Writing a Spiritual Memoir

As an author and blogger, my days are spent writing stories and blog posts. When I first entertained the idea of writing my spiritual memoir Riding Spirit Horse, I asked myself: "Why should I write my story? Will anyone care about it? Will anyone read it? What does it matter?" Of course, we can talk ourselves out of anything because ultimately very few of us will live extraordinary lives or have remarkable stories from the past. Nevertheless, I believe in the value of writing our stories because the life it could change may not be a reader's but our own.
 

Writing a memoir encourages self-reflection and self-examination, which can stir up long-buried emotions. Looking back over the arc of my life was a cathartic process that purged repressed emotions linked to events in the past. As I read through my journals, I relived past events that I had tried hard to forget. It was difficult but very therapeutic. I also rediscovered many fond forgotten memories, evoking nostalgia and a warm sense of joy. In writing my story, I feel like I have integrated all of my life experiences into the present moment. I remember who I really am and how I got here. I am truly more whole.
 

The process of writing a memoir becomes a meaningful and fulfilling journey to wholeness. The past self is fully integrated with the present self. In large part, this is the power a good memoir evokes in both the writer and the reader. Healing takes root through storytelling when the author makes self-discoveries. When those discoveries are revealed in a well-crafted narrative, the author has the makings of a compelling story. As author Thomas Larson puts it in his insightful book The Memoir and the Memoirist, "a memoir imaginatively renders our evolving selves and critically evaluates how memory, time, history, culture, and myth are expressed within our individual lives."
 

So I would encourage you to write your own story. Writing helps you claim a conscious identity, grounding you in a firm sense of self. Writing your story is very empowering. It helps you find your own unique voice. Through writing, you begin to make meaning of your life. It's a fundamental human need to know our past, how it links to the present and where we fit in. Many of us walk around in a fog of past events that we never fully understood or processed. When you write your story, you create an ordered pattern out of past events, and thereby construct meaning. You form a clearer understanding of who you are and how you got to where you are.
 

Once you have expressed an understanding of what your story means to you, you can then share it with others. Though we write for ourselves, a story implies both a narrator and a listener -- it is created for the purpose of sharing meaning and understanding. Stories help us connect with others and create relationships. For those of us who feel alone, our stories act as bridges to others and build community. Our stories allow us to be known and seen, understood and appreciated.
 

Willa Cather, an American Pulitzer Prize writer known for her novels of life on the Great Plains, once wrote that: "There are only two or three human stories, and they go on repeating themselves as fiercely as if they had never happened before." When writing a memoir, we may each be telling "the same stories," but we do it with our own unique use of language, imagery and style, which to me is what's most important. Every story has its own distinctive personality, tone and feeling.
 

Writing our life stories is an inner pilgrimage of transformation -- both cathartic and enlightening. We cannot help but grow, expand and change through this conscious probing engagement with our inner worlds. We learn more about ourselves and often bring closure to unresolved issues. Transforming our life into words is one of the most creative pursuits we can engage in, fostering a great sense of achievement. So treat yourself to the experience. Forgive yourself for past mistakes, embrace the past sorrow, appreciate the good times, and start writing your legacy!