The Hot Author Report

Spotlight on Author Jill Jepson

Jill Jepson is a traveler, professor, and transformational life coach, and the author of three books and over 60 articles. She holds a Ph.D. in Linguistics from the University of Chicago as well as degrees in writing, psychology, social science, and Asian studies. Using her extensive travels to places as diverse as Guatemala, Syria, Siberia, and Afghanistan, her writing explores spiritual traditions, history, culture, personal growth, and the writing process. Through her business, Writing the Whirlwind, she offers coaching and online workshops for writers, activists, and others. You can visit her website at www.writingthewhirlwind.net.

Writing as a Sacred Path: A Practical Guide to Writing With Passion & Purpose is a one-of-a-kind writing book that plumbs the practices of four great spiritual vocations—that of the shaman, warrior, mystic and monk—to provide a new, inspired approach for writers. This invaluable offering is for those who yearn to write with purpose and direction, to develop a deep connection to their writing, and to make writing their spiritual path.

It is a both a practical guide to cultivating the spirituality inherent in the writing life and a profound exploration of writing as a sacred act. It is a richly-textured but accessible book that shows readers how to use myth, meditation, ritual, and other sacred tools to deepen and expand their writing practice. Writing as a Sacred Path offers readers a way to approach writing itself as a life-changing spiritual practice.

Weaving a tapestry of anecdotes, quotes, and personal experiences, Writing as a Sacred Path offers techniques for breaking through blocks, encouragement in times when the writing life becomes difficult, inspiration for the daily work of writing, and no-nonsense ways to write bravely, honestly, and with real vision. It also gives us deep insight into and hands-on guidance through the spiritual nature of the writing life.

Writing as a Sacred Path springs from the author’s years as a writer and teacher and is based on her highly effective workshops on the spirituality of writing. As an anthropologist, linguist, and novelist, Jepson has explored spirituality throughout the world, learning from mountain peoples in Afghanistan, rice farmers in India, fishermen of Lake Atitlan in Guatemala, urbanites in modern Tokyo and Beijing, and laborers in Siberia.

Writing as a Sacred Path draws on the experiences of the many writers with whom she has worked, as well as on meticulous research into the biographies, interviews, published letters, and writings of authors from Sappho to Stephen King, from beginning students to great masters. Both a working writer and a scholar of world religions, Jepson calls on the words of theologians, lay practitioners, and sacred texts from an array of traditions—Buddhist, Islamic, Christian, Jewish, Native American, Taoist, Pagan, and others.

Writing as a Sacred Path looks to karate black-belts, the legend of King Arthur, and Star Trek’s Klingons to show how the writer is like a warrior—and why she must be. It guides the writer through the life-changing experience of the mystic as a means of understanding the personal ups and downs so many dedicated writers face. It details what writers can learn from the simplicity and devotion of the monastic life—or from the healing journey of the shaman. It delves into the ways writers throughout the ages have tapped into the Mystery or looked to the wisdom of the world’s spiritual traditions to offer the modern writer nourishment and support.

In its pages, you will find:

• A wealth of exercises designed to help you navigate your writing life.
• Guided meditations to develop keen focus, access sources of strength, and delve deeply into memory.
• Suggestions for using dreams, rituals, music, and mandalas in your writing.
• Stories of famous writers and their struggles to over come writing blocks.
• Strategies to help you find your unique voice, and tap into creative energy.
• A simple process for shedding negative thoughts, fears, and anxieties that hinder the creative process.
• Descriptions from contemporary working writers of how to blend writing and spiritual practice.
• Ideas for using the wisdom of the world’s spiritual traditions in your writing practice.

Writing as a Sacred Path: A Practical Guide to Writing With Passion & Purpose unveils the mysteries surrounding practices that shamans, warriors, mystics and monks have honed over the ages. Jepson offers a clear, compelling guide for every writer and aspiring writer who seeks to better navigate the ups and downs of their writing lives, to unlock the transformative creative powers within.