Spiritual Life Mapping Workbook
Image detail from “For the Journey, Father Stephen” by Martha Mundorff Humphrey
NOTE: This page is from the Introduction to the Beta Version of the Spiritual Life Mapping Workbook, If you would like to be involved in testing this version, please go to my contact page and let me know of your interest.
Welcome to Spiritual Life Mapping
Life Mapping is an approach to spiritual discernment that grows out of the conviction that our outward journeys can also be seen as inward journeys.
This is where mental mapping comes in. The places we visit on our outward journey through life can become etched in our minds as markers or reminders of our inner spiritual journey by evoking memories of singular experiences that happened in these places where a surplus of meaning ushered us into that dimension or realm we call the spiritual.
This surplus of meaning can take many forms: it can be a sense of wonder, a glimpse into what can only be described as the holy mystery of life and God’s creation, an awakening to a deep love that is self-giving and non-possessive, an experience of being called or converted.
Spiritual Life Mapping begins with an honest examination into the deeper dimensions of life. Through the act of mapping, what will come out of that inward gaze will be a visual display of a portion of our spiritual life story.
I have found that in Spiritual Life Mapping one’s life story can be claimed in a new and visually arresting way and then to see how this life story of ours can become a gift to others. My prayer is that in these anxious times this approach to spiritual discernment can in some way be life giving for you.
-- Stephen Schneider
Spiritual Life Mapping Workbook
A Resource for Spiritual Discernment
The Spiritual Life Mapping workbook is a creative approach to discernment that integrates mind, body and spirit. By using this Life Mapping workbook you will construct mental maps to document your spiritual geography and to explore times of heightened spiritual awareness and the places where these experiences have occurred. By tracing the sequence of these spiritually significant places you may be able to discern more clearly your spiritual path and some of the actions you may want to take now or in the future.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this workbook for you?
The Spiritual Life Mapping Workbook is designed for anyone interested in exploring their spiritual journey. While the workbook was developed by an Episcopal priest and draws broadly upon the spiritual resources of the Christian tradition, if you walk on another spiritual path you still may find something in the Life Mapping Workbook that can be adapted to your particular situation. The workbook takes you into your own spiritual and life story by the creation of personal maps that represent your spiritual geography and pathways.
What are the workbook themes and key questions?
The Spiritual Life Mapping Workbook is divided into four working sessions or modules.
Module One – Introduction to Life Mapping: A Journey of Promise
What is a lifetime? What is spirituality? How does the concept of place help us understand our lives? What is a mental map?
Module Two – Spiritual Geography: A Journey of Discovery
How might we look at our life in layers? What are the dimensions of our existence?
Module Three – Map Reading: A Journey of Transformation
How can we make sense out of the spiritually significant places and transformational experiences of our lives?
Module Four – Spiritual Cartography: A Journey into the Unknown
How do we go from maps to itineraries? What does it mean to be on a spiritual path? Where am I now going on my spiritual journey
How do I navigate the structure of the workbook?
Each module follows this basic format:
There is a sacred text drawn from the Hebrew or Christian Scriptures. This is followed by the invitation to reflect on the text.
There is a presentation of key ideas and concepts related to Life Mapping.
There is a mapmaking experience.
There is an assignment to prepare for the next working session.
What supplies will I need to for the mapmaking experiences and the assignments?
You should have on hand the following supplies:
A dozen blank sheets of 8 1/2 x 11 paper.
Several larger sheets of paper (11 x 17) or access to a roll of butcher paper.
A pencil with an eraser or a pen.
An assortment of colored pencils or pens.
A simple journal to record information about significant spiritual experiences.
The Modules
Now before you begin.
Center yourself in a quiet place and try to set aside behind any anxiety behind for the time and then allow this question to wrap around you like a blanket:
What place do I want to inhabit right now?
Open the Spiritual Life Mapping Workbook
Click on the button at the bottom of the Card for Module 1 below and enter the password you have been given.
Once inside the workbook,
Please follow the numerical sequence.
Module 1
• Biblical Reflection
• Key Ideas Part 1
• Key Ideas Part 2
• Mapping Activity Part 1
• Mapping Activity Part 2
• Assignment
• Info to access Module 2
Module 2
• Biblical Reflection
• Key Ideas
• Mapping Activity
• Assignment
• Info to access Module 3
Module 3
• Biblical Reflection
• Key Ideas
• Mapping Activity
• Assignment
• Info to access Module 4
Module 4
• Biblical Reflection
• Key Ideas
• Mapping Activity
Workbook Bibliography
Boulding, Kenneth. The Image: Knowledge in Life and Society. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press
Cooper, Becky. Mapping Manhattan: A Love (and Sometimes Hate) Story in Maps. New York: Abrams Image, 2013.
Gould, Peter and Rodney White. Mental Maps. New York: Rutledge, 1983.
Harmon, Katharine. You Are Here: Personal Geographies and Other Maps of the Imagination, New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2004.
Inge, John. A Christian Theology of Place. Burlington, Vermont: Ashgate Publishing Company, 2003.\
Kugel, James L. In the Valley of the Shadow: On the Foundations of Religious Belief. New York: Free Press, 2011.
Loder, James E. The Logic of the Spirit: Human Development in Theological Perspective. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1998.
Loder, James E. The Transforming Moment. Revised Second Edition. Colorado Springs, Colorado: Helmers & Howard, 1989.
Lynch, Kevin. The Image of the City. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press, 1960.
McLaren, Brian D. Naked Spirituality: A Life with God in 12 Simple Words. New York: HarperCollins, 2011.
Martin, S.J., James. The Jesuit Guide to Almost Everything: Spirituality for Real Life. New York: HarperCollins, 2010.
Orleans, Peter. “Differential Cognition of Urban Residents: Effects of Social Scale on Mapping” in Image and Environment: Cognitive Mapping and Social Behavior (edited by Roger M. Downs and David Stea). Chicago: Aldine Publishing Company, 1973.
Sheldrake, Philip. Spaces for the Sacred. London: SCM Press, 2001.
Sheldrake, Philip. Spirituality: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012.
Sheldrake, Philip. (Editor) The New Westminster Dictionary of Christian Spirituality. Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 2005.