A Pen and a Path: Writing as a Spiritual Practice (Explorefaith.Org) - Softcover

Stockton, Sarah

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0819221198 ISBN 13: 9780819221193

Publisher: Morehouse Publishing, 2005

Synopsis

A hands-on, practical resource for people who want to explore their relationship with God through writing.
Unlike other books that focus on writing itself, Sarah Stockton focuses on the discoveries made--about one's self and about God--through meditation and creative journaling. A Pen and A Path is a book for anyone who wants to explore where God has been present in the various experiences of their life, past and present. Stockton, a spiritual director and writing teacher, walks readers through thirty-five separate topics, which can be read and worked on in order or in any sequence of interest to the reader.

Topics explored include religious understandings such as how God is envisioned, how religious training formed (or didn't form) the reader, and how we envision ourselves as spiritual beings. Other chapters explore life stages: childhood, teenage years, elder years, as well as marriage, parenting, and sexuality. Focusing on emotions such as grief, shame, anger, and loneliness, as well as feelings about work provide readers with the opportunity to explore nearly any aspect of their life of faith.

About this title

About the Author

Sarah Stockton is a writer, writing teacher, and spiritual director. Her articles have appeared in America Magazine, the Christian Science Monitor, Beliefnet.com, as well as many other publications. She is the author of Restless in Christ: Answering the Call to Spiritual Commitment (Crossroad Publishing, 2004) and teaches at the University of San Francisco.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

A Pen and A Path

Writing as a Spiritual Practice

By SARAH STOCKTON

Church Publishing, Inc.

Copyright © 2004 Sarah Stockton
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-0-8192-2119-3

Contents

Acknowledgments
explorefaith.org books: An Introduction
Introduction
Part I: Choosing the Path of Writing as a Spiritual Practice
How to Use This Book
Part II: Beginning the Journey
Section 1: Reading the Map
Chapter 1: Images of My Spiritual Self
Chapter 2: How Others Have Influenced My Spiritual Identity and My 
Relationship with God
Chapter 3: My Own Perspective on My Spiritual Identity and My Relationship 
to God
Chapter 4: Beginning to Create My Spiritual Identity Anew
Section 2: Using the Compass: My Religious Tradition and My Relationship 
with God
Chapter 5: Envisioning God
Chapter 6: How My Religious Tradition Portrays God
Chapter 7: How My Religious Tradition Portrays Who I Am
Chapter 8: What Attracts Me about My Religion?
Chapter 9: What Do I Find Repelling about My Religion?
Chapter 10: Exploring My Relationship to My Faith Community
Section 3: Milestones on the Path
Chapter 11: Childhood
Chapter 12: Adolescence
Chapter 13: Young Adulthood
Chapter 14: Marriage and Significant Relationships
Chapter 15: The Single Life
Chapter 16: Parenting
Chapter 17: Education
Chapter 18: Work History
Chapter 19: Midlife
Chapter 20: Elder-life
Section 4: Recognizing and Navigating the Landscape of Experience
Chapter 21: Disappointment, Loss, and Grief: Shades of Sadness
Chapter 22: Trust/Lack of Trust
Chapter 23: Desire: Fulfilled and Unfulfilled
Chapter 24: Physicality
Chapter 25: Loneliness
Chapter 26: Anger
Chapter 27: Guilt and Shame
Chapter 28: Forgiveness
Section 5: Companions on the Path
Chapter 29: Family: Parents, Children, Siblings
Chapter 30: Intimacy
Chapter 31: Faith Community
Chapter 32: Global Community
Section 6: Mapping the World of Work
Chapter 33: My Current Work
Chapter 34: Seeking My Calling
Chapter 35: Manifesting My Calling in New Ways
Chapter 36: Spirituality and Creativity
Part III: For Further Exploration
If You Want to Write about Spirituality for Others
Finding and/or Forming a Creative Community
For Further Reading: Suggested Resources on Writing and Spirituality

CHAPTER 1

Images of My Spiritual Self

On the last day of my spiritual direction training program, we gathered togetherin a circle to "show and tell." Each of us had brought an image or an icon thatrepresented how we saw ourselves as spiritual directors, as we imagined goingforward into our new vocation. One woman brought a puppet shaped like a turtle:it represented both the interior and exterior life. A man brought a photographof an important mentor/teacher. I brought a doll-sized chair, which I hadpainted and decorated with small charms. This chair represented my listeningself. No icon, words, or pictures can capture all of our identity, but they canbegin to tell a story, to highlight an important aspect of who we are, and whowe want to be.

When asked to draw an image of your spiritual self, what would you draw? Whenasked to describe your spiritual self in words, what would you say? Images maycome to mind that are suffused with color and texture. A memory of kneeling inchurch, or hiking though the woods, or sitting with a dying loved one may fillour minds and open our hearts. These experiences of spirit that infuse one'sspiritual identity may or may not be related to the practice of religion, forour spiritual identity is partly composed of, yet much more than, our faithtradition, just as God is part of, yet much more than, any religious practice.Our spiritual identity is as unique as any other part of us, from ourfingerprints to our way of living in the world. How would you describe theunique spirit that is you?

Reflection

Because this is a book on writing as a spiritual practice, these exercises askyou to describe yourself today in words, rather than other mediums. Begin tothink about the images that spring to mind when you talk or write or think aboutwho you are as a spiritual person.

• Do you picture yourself in a specific setting?

• Which emotions, rituals, or states of mind do you associate with your spiritualself?

• How does thinking about who you are, and how you are spiritually, summon up aparticular attitude or framework for approaching your daily life?

• From there, begin to explore the feelings and assumptions attached to theseimages and states of mind or being. What are the emotions that color who you arespiritually?

• How do your usual thoughts or feelings about yourself change when you focus onwho you are spiritually?

Pen in Hand

Take some time to sketch in words or phrases, the images and descriptions thatcome to mind when you think about your spiritual self. These may be states ofbeing such as grateful, obedient, restless; they may include descriptions likefluid, wellspring, open, seeking; or they may be emotions like fearful, eager,grateful. Write as many of these words and phrases down on a page as you can.

Don't worry about order or structure. Try to keep going past where you think youshould or must stop—beyond the point where you think you are "done." See whatarises. Sometimes the most honest and startling answers show up when we push abit past our own limits.

Noticing

• How did it feel to write this list?

• Which words or phrases were more interesting to you than others?

• Which words or images, if any, were disconcerting?

• Think about or write about how you feel now, after doing this exercise.

On the Path

If a starting point or a direction has emerged from your list of words andimages, use it as a way into this next exercise. Using that starting point,write more thoroughly about your spiritual self for fifteen minutes. If you findthat you have said all that you can say before the time is up, try to write alittle more. If you then feel that you have reached a final stopping point andyour fifteen minutes aren't up, then write about the process itself until thetime is up.

If you don't sense a natural starting point or direction, try using thesuggested launching points below. Choose any that apply, or simply beginwherever you feel most drawn to begin.

• Describe the difference between your "daily self" and your spiritual self. Ifyou don't feel there is any difference, write about how that came to be: was italways so? How did the integration of your daily self and spiritual self evolve?

Are there words or phrases that describe your spiritual self that you would notwish to share with others? With people in your faith community? What are they,and why? Do they seem subversive, or just different? Do they leave you feelingvulnerable? How would claiming these aspects of your spiritual identity feel?

• If the process of articulating your spiritual self was difficult, write aboutwhy that might be the case. How did it feel to struggle with this exercise?

Contemplation

Finally, if you'd like to, re-read the section on contemplation on page 5 forsome thoughts on how to conclude this chapter. Pay attention to how you feelnow.

• Has the image of your spiritual self changed, expanded, or become more grounded?If not, what has happened?

• How will you take this new awareness into your life from this point?

• Do you feel like sharing what you wrote? Why? Why not?

CHAPTER 2

How Others Have Influenced My SpiritualIdentity and My Relationship with God

A small girl watches carefully as her mother lights a candle, and eventually isallowed to light the candle by herself. A boy repeats the prayer he has beentaught, learning the inflections before grasping the meaning. These actionsbecome part of a child's spiritual vocabulary, part of who they are: actionsthat, while automatic, may or may not be heartfelt.

Who we are, in all aspects, is who we bring to God. Along the way to becomingwho we are, the parents, religious leaders, lovers, relatives, and friends wehave known have all at one point or another affected the way we view ourselves.Those relationships affect who we are in relation to God, even if indirectly.Like being draped in many-colored shawls, the influences of others can either becomforting and warm or too tightly binding with their constraints. In thischapter we will begin to unwind some of these cloths that the spirit is wrappedin, keeping those that bring color, warmth, and succor, and discarding thosethat weigh down and restrict spiritual freedom.

Reflection

Begin to think about the influences that you've absorbed throughout life thatimpact your image of yourself as a spiritual person who has a relationship withGod.

• Who are the people who have had the most impact on your spiritual identity?

• What words might others use to describe who you are and what your relationshipto God is like?

• How important to you are other people's ideas or opinions about who you are as aspiritual person, or as a person in general?

• Which beliefs about yourself as someone who is, or can be, in relationship withGod come from someone else?

Pen in Hand

Spend a few minutes writing a mini-biography of yourself, from the point of viewof someone else who has had a significant impact on your spiritual identity.Don't worry about formal writing. Treat this like a journal entry more than aletter of recommendation or character assessment. If you choose someone who youbelieve views you negatively, pay attention to any feelings of discomfort,anger, or anxiety that arise. Try to balance this portrait of yourself bywriting another sketch, this time from the perspective of someone who has had apositive influence on you, who you believe cares for you.

Noticing

• How did it feel to write a self-portrait from someone else's perspective?

• Was it difficult to think of someone who affirms you? Why is that?

• If you chose to write about someone who you believe judges you negatively, whatinsights did you gain about how her negative energy affects your spiritualidentity?

• Think or write about the power of other people's influence on your own spiritualidentity.

On the Path

Writing about how others have influenced, shaped, or otherwise affected us canbe either heartening or distressing, or sometimes a bit of both. For this nextwriting exercise, write about a single, significant person or interaction fromyour life that you continue to carry as part of your spiritual identity. Try tostay with this one person or experience that carries a lasting impression, inorder to better explore its effect on you in more depth. There are often greatriches to be explored in such a relationship, for if it has stayed with you, itmust contain something important to explore. You can always repeat this exerciseusing a different focus another time.

It's natural to feel vulnerable opening ourselves up to outside influences, evenif those influences have been positive. Ask God to accompany and safeguard youas you explore these imprints on your spirit. If nothing comes to you, somesuggestions for getting started follow. Write for fifteen minutes.

• When did this person first begin to have an impact on your spiritual identity?What was it about this person that helped form you?

• If you could write to this person about their impact on your spiritual identity,what would you say?

• Do you feel mostly blessed by the people and events that have impacted youspiritually and affected your relationship with God, or do you feel that theyhave been a hindrance, that their influence has been detrimental or evendamaging? Can you articulate why that is?

• What emotions arose through doing this exercise? Were there any surprises?

Contemplation

Please bear in mind that you may be plumbing difficult emotional depths in thisexercise. Anger, grief, or sadness aren't unusual responses. You may havestepped outside of yourself in order to reflect back on your experience throughanother's perspective, and that can be unsettling. Take some extra time to pray,share feelings, and experiences with a friend, or to nurture yourself. Think orwrite about:

• Was doing this exercise beneficial? In what way?

• Do you want to keep going with this exercise? Why? Why not?

• Has this exercise changed the way you view the people in your life?

CHAPTER 3

My Own Perspective on My Spiritual Identityand My Relationship to God

Underneath the labels, stereotypes, and opinions others hold about us exists ourown private set of beliefs about who we are and what our relationship with Godis all about. Someone may think "oh, she's so pious; she goes to church everyweek" while we secretly think of ourselves as rebellious outsiders who arguewith God constantly. Or someone may see us as casual and indifferentspiritually, while inside, we long with all our hearts for God. When wearticulate what we believe about ourselves, we begin to discover who we actuallyare. That makes it possible to grow into a fuller understanding of our trueidentity, and leads to acceptance, integration, and even transformation.

Reflection

Begin to consider the ways you think about and express who you are as aspiritual person who has a relationship with God.

• What words or phrases best describe your spiritual identity?

• How comfortable are you with your spiritual identity?

• How does your spiritual identity help you connect with God?

• Are you living out the spiritual path you most desire?

• What images or symbols best describe your spiritual self?

Pen in Hand

Spend a few minutes writing a mini-portrait of your spiritual self, this timefrom your own point of view. Again, don't worry about formal writing. Treat thislike a journal entry more than a resume. Focus on describing what you visualizeor feel when you say to yourself, "My spiritual identity is ..."

Noticing

• Is the way you imagine yourself more connected to images or words?

• When you picture your spiritual self, what are you doing? For instance, are youpraying? With others? In nature?

• Can you separate who you are from what other people think about you? Would youlike to?

• Is your own belief about your spiritual identity mostly positive, or mostlynegative? How do you feel about that?

On the Path

As you write, describe in more detail who you are as a spiritual person. Focuson how you come into connection with God. Write for fifteen minutes. If you'dlike a way to begin, consider:

• In what settings are you most at home, most in touch with God?

• What does your spiritual practice look like? The rhythms, the rituals?

• How do you honor/nurture your spiritual self?

• Describe how your spiritual self is or is not congruent with your publicpersona.

Contemplation

Spending time focused on and in relationship with our own self can bring ussurprising and interesting information about ourselves. Honor your desire to getto know yourself and who you are in relationship with God. Think or write about:

• How are you feeling about yourself now?

• Do you have a clearer understanding of who you are in relation to God, or wouldyou like to keep exploring that identity?

• Are you surprised at how easy or difficult it was to write a self-portrait? Whydo you suppose that is?

CHAPTER 4

Beginning to CreateMy Spiritual Identity Anew

What avenues of creativity will you pursue on your spiritual journey? How willyou create the way you live in the world from this moment on? One of the mostprecious gifts from God is the freedom to create. It is not just artists whocreate, with words and paint and music: all human beings are free to create aself, an approach to life, a way of being in the world. Being from God, thiscreative freedom is imbued with God's presence, so that while we are free toturn away from God, we are also free to embrace God's presence as co-creator inthe continually evolving creation that is our life. Consciously choosing to co-createour spiritual self with God, new possibilities open up for greaterfreedom, authenticity, and joy.

Reflection

Begin to think about how you would like to co-create your spiritual self in thenewness of this moment, this point on your life journey.

• How do you feel when thinking about "cocreating your spiritual self?"

• What feelings arise in you at the thought of change?

• What about your spiritual self do you want to keep?

• Which aspects of your spiritual self, if any, do you want to reclaim from yourpast?

• What would you like to discard?

Pen in Hand

Write about what it means to you to partner with God in creating your spiritualself. Are you comfortable with that concept? Why or why not? Which aspects ofyour spiritual identity or spiritual practice would you like to reconsider andmake anew?

Noticing

• What was it like to write from this perspective?

• Did you experience more or less resistance to this exercise compared to othertopics you have written about? Why?

• What did you learn in doing this exercise?

• Were you affirmed in any way during this exercise?

(Continues...)

Excerpted from A Pen and A Path by SARAH STOCKTON. Copyright © 2004 Sarah Stockton. Excerpted by permission of Church Publishing, Inc..
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

Edition details

• Publisher: Morehouse Publishing
• Publication date: 2005
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0819221198
• ISBN 13: 9780819221193
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 148