Telling Herstories: The Broad View

Mapping spiritual journey in our writings

"All of the larger than life questions about our presence here on earth and what gifts we have to offer are spiritual questions.  To seek answers to these questions is to seek a sacred path."                           ~ Lauren Artress

A few years ago, my mother handed me a 3" ring binder.  In it was a rough draft of a manuscript from a person I only knew from pictures -- my maternal great-grandfather.  The notebook contained a xeroxed copy of photographs, a sketchy family tree, and notes that told the tale of two young lovers.  Typed pages with tiny hand written remarks and edits amazed and delighted me!  As I read the manuscript, I was especially taken by the strong presence of faith in his writing.  In every chapter, Grandpa and Grandma Guyer's faith was evident, tested, questioned, or praised. 

I never met Grandpa and Grandma Guyer.  But after reading his story, I at least have some answers to questions that help to fill in the blanks of my own story.  My grandmother and mother certainly never spoke about their own religious or spiritual beliefs. Nor did they tell Grandpa and Grandma Guyer's story.  They kept such things close to their hearts and relied on church elders and Sunday School teachers to impart knowledge to the next generation. 

Some days I contemplate taking Grandpa Guyer's manuscript and cleaning it up so that it is publishable.  Other days, I think I should spend my time writing my own story to share with my children and grandchildren before I depart this world.  I am filled with so many questions I wish I could ask Grandpa and Grandma Guyer.  But they and my grandmother, their daughter are gone.  The only answers I will ever have from them are in those yellowed, tattered pages.  My mother is a very private person who keeps her stories to herself.  Even with prodding and questioning it is difficult to get more than a hint of insight.

With that in mind, I realized that so many writing prompts live in the wellspring of our religious practice and our faith-based lives.  Our spirituality could well be a treasure trove of life-writing prompts.  It matters not what you call your religion... it matters that you have a belief system that guides you and that you call upon to help answer life's bigger questions.

Our spirituality is a very personal story.  It is an ever-evolving story.  Many have traveled more than one path in their search for understanding.  Some have arrived.  Others are still searching.  I am not talking "religion" here.  I am talking the spiritual nature that lives and grows within every one of us.  While many would try to equate the two, there is a difference between "religion" and "spirituality". 

Religion seeks to organize and systematically bring together people who have like-minded beliefs about who the Supreme Being is and how that Being should be worshipped.  Deeply rooted in rituals and doctrines, religion -- no matter what world religions we are comparing -- has a strong link to the concept of judgement and many religions cling to grace as a redeeming factor.  

 Spirituality, on the other hand, is our individual path to deeper awareness and understanding.  Our spirituality is ambiguous, open to many different interpretations, subject to many ways of practicing, and ever-evolving.

Exploring our own spiritual paths and/or our religious upbringings offers a wealth of writing prompts.

• Write about some of your earliest memories about church/worship/religious practices in your family. 
• If you did not grow up in a family that fostered religion, write about when you first became aware of the fact that your school and neighborhood friends did - and  what you felt when you realized you were not part of that experience. 
• Were your parents of like-minded religious beliefs?  If no, how did their divergent views/practices influence you as you grew and made your own decisions about religion/spirituality?
• What are the "talking points" in your household around the topic of religion or God (or whatever you call your religion's Supreme Being)?  What are the points from which you steer clear? Why?
• What would you like to be able to ask your elders about your faith?  What would you like to know about their own spiritual paths?  What do you wish some of  your elders would have shared with you when you were younger?

Consider the role your religious and / or spiritual beliefs play in the following:

• In the midst of daily strife, how do you find the strength to persevere?  What gives you hope?  How do you maintain an attitude of gratitude and joy?  How do you make sense of the societal pressures that plague individuals and communities? 
• What story would you like to leave for your children/grandchildren concerning your spiritual path?  Why not use some of what you uncovered with this exercise to begin writing that story?

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"It is very possible that the fate of the world may hang on the story we make of God.  For we act based on who we say we are, and when the story we are acting on is our belief that we are doing what 'God is telling us to do,' powerful suprarational forces are set loose -- for good and ill."  ~ Christina Baldwin from Storycatcher

Life's Little Writing Prompts

"Journal writing is, overall, a gentle process because it is self-guided.  The level at which you ask yourself questions and the responses which come to you are determined by what you are currently ready to know and deal with in writing."  ~ Christina Baldwin/One To One

Are you one of those people who is always looking for new inspiration to keep you on your writing path Do you wish you could find quotes or prompts that would awaken your muse and hush your internal critic?  If so, you've come to the right place!  Welcome to Life's Little Writing Prompts - a twice monthly blog post here at Telling Herstories.

The use of writing prompts is one way to dwell in that "gentle, self-guided process" that Christina Baldwin speaks of in the above quote.  Think about it!  One day a particular prompt may not speak to you at all.  Another day, you are totally consumed by the need to write from the prompt.  It is so important for us to try to gather our writing prompts from a variety of places and people. If we always use similar topics or sources for our prompts, our writing becomes limited.  If we allow ourselves to be open the the possibilities that are deep within many of life's prompts, we can break out of the comfort zone we've created -- we can ask the difficult questions and search for the meaning in our answers.

Need some hints on how to craft your journal entries into a bigger life story?  Maybe they exist in some unusual places -- places you might never consider as resources for writing.  Or maybe they are right there in front of you but you just need a little nudge to actually own them.

That's where Life's Little Writing Prompts comes in twice each month. Some weeks I'll talk about the use of prompts in your writing groups -- both live and on-line groups.  Some weeks I'll guide you through the process of developing a prompt into a larger writing project.  Some weeks we'll just have a "blog chat" about the many sources for writing prompts.

I hope that you'll find the discussions helpful.  I hope that your life will be enriched as you search out your own prompts or integrate the prompts you find here.  I also hope that you will let me know if there are writing prompt related issues/questions that you'd like to discuss here on this blog. 

Be sure to check back here every second and fourth Tuesday for suggestions and actual writing prompts! And in the meantime, keep writing!

This week's writing prompt:  What was going on in the wider world during your early years of childhood?  What impact did these events have on your family and yourself?  (from Christina Baldwin's One To One)