Meet Juneous

The Story Behind Sacred Ink™

Before Sacred Ink became a method, it was how I learned to understand my own story.

When I posted this journal entry on Facebook in October 2018, I never anticipated the overwhelming response I would receive from people who saw my post.  I was very humbled.  A few years ago, I would have never imagined sharing personal details of my life to anyone especially on social media. Being able to share my story publicly reflects just how much journaling has helped me become comfortable owning and sharing my experiences.

LIFE BEFORE JOURNALING 

There was a time in my life when I pretended my childhood did not exist because I did not want to deal with all the trauma that was associated with my childhood.  Unfortunately, my childhood issues were affecting me as an adult.  

I was exhibiting patterns of people pleasing, putting others needs before me, and being afraid to say No.  

I thought I was doing good and being a good person.  Unfortunately, I was wrong, and it was taking a toll on my wellbeing.

I started journaling in 2005 because I needed an outlet and safe space to share my feelings without fear of judgement and condemnation. 

One of the first journal entries was to write about the trauma of my childhood and how my childhood trauma impacted me as an adult without realizing it.  By addressing my childhood experiences, I was able to connect the dots on how it was negatively impacting me as an adult.  I began to answer the question “WHO AM I?”

DECLUTTERING MY LIFE

Journaling took on a whole new meaning for me in 2008 when I decided to reassess my life up to that point.  I affectionately called this period as “Decluttering My Life” where I spent some time in my journal and wrote about the things that no longer served me.  Decluttering my life helped me restore my sense of balance by making a list of personal pledges. 

THE PLEDGE

One of the pledges I made in 2008 was to do my inner work.  

I realized there were a number of things that needed to be done:

01 — EMBRACE MY STORY
Stop running from my childhood and begin transforming those experiences into sources of strength.

02 — HONOR WHAT MATTERS TO ME
Choose activities because they bring meaning and joy—not because I need approval or recognition.

03 — CREATE A LIFE THAT WORKS FOR ME
Give myself permission to intentionally build a life aligned with who I am becoming.

Journaling taught me the power of loving myself.  Loving myself helped me to restored sanity by giving me permission to develop a personal relationship with myself.  I learned to stop consuming myself with what other people were doing and focused more on what I was doing.  

The Sacred Ink™ Check-In

Six questions I return to when I need to slow down, listen within, and reconnect with what matters.

• Who Am I? 

• Why Am I Here? 

• What is Possible? 

• What Do I Want? 

• Am I ready to make that change? 

• What am I grateful for? 

Journaling has brought peace, love, joy, and gratitude to my life. Journaling helped me to find peace where I was able to reclaim my power.  Journaling helped me to love myself by allowing me to create my happiness. Journaling brought joy to my life by empowering me to find my purpose.  At the end of the day, I always found ways to be grateful for what I have accomplished.  

Over time, I realized journaling wasn't simply something I did when life became difficult. It had become a practice for understanding myself, making meaning of my experiences, reconnecting with what mattered, and deciding how I wanted to move forward.

As my personal practice expanded to include mindfulness, meditation, movement, ritual, and other reflective practices, I began to recognize a common thread: each one invited me to slow down, listen within, and become an active participant in my own story.

That realization became Sacred Ink™—The Reflective Wellbeing Method.

Sacred Ink brings together journaling, mindfulness, storytelling, and reflective practices to help people reconnect with themselves, explore the stories they carry, and intentionally write what comes next.

NOW, I WANT TO HELP YOU WRITE WHAT COMES NEXT

Sacred Ink grew from my own journey, but it was never meant to end with me. Today, I use journaling, mindfulness, storytelling, and reflective wellbeing practices to help others slow down, reconnect with themselves, make meaning of their experiences, and intentionally write their next chapter.

Namaste,

Have a Happy Day!

Juneous A. Pettijohn