Spiritual Writing

Writing for Life: Creating a Story of Your Own
The therapeutic power of journaling, proven and embraced over the last century by doctors and psychologist, is an effective tool to improve health and achieve healing of the body, mind and spirit. The journaling and scrapbooking techniques taught in this course provide a creative way to connect with the inner self and heal emotional wounds while documenting your story, your life, in a fun and unique way.   [Learn more]   [Enroll Now]   [ Course Reviews ]

Write A Way: Journey to Creativity

A Spiritual Writing
By Sandra Lee Schubert

"We are not human beings on a spiritual journey. We are spiritual beings on a human journey."
~ Stephen Covey

The holiday season brings with it the rush of parties, shopping and vacations. Many of us look forward to this time of year for its festive air. The sting of winter can be thwarted when you enter into a store or home with music and decorations that capture the eye. But the one thing that can get lost in all of the hobnob is the spiritual aspect of the season. When we get lost and want to go back to the original roots of the season, we can turn to books for our inspiration. Writing on things spiritual can be tricky. There are all kinds of genres under the spiritual umbrella. Each has a different direction, from the personal spiritual autobiography to fiction that has a spiritual message in the storyline.

Think of the kinds of books that are on the market right now. The Purpose-Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? by Rick Warren offers a variety of products to go along with the original publication. There are the popular Left Behind series which wraps a story around a particular message. Spiritual writing can be found in many section of the bookstore from New Age, religion, self-improvement to self help. My bookshelves cover a range of books from Eric Butterworth, John Randolph Price, and Marianne Williamson, to the traditional books of the major religions such as the Bible, to the Bhagavad-Gita. My religious upbringing was in Catholicism but my twenties and thirties were spent exploring many avenues of the less traditional forms of spirituality. When I studied to become an interfaith minister, I delved into the study of many religions. Now, ten years later, I have settled into the Episcopal Church. I am happiest in the Christian faith but my exploration, studies and training has given me a firm appreciation for anything spiritual. It also has given me a foundation of spiritual currency. There are many avenues to explore.

"We live in a vastly complex society which has been able to provide us with a multitude of material things, and this is good, but people are beginning to suspect we have paid a high spiritual price for our plenty."
~ Euell Gibbons

If you want to consider spiritual writing then decide what it is the message you want to convey in your work. Let's look at a couple of the options available; memoir, fiction, self help/personal development. This is not a complete list and there also sub-topics and different areas of interest in each genre. Spiritual writing is really wide open with possibility.

Memoir
Memoir writing is more specific to your personal journey then writing about personal development. There a couple of ways to approach this. You can tell your story and let the spiritual aspect emerge. One example is Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith by Anne Lamott. Her book is a series of essays separated under different topics. Some of the essays cover her faith life specifically and sometimes she just shares life experiences. You are taken along on her faith journey. On the other hand Madeleine L'Engle book, Bright Evening Star is a personal narrative that covers a very specific topic, the mystery of the Incarnation. Memoir is a specific spiritual experience that can be witness to your faith, or a journal of your journey of spiritual discovery.

Fiction
Memoirs and faith sharing may be off-putting to some people but spirituality wrapped around a good story can deliver a palatable message. The story can specific to a particular message such as the Left Behind series or new classics like the Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield. Fiction writing can offer you more opportunity to explore spirituality in a way that is not limited to doctrine or a theology.

Self-help and Personal Development
Self-help is a spiritual how to offering the reader exercises and activities to lead them along to a desire result. As example, a book on meditation may begin by explaining meditation principles and providing short meditation opportunities to lead the reader to a longer and sustained practice. Personal development may offer the same explanation of meditation but without the how to exercises. This genre can offer a range of other products and opportunities such as workbooks and journals, and even audio versions that can take someone through a guided meditation.

Look at your bookshelf and see what you like to read, or visit the library and see the offerings there. Decide on your intention for spiritual writing. Do want to deliver a faith message or offer a helpful technique? In the end, remember the reader wants to be inspired, informed and given the opportunity for growth.

"We learn and grow and are transformed not so much by what we do but by why and how we do it."
~ Sharon Salzberg, O Magazine, The Power of Intention, January 2004

Creative Prompts

Spiritual Autobiography: What are your spiritual beliefs? Are you a new age kind of person or were you raised in a traditional religion. Either way you have experiences to relate. Spend some time describing your spiritual life. What does your family belief? Do you follow those beliefs or have you discovered your own? Begin at the beginning and describe your spiritual life and how it informs your secular life.

Read some different traditions: As an example... if you are not traditional, pick up some texts you might not normally read. Is there any thing you have learned?

Write you own spiritual essay: Pick a topic.
I think a higher power is...
I think spirituality is...
I want to help you to meditate by telling you the following...


Creative Resources to check out:
Writer's Digest - Spiritual Writing 2005
Spiritual Writing: From Inspiration to Publication by Deborah Levine and Cynthia Black
Spiritual Quests: The Art and Craft of Religious Writing edited by William Zinsser


Sandra Schubert is the creator and instructor for the Self-Healing Expressions e-course Writing for Life: Creating a Story of Your Own. To learn more about Sandra and her course, click here:

Course Overview

Copyright © 2005 Sandra Lee Schubert. All rights reserved.