I am so excited to begin this journey with you. This is my first official post as founder and director of Spiritual Writers Academy.
I am also an interfaith minister, inter-spiritual counselor, Life-Cycle Celebrant™, community builder and teacher. I take all these roles very seriously and hold them with great honor — but I am first and foremost a writer.
Despite being told from a young age that I was destined to be a doctor or lawyer (or maybe an architect), I became a writer. It didn’t particularly surprise me.
I loved reading as a kid, and also watching TV and movies — not just from an entertainment perspective but also with a critical eye and ear. I was always thinking about how or what I might write instead.
The fact that I was somehow always able to make a decent living from writing — either by doing it myself or managing and editing others to write — has been a true gift. There is nothing like the feeling of painting a blank page with words that come from deep within our hearts and souls — and then sharing those words with others.
I AM a writer. I imagine if you are reading this you are, too — at least you are attempting to own the title.
Voltaire says: “Writing is the painting of the voice.”
Unfortunately, many of our voices are squelched by the fears and criticism of others. Often, we do it to ourselves.
What do I have to say? Who will read it? You just don’t have what it takes. There are so many people who are way more talented than you are … more deserving. Why can’t I just sit down and write? Why even bother trying?
If you’ve heard even just one of these voices, you have probably experienced your own voice being silenced or maybe changed to sound like someone else’s. It’s no wonder why it can be difficult to face a blank sheet of paper.
I created Spiritual Writers Academy to help people find their voice and their own unique way to share it with the world … ways that feel authentic and fulfilling. This is not easy work. It requires learning more about our craft … it requires learning more about who we are at the depths of our soul.
I AM a writer. I cannot stop writing just like I can’t stop breathing. I cannot stop trying to put into words that which is often indescribable.
If you are a writer, too, I look forward to getting to know you better. I look forward to sharing our work, our thoughts, our fears and celebrations.
We become great writers on our own. We become spirit-filled and spirit-led writers when we do it in community with others and in relationship with the Divine.
Join me in painting the world with your voice.