Authors Eirene Palmer and Richard Palmer. Published by DLT (Darton, Longman, Todd)
Reviewed by Angela May
This book is the work of a couple who are both authors and retreat leaders, experienced in helping others to write, specifically including writing about things that I’m interested in: life’s journey, one’s spiritual life, and journalling in general. I’ve always found it difficult to find the time to keep a diary, but in recent years I’ve wanted to write my autobiography, however briefly, and to take up the practice of spiritual journalling. But somehow life always gets in the way.
So it seemed a good idea to read this ‘transformative book (which) offers a treasure trove of ideas to help you write about your spiritual life …. maybe recording your story for others …. (providing) invaluable advice, good journalling practices, and tips for encouraging readers to get into the habit of daily writing and reflection’. This book is all about finding yourself and finding your voice, writing from ‘that deep reflective place inside each of us’.
The authors make it clear that we don’t need to worry about perfect grammar or punctuation: we just need to write and get things down. Also that all writing can be considered spiritual.
The authors encourage us to begin with the use of story-telling as a means of getting into writing, delving into our own lives, and writing things down for the interest of other people. They recommend starting a story with a small detail. This immediately grabbed my attention, because I’d thought to begin my biography in exactly that way, with a tiny flower. So I was only a few pages into reading this book when I managed to write down the title of my autobiography for the first time, having carried it in my head for at least a decade. I had taken the first step!
The book is full of prompts and tips, including the basic advice to have a notebook with you always, including at your bedside, to capture stray thoughts and ideas, interesting dialogue, dreams, etc, which you think you’ll remember but don’t. These are good resources for writing about.
Another prompt: undertake a simple Examen, a technique used in Ignatian spirituality, and write about it. Also suggested: a SWOT exercise, writing some paragraphs on one’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. Undertaking this, the Opportunities section reminded me of all the exciting potential for developments in my area.. The advice to write about anything you are passionate about got me writing about my favourite colour, how it all began, and its long-term impact on my happiness. The book is full of interesting thoughts and ideas.
Eirene’s apparent preference for referring to God as ‘She’ made me begin to consider the feminine side of God, who is after all El Shaddai, the All Sufficient, encompassing everything, and I wondered whether I might relate better to God as Her rather than Him. I began a prayer to El Shaddai, using the free-writing technique, just relaxing, open to God, and letting thoughts and images emerge into my mind and putting them down on paper, to be honed later into a completed prayer. There are sections on free-writing, which gives you access to your subconscious, and on writing prayers, and also encouragement to try writing psalms relating to your own life.
Keeping a journal is a long-established way of getting to understand more about ourselves, and keeping track of how far we have come, and what God has been doing in our lives. It was encouraging to be told that one doesn’t have to write a spiritual journal every day, and I’ve managed to complete a few entries in my new journal since starting to read this book, inspired by events. Success with this will come down to prioritizing, and it is important.
This easy-to-read book has been interesting and encouraging, and has helped me to get going in several areas of writing. Hopefully, it will also be helpful for others who are having trouble pinning themselves down or who could do with some encouragement and nudges.
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