Spiritual Autobiography: Exploring the Story of Your Life Through Writing (Online Program)

A testimonial about this program from last year…
“Amy is an excellent facilitator! I was amazed at all of the insights that surfaced during this writing process. The opportunity to both share and receive each other’s stories was very special. I would highly recommend this program to anyone wanting to deepen their spirituality and self-awareness while connecting with others.”  – Jean Anne Walsh

Irish poet Pádraig Ó Tuama affirms that we are all “story full and lovely.” Indeed, these stories are how we remember and share the journey of our lives, both collectively and individually.

Through six sessions together-and reflective time between sessions-participants will respond through writing (and other creative modes) to gentle prompts that can help us to write the stories of our individual spiritual journeys. We all live this spiritual journey every day, whether or not we are grounded in a specific religious tradition. Indeed, most wisdom traditions affirm that we live this spiritual-or inward-journey in the daily moments that we need to take time to notice. By writing with and for other attentive writers, we will honor the things that make us human together and share, as Ó Tuama invites “the things that do not fade: generosity, truth-telling, silence, respect, and love.”

Our times together will be for listening to one another’s stories. We gather not to offer feedback or critique (as you might find in a traditional writing workshop) or to teach one another how to write a spiritual autobiography. We gather to receive the gifts that flow through each other’s generous sharing of our lives, and to open ourselves to our own story.

We are thrilled to welcome back Amy Schmaljohn for another session of this meaningful and inspiring program. Join Amy and others to remember, write, and share the journey that is uniquely your own. No previous writing experience is required!

DATE: Mondays, 1/13, 1/20, 1/27, 2/3, 2/10, and 2/17/25

TIME: 6:30 – 8:30 PM ET

COST: Early Bird Discount (purchased prior to 12/1/24) – $150; Regular Cost (purchased 12/2/24 and after) – $170

LOCATION: ZOOM

REGISTRATION is required; please register here.

CANCELLATION POLICY:  Please read our cancellation policy, here.

IMPORTANT: You will receive an email from lorie@wellforthejourney.org at least 24 hours in advance of the start of your program. If you are unable to find the email, please check your SPAM or JUNK email folders. This email will include details to help you prepare for your program including any pertinent handouts, location information, and the ZOOM link for online programs. Please be sure you have received and read this email a minimum of 24 hours in advance of the start of the program. Thank you!

FACILITATOR: Amy Schmaljohn

FACILITATOR BIO: 
Amy Schmaljohn enjoyed a 35 year career as a leader and teacher in both higher education and at Friends School of Baltimore (Quaker). Her classrooms offered students opportunities to explore world literature and art, movements for nonviolent social transformation, and the human experience of religion across global traditions. A member of Gunpowder Friends Meeting (Quaker), she leads contemplative spiritual retreats in the tradition of the Religious Society of Friends and offers spiritual deepening programs for seekers in the Baltimore region. She is enlivened by the sharing of our stories, by the mystery and power of the written word, and by her daily encounters with the natural world just outside her doorstep. Amy and her husband Alan, a retired virologist, live in northwestern Baltimore County, where they steward seventeen acres of woodland, meadow and streams that have been placed in the Maryland Environmental Trust and serve as a gathering space for those seeking immersive experiences in nature.