By Nan Phifer

Book Info

Nan Phifer is associate director of the Oregon Writing Project at the University of Oregon. In 1998 she created a workshop, Writing The Spiritual Memoir, which is sponsored jointly by the Lane Literary Guild, the Pastoral Care Department of Peace Health Medical Group, and the Oregon University Writing Project. In this book, a treasury of her experience and the experiences of others, she offers to guide the reader on a "Voyage of the Soul" to discover the spiritual dimension of your life. She uses the word spiritual to "refer to the essential and activating principle at the center of your being, your intangible essence. It encompasses but is not limited to experiences traditionally thought of as religious. It refers to your inner life, the part of yourself at your vital core and the animating force within you."

The voyage of discovery can be undertaken by writing your memoirs, "about the experiences, people and places most important in your life." The project of writing will not only result in a lasting record of the significant experiences of your life, but the process of writing will help you identify "previously unrecognized" spiritual dimensions of your life. Reflecting the experience of herself and others with whom she has worked, the author suggests that the project and the process of writing your memoirs will "stimulate personal, spiritual growth."

The author distinguishes between the writing of memoirs and an autobiography. An autobiography is a broad, narrative overview of a life from birth to the time of writing. Using the image of the labyrinth map of paths which lead one from the other edge toward the center, writing a memoir is a process of moving from the outer dimensions of your life to the inner core where "you may gain insights, make discoveries and arrive at a sense of balance and wholeness."

The heart of the book consists of twenty four short chapters, which provide step-by-step strategies to help you begin, persist, and complete the process of moving to the center of your "spiritual labyrinth" by undertaking the project of writing the memoir of your journey. The author provides two kinds of guideposts in each chapter. One series relates to where you are in the project of writing. She provides pointers on steps of the writing process including such areas as gathering and storing lists of ideas, writing a quick rough draft, reading the draft to yourself, getting feedback by reading your work to another person or group willing to listen, revising the first draft, and completing a final draft. The other series relates to leading you in the process of moving through the labyrinth. The early chapters begin with your "outer life" identifying the people, places and events which shaped you and the course of your life. The author poses a series of questions, which help you to reflect upon the spiritual dimensions of these significant realms.

Later chapters concentrate on helping you write directly of the "inner life" which embraces such dimensions as aspirations, longings, love, joy, confronting crisis, hopes, dreams and visions. The chapters are illuminated by quotations from well-known people and excerpts from memoirs written by people known to the author.

The book has been designed to be used by individuals working alone, by people working as writing partners, and by participants in workshops and college classes. It is a guide that has been "tried and tested" by the author and those she has guided on the quest. It is her hope that for those who undertake the project and the process, the result will be "both to discover and to record your very essence, your soul." Although I usually find "how to" books tedious at best, I found this book so animated and evocative, I am seriously thinking about embarking on the voyage!