozy things that make the journaling experience feel inviting and make me want to return.

And I really love those things.

But they’re not really the point.

✦

As a writer, I’m all about meaning.

What is the deeper symbolism of things?

The moon and stars in our night sky… life, love, all of it.

✦

Journaling is a gift…

to the person writing,

and to their future self.

✦

Journaling isn’t just about pretty notebooks and pens.

It’s about reflecting on who we are,

how we’re really living,

how we’re experiencing our life.

✦

It’s reflective and practical.

There’s something about putting your thoughts onto paper

that helps your mind settle.

It’s like giving your ideas a cozy place to land,

instead of keeping them in motion orbiting around your mind.

It’s how we hear our own unique, precious voice

in a world full of voices that aren’t our own.

✦

And over time, that quiet magic builds.

✦

I truly believe we need this.

To reflect and grow.

To reflect and appreciate.

To remember, deeply, this one unique lifetime

on this amazing planet.

✦

Journaling is a gift…

to the person writing,

and to their future self.

✦

If you’ve been meaning to start journaling,

let this be your gentle invitation ✦

Subscribe now

Have a great week,

💖 Laura ✦

Next week, I’ll share a simple way to begin…

a cozy little ritual that helps you step into your journaling space ✦

This week’s ambient video is:

Note: Product links are at the end of the article. No affiliate links here - I just really love these products and want to share.

✦ A Journal For The Universe Inside Your Mind

I use my journal for all sorts of life-and-business-related notes, so I use about one journal a month now. Eek! But, my other supplies last much longer. That in mind …

✦ A Castle Journal for March

In my never-ending quest for the perfect journal, I found the Tiefossi Starry Castle Dream Journal. It’s my journal for March 2026.

This is the first Tiefossi journal I’ve tired and I’m impressed! It’s very cute, and it has beautiful holographic page edges, which I find really adorable, numbered pages, nice thick 160-gsm paper, two purple bookmark ribbons, coordinating elastic cord, rounded corners, and an envelope inside the back cover.

My only real criticism of this journal is that, while the light dot grid on white paper is great, there’s no option for a blank page version of this journal. I’m a grown up, I don’t need a dot grid ;) As someone who doodles and colors in her journal all the time, I’d love a blank white page.

I’d also love if Tiefossi would add a beautiful spine design onto this journal, and to the back cover. Eventually, this journal will live on my shelf with my other journals, and I love to see a set of lovely book spines! Maybe I’ll design one for myself this time.

✦ Favorite Pens

The Pentel Hybrid Dual Metallic Pens are a new addition to my ever-growing collection.

Wow, do the colors shift and shimmer. And they look different on black vs. white paper. There are two colors in each pen, a 1.0 mm tip, are acid-free, and are archival quality.

These are surprisingly good! I’d actually call them “juicy.” In the past, I’ve used glitter pens that had to be used slowly for the glitter to look smooth. But these are very well made and the ink flows well, even when I’m writing quickly.

The glitter and metallic effect on these is really impressive. I doodle and color with these, but I can also actually write a journal entry with these.

There’s also an option for the thicker brush pen. I have the purple and the silver. They’re good, but I like the 1.0 mm tip pens better.

My second suggestion for thicker writing pens are the Clickart line from Zebra. I’m very fond of these clicker pens because they come in lots of great colors that are numbered so you can save your favorites. My current favorites are Lavender #37, Hot Pink #25, and a nautical blue #21. I think they compare to the Flair markers, but I like these better right now.

✦ Markers I Love

Tombow’s Pastel Dual Brush markers are my go-to highlighters. I use them to label the top of my daily pages in different colors and then again on my weekly summary page.

I’ve got specific colors and planet icons for each day of the week. It’s easy to write over them with any pen because these markers are very water color-ish. They blend together and are honestly, just beautiful. I’ve used them for many years. They’re kind of expensive, but I’ve found I can get about a year of use out of one set.

✦ Pretty Journal Pouch

I’ve had this cute little thing for a few years now, and I really love it. I tuck my A5-sized journal into it every single day. It’s embroidered, padded and has a silky pink interior, a zipper and a tassel.

Did I mention that it’s very cute? It’s the perfect size for my A5 journal and even my marker pouch too, although the large back zip pocket can hold lots of pens and markers on its own..

✦ Cosmic Placemat for Even More Cozy vibes

I had a few of these placemats printed up years ago…. The Lobster Nebula (NGC 6357) has shades of pink, blue, gold and purple. I also have a I Hubble Deep Field from Hubble version. I use these anytime I want to add a little space to my journaling or writing area.

✦ Wrapping It All Up

So I think that wraps up journaling items for the month of March. Enjoy!

As you can see I like cozy, cheerful journals, pens, markers, etc because it helps make me want to return to my journal. Yes, the things we write about are light, serious, and everything in between. But your journal should be pleasant and darn it, journaling should be fun.

What are your go-to journaling tools? What kind of paper do you like? Favorite pens and markers? What do you use to set the journaling mood? Please let me know in the comments.

✦ LINKS to Products (these are NOT affiliate links)

• JOURNAL: Tiefossi Starry Castle Dream Journal https://tiefossi.com/products/a5-starry-castle-dream-dot-grid-notebook

• PENS: Pentel Hybrid Dual Metallic Pens https://www.jetpens.com/Pentel-Hybrid-Dual-Metallic-Gel-Pen-1.0-mm-8-Color-Set/pd/20117

• MARKERS: Tombow’s Pastel Dual Brush Markers https://www.tombowusa.com/products/dual-brush-pen-set-10-pastel

• POUCH: Iridescence Book Pouch from Quirky Cup Collective https://thequirkycupcollective.com.au/collections/book-sleeves/products/iridescence-book-sleeve-purple

✦ This week’s ambient journaling video is Fantasyland Planet Ambiance:

Yay! You’ve decided that you want to try journaling, but you might be asking, “What exactly do I write about? How do I start?”

The simple answer is: if you have something on your mind today, put it on the page.

✦

Your thoughts deserve space.

If I can’t think of what to write, I just start with my surface thoughts. “What am I thinking of right now?” And I write that down on the page. “And now?” It’s kind of like a meditation, definitely mindfulness.

For example, this article started out as a journal entry. I sat down, opened my journal, and wrote, “What do I want to tell my readers about starting to journal?” Then, stream-of-consciousness, I journaled some answers.

Sometimes prompts help get my mind flowing. Here are a few questions to ask yourself and answer in your journal:

• I want to journal because…

• What if I try journaling for five minutes a day?

• What will I get out of daily journaling?

• Do I feel safe, comfy, cozy sharing my thoughts with a journal, a piece of paper?

• What am I thinking about now? (Yes! Lists of things to do count! So do doodles!)

Try these out. Think of your journal as your friend, your confidant. It’s not going to judge you or tell the world what you wrote. You can trust the page, especially if you use pen and paper.

✦

Why I Started Journaling Every Day

I’d journaled from time to time all my life, but I only started journaling daily several years ago when a friend passed away. It was sudden and shocking. I was, and still am, heartbroken. He was one of the kindest people. I’m teary as I write this because it’s still hard to think about.

His wife and I were friends before they met. I was there the day their son was born.

I knew that I needed to get out all those feelings orbiting my mind, over and over. I needed to leave some of it on the page so I could just be okay and go on and do normal life things. So I journaled, and it started to help.

A month or so later, I took a vacation with my kids and husband and packed my journal. I remember that vacation well because I journaled about it all; the food, the luau, things my kids said and did, all of it. I can find those pages in my old journal and remember. Even if I don’t open that journal, the act of writing it down helps me remember it today.

Since then, I’ve made journaling a daily ritual. You might call it a habit, but I call it my journaling ritual.

✦

Tips to Start a New Habit (or Ritual)

Journaling is a gift that I gave myself that I didn’t even intend to create. Really, journaling is a gift to your future self from your present self, from your past self.

I read recently that an actress wrote a memoir because she planned to burn her journals but started reading through them first. She must have seen some value, something shareable, in what she had written in those journals.

We all have stories to tell and things we can learn from our own journals, our own past. Maybe you’ll decide to share a story or life lesson from your journals someday.

✦

Your Inner Voice Will Grow

As you continue to journal for days, weeks, and years, what you get out of it grows like compound interest. Your inner voice gets stronger, your think better, and it becomes easier to beam your thoughts onto the paper. I feel so much more focused now than when I began my daily journaling years ago.

Give yourself a month or so to try journaling out. What if five minutes a day helps you? Then it’s totally worth it!

If, like me, you’ve tried meditation (and I tried it twice a day for years) and it just didn’t work for you, try journaling. I realized one day that journaling was, for me, a better use of my time and energy. Why? Because it made me feel better. Meditation didn’t do that for me.

My meditations had devolved into a structured series of thoughts. I had created a half-hour gratitude meditation, but it wasn’t what I needed. I needed to get the words out of my mind.

I accepted my “failure” and put more time into my journaling. I took those thirty meditation minutes and journaled instead. I mind-melded with the page and wrote down my feelings, my ideas, and my worries.

And you know, I really do believe this has helped me much more than meditation. But that’s me, you might have a different experience. We’re all different people, and that’s good. We ought to share what works for us because it may help someone else.

✦

Why I’m Writing About Journaling

That’s why I’m writing here on Substack. Journaling has helped me, and I believe it can help others.

My dream for journaling is that everyone on Earth will try it. Of course, everyone would need to be able to read and write, I hope that too.

Journaling has helped me so much that I sometimes imagine what might happen if more people tried it. I wish I could inspire a billion humans to try a little journaling every day. I truly believe the world would be a better, happier, healthier place if one billion humans were daily journalers.

Your words matter. They make up your world.

Earlier this week, a friend reminded me that we speak our desired reality into existence. I believe we do something similar when we journal. We write our imagined reality into existence. We materialize our imagination.

And I think that’s a very true, and beautiful thing.

✦

Journaling Can Hold Many Things

We humans can have lots of reasons for journaling all at the same time. That’s okay. Actually, that’s great!

Journaling helps us:

• rant

• be thankful

• grieve

• think through problems

• create new things we’ve imagined

…and whatever else we can describe with words.

Or doodles.

✦

I’ll end with this quote from Terence McKenna that applies beautifully to journaling:

“The world is made of words, and if you know the words that the world is made of, you can make of it whatever you wish.”

So what do you think? Have you started journaling each day? Why or why not? If so, what do you get out of it? Let me know in the comments.

Have a great week,

Laura ✦

✦ This week’s ambient cosmic and cozy video is:

The Earth From Space: Part 2 ✦ Calm Background for Journaling & Writing

Your thoughts deserve space.

Space in your mind. Space on the page. Maybe even a little bit of outer space. 🪐 Most important, your thoughts deserve a cozy place to land, and maybe to become something more.

You don’t need a fancy journaling setup, aesthetic perfection, or expensive supplies, just the essentials. You don’t need to impress anyone else. You need it just for you.

If you’re going to return to the page every day (and I hope that you want to) then you’ll need to make your journaling spot feel comfy, cozy, and welcoming.

✦

The Journal as Shelter

A journal isn’t just paper. It’s a small shelter outside your mind for your inner world. I like to think of it as a little bubble of space-time or a little universe that exists just beyond your thoughts. A place where they don’t have to compete. A quiet container where they can settle instead of swirl.

When I journal, I’m not trying to optimize or produce anything. I’m giving my thoughts somewhere safe to rest, and maybe grow.

A journal protects ideas that might otherwise evaporate. It materializes your imagination in real time. That’s a big deal.

✦

Comfort Removes Friction

You might stop writing in your journal if your hand cramps, your pen drags, or if your space feels chaotic. So, make a space for yourself that feels inviting. Comfort isn’t indulgence or luxury. It’s a friction remover.

When something feels cozy and inviting, your brain is more likely to return to it. So yes, find a pen that doesn’t make your hand tired. Test out what feels cozier to you; blank pages or a subtle dot grid, white paper or cream, sunlight, a lit candle? Try some quiet music or play an ambient background video. And I definitely recommend a cup of tea.

Yeah, set the stage, I do. As part of my daily journaling ritual, I use a fabric placemat printed with a beautiful cosmic scene. It instantly makes that space feel intentional, important, and ready for journaling.

I had a few scenes printed up years ago and I roll one out wherever I’m writing - at my desk, kitchen table, or wherever. It’s literally like unrolling a small universe outside my head. And when I see it, I know this is the place I can let my thoughts just flow onto the page.

✦

My Thoughts Are Worth It

Yes, I like a cute journal, a cozy pen, stickers, markers for color bars, and small rituals. None of that is “necessary,” but, it’s an act of respect for my mind.

My thoughts are worthy of a comfortable place to land.

Setting the stage isn’t about aesthetics. It’s about signaling to yourself that your inner world matters and is allowed to take up actual physical space.

✦

The Sovereign Page

Your journal is the one place where you rule, with no algorithms, no commentary, and no interruptions.

It’s your Universe. You are the king or queen there. You decide what gets written. You decide what matters. You decide what stays private.

In a world of constant input, that kind of sovereignty is rare.

✦

Analog Magic

When I journal, I write by hand instead of typing on a keyboard. I love paper over digital.

There’s something quietly magical about words moving from your brain, through your hand, onto the page. Over time, your hand muscles get stronger and your handwriting changes.

Your thoughts slow down just enough to be seen. It’s as if they were zooming at light speed, which isn’t far off from what science says!

Writing with a pen and paper connects your brain, heart, and your body in a way that typing just doesn’t.

✦

A Place to Return

Journaling isn’t a productivity tool and it’s not a performance. It’s a place to return to every day. A calm, cozy space where your thoughts don’t have to compete with the world.

Like I said, you don’t need the perfect setup. But you do deserve a journal that feels like home, a pen that works, a cozy space, and a few minutes to yourself.

Your thoughts deserve space. And sometimes, setting the stage makes it easier to give it to them.

✦

✨ I’ve created a cozy, cosmic journaling video you can play in the background while you write. I use ambient scenes like this all the time to set the tone and help my mind settle.

If you’d like a little outer space while you ponder your inner space, it’s waiting there for you on my YouTube channel.

Have a peaceful week,

Laura ✦

Leave a comment

I’ve been journaling daily for years. Not because I’m especially disciplined. I’m not. And not because I’m trying to optimize my life. I come back to my journal every day because it makes my mind feel quieter and more peaceful.

We live in a world of constant input. You know what I mean. News, socials, everyone else’s opinions. There’s always something filling our heads - usually someone else’s thoughts.

A few quiet minutes with pen and paper changes that. The page just gives your thoughts somewhere to land. And then your own thoughts emerge. It doesn’t have to be a perfect notebook or journal. It doesn’t have to be beautiful or cute.

If I don’t write things down, they swirl. Journaling isn’t about writing well. It isn’t about fixing yourself. It’s about making space.

And when you make a little space, the noise settles a little. You can hear your own voice again. That’s it. That’s the whole thing. And it’s magical.

✦

If this resonates, I write about journaling like this here three times a month.

And if you’ve been meaning to start, you don’t need the perfect setup. Just a page and a pen. Start there.

Have a great week,

Laura

✦ Hey there, I’m Laura!

I journal a lot — daily, actually — with a pen and a paper journal. It helps my mind feel better when I give my orbiting thoughts a cozy place to land instead of letting them bounce around in my head. Journaling is how I nurture my ideas and materialize my imagination. ✨

My daily journaling ritual involves messy analog pages and doodles. And that’s ok. Actually, that’s great!

That’s the kind of stuff I’ll be talking about here. If you’re interested in journaling tips, ideas, and how to get started with a daily journaling ritual, join me here.

I truly believe that if every human could journal for just a few minutes a day, our world would be happier, kinder, safer, and healthier. My hope is that my writing helps, in some way, to make that a reality. ✦

I’ll be sharing helpful journaling articles soon. Plus … stickers 😉

❤️ Laura ✦

P.S. So, what do you think? Do you want to start a daily journaling ritual? Or are you already journaling? Leave a comment and let’s talk!

Leave a comment

I’ve been trying to remember when I first became interested in space and the Universe. But honestly, I can’t pinpoint a specific moment—it’s been part of me for as long as I can remember.

My mom tells a story about how, when I was around four years old, I looked up at the night sky and asked her, “What are the stars made of?” Not what are they? Not why are they there? But what are they made of? Looking back, I find that fascinating. Why did I instinctively ask about their composition instead of just seeing them as twinkling lights in the sky? Even then, something in me wanted to know more, to understand.

And that curiosity never faded.

Orbiting With Wonder

Space, the stars, the endless wonder of the Universe—it has always been woven into my life. I’ve taken astronomy classes, devoured books, watched countless videos, documentaries and TV shows about the cosmos. Carl Sagan’s Cosmos looms large in my mind as one of the most formative influences. And in so many ways, everything I’ve done has, in some form, connected back to space.

Even my husband happens to be an actual rocket scientist—an engineer who builds spacecraft and sends them out into the cosmos to help us learn more about our universe.

The Big Questions

The big questions have always fascinated me: Where did we come from? Where are we going? Is there anyone else out there?

At one point, I tried to pursue a degree in physics and astronomy, but the math wasn’t my strength. It broke my heart to realize that path wasn’t for me. Every so often, I wonder, Should I go back? Start over and get a degree in astronomy?

But this year, I had a realization: If I did, what would I truly contribute to humankind? There’s still so much left to discover in astronomy, but I don’t think I’m the one to discover it. Instead, I think I’m meant to interpret it—to translate the wonder of our Universe through creativity, art, and storytelling.

Because at my core, I am a creative. A writer. A maker. An artist deeply, endlessly in love with the cosmos.

The Beauty of the Universe

Right now, I’m looking at the images on my wall: Starry Night by Van Gogh, the Trifid Nebula, The Andromeda Galaxy, Mars, The Pleiades, The Whirlpool Galaxy. These aren’t just pretty pictures to me. They mean something. They stir something deep inside.

When I was younger, people would sometimes say to me, Oh, you only like space because it’s pretty. And while it is breathtakingly beautiful, it’s always been more than that to me.

There is a beauty in how the Universe works. The vastness, the cycles of creation and destruction, the way we are all made of the same starstuff. We are literally the dust of dead stars, reignited. We come from the Universe. We are the Universe. Everything and everyone around us is, too.

One of my favorite quotes is from Babylon 5, where Delenn says:

“We are the Universe made manifest, trying to figure itself out.”

I believe that. I feel that.

A Cosmic Thread Through Creativity

I’ve always created things tied to space. My writing often revolves around space exploration, the beauty of the night sky, or futuristic visions. I love technology, especially because it brings us closer to understanding the cosmos. My art, my crafts, even my everyday choices reflect this love—my sparkly nail polish, my sun catchers that refract light like a prism, the twinkle lights that make any space feel star-filled.

The Universe is in everything I create, and I love that! I guess that’s because I’m made from the same stuff. We’re connected.

And if I can inspire others, like you, to think about space—our place in it, our connection to it—I believe it will fuel their creativity, too.

Because—the truth of our Universe is—we are each made of stars. ✨

💖 Laura ⭐️

Note: I wrote this post before I started my Substack about the Quiet Magic of Journaling.

Welcome, Cosmic Creators! 🚀💫🔮

I’ve updated Imagination Materialized to reflect my cosmic creativity and magic theme! It’s now …

🌌 Imagination Materialized 🔮

Creativity is magic—you’re the magician! 🚀✨

Blending creativity, storytelling, and stardust, we’ll explore how our Universe inspires innovation, art, and the magic of making.

💫 Let’s build your creative Universe!

What excites you? Let me know what you’d love to see here!

New posts coming soon! 🔮✨

💖 Laura ⭐️