How to Use the Epiphany Review

EPIPHANY WEEKLY REVIEW (Can also be used as Daily Review) Date: ______

How I have practiced and experienced over the last week:

LISTENING: ______

BELIEF (in myself, someone else and/or something): ______

ACTION: ______

SERENDIPITY: (record any instance if you can’t think of one from the week) ______

GRATITUDE: ______

Any epiphanies this week? Yes No If yes, summarize it here and then write about it in story format. ______

What Is One Thing I Love About Myself? ______

If I have a negative thought or feeling about something, what are 3 positive thoughts and feelings I can come up with about the same thing?

Negative Thought: ______

Positive Thoughts: 1.) ______2.) ______3.) ______

What is an intention I want to set for the next week? ______

THE EPIPHANY WEEKLY/DAILY REVIEW WORKSHEET is found in Epiphany: The Journal as a weekly review but it can also be used on a daily or monthly basis to help cultivate epiphanies by focusing on the stages of life-changing epiphanies and a few other exercises. Of course, you can use this review at any time, however, you will get the best results when you use it on a consistent basis. Each section of the review is explained below. *********

HOW YOU HAVE PRACTICED + EXPERIENCED THE STAGES OF A LIFE-CHANGING EPIPHANY: Here are descriptions of the stages so you know the context in which to think and write about these (from the Introduction to Epiphany on pp. 7-8; pp. ii-iii, Epiphany: The Journal)

1) Listening: to pay attention to; hear; be attentive; concentrate; take notice of and act on what someone says; respond to advice or a request; give consideration.

Whether they were calmly contemplating the sky, meditating or praying, clinging to hope in a crisis, desperate to heal, or searching for an answer, people were listening and paying attention to signs and what was going on around them. I say “listening” because many of the epiphanies, especially the more miraculous ones, almost all had to do with hearing a voice, either an inner voice or one from a Higher Power.

2) Belief: trust, faith, or confidence in someone or something.

When people had an epiphany, they never doubted for one instant that whatever happened was real for them. They had absolute faith and trust in their experience and themselves, knowing the action they were taking because of their epiphany was right for them, regardless of what anyone else thought.

3) Action: the fact or process of doing something, typically to achieve an aim; the accomplishment of a thing usually over a period of time, in stages, or with the possibility of repetition; initiative; enterprise; an act of will.

Every single person whose epiphany positively changed his or her life took action. All of them took the first step toward whatever the epiphany compelled them to do, even if they had no idea what would happen after that.

4) Serendipity: the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way.

After people began to take action on their epiphanies, circumstances seemed to fall into place so that they could take the next step. It is as if the world conspires to support your decisions and actions, to confirm that you are on the right track. Many (not all) of the people I talked to felt the hand of God or some other mysterious, benevolent force in

1 their lives after their epiphanies.

Bonus) Gratitude: the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.

Gratitude helps us to be present and not in expectation, enabling us to fully listen, believe, act and experience serendipity.

********* THE EXERCISES OF WRITING ABOUT ANY EPIPHANIES YOU’VE HAD THAT WEEK AND WRITING DOWN ONE THING YOU LOVE ABOUT YOURSELF ARE SELF-EXPLANATORY – DO EXACTLY THAT.

If you don’t have any epiphanies from the week, record any former epiphanies. These are the questions to ask: What is the story—what led up to it? What happened in that moment? Did you/your life change and if so, how?

When you write about any epiphanies you’ve had, make sure you summarize the wisdom gained and lesson learned. That’s your quote. Use it. Share it. It’s a building block for your life.

********* NEGATIVE AND POSITIVE THOUGHTS: This exercise comes from the work of Barbara Fredrickson, PhD, a positive psychologist who is interviewed in the book (p. 90 in Book; p. 61 in Journal).

Examine a running negative feeling or thought you have, and write it down. Now think of a positive thought about that subject and make it be the EXACT OPPOSITE of the Negative Thought.

Example: Negative Thought: “I’m not good enough.” Positive Thought: “I am more than enough—I’m confident and love who I am.” This is just for the first Positive Thought you write down. The other two positive thoughts can be related to the same subject but with a positive take. Make all of them present and active.

Example: Negative Thought: “I’m not good enough.” Positive Thoughts: “I am good and working on myself and always figure out how to grow and be better.” “I respect myself and respect others and have others in my life who respect me.”

Use one or more of your positive affirmations throughout your week or longer. You also may want to explore The Work of Byron Katie. It’s an excellent method to help change negative thought patterns.

********* INTENTION: These intentions are great because they’re only for the week and can be bite-size actions that you can accomplish. You can also set a bigger intention for a longer amount of time. Write it here and then close your eyes and really envision that intention and what it FEELS like. Do this often with your intentions and you will not believe the results. For more about the possibilities of intentions and how to “feel” them, see Kate Milliken’s epiphany (p. 124 book; p. 84 journal).

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THERE YOU HAVE IT! THE EPIPHANY REVIEW EXPLAINED. NOW ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS START— YOUR EPIPHANY-FILLED LIFE AWAITS…