The Map of Me
An explorative writing exercise for the curious and the brave
THE MAP OF ME
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THE MAP OF ME
Human lives are vast landscapes, filled with winding roads, towering peaks, hidden valleys and deep deep oceans.
This explorative writing journey is an opportunity to pause and map where you’ve been, where you are and where you’re going.
The Map of Me is a powerful way to explore your inner landscapes: your strengths, struggles, dreamworlds, weatherings and tectonic shifts.
Self-reflection is not unlike charting unfamiliar territory.
By putting words to our experiences, we are able to see patterns and recognise the forces that have shaped us - and continue to shape us.
Mapping our journey helps us understand the crossroads we've faced, the hidden paths we’ve yet to explore and the landmarks - relationships and milestones - that define who we are.
This process is not about fixing or changing ourselves. It’s about deepening awareness and appreciation for the life we’ve lived. It’s about honouring our personal history whilst stepping forward with intention.
Writing our own map offers us clarity, showing us where we feel at home within ourselves and where we long to go next.
In this exploration you are both traveler and cartographer. Your map, the landscape of you.
THE MAP OF ME
A reflective exploration of identity, purpose and personal landscape. Consider undertaking the following exploration by writing reflectively - and then taking a large sheet of paper and mapping your body with colour and expanded notes.
Map 1: The terrain
Mapping your inner world
if your inner world were a landscape, what elements would it contain? Mountains, rivers, forests, oceans …
reflect in writing on the qualities of these landscapes
where in your body do you feel most at home?
which elements - mountains, rivers, forests, oceans etc - describe where you feel at home in your body?
Map 2: The crossroads
Defining life’s pivotal moments
what are the significant turning points that have shaped who you are?
what elements defined your inner landscape at that time?
describe your turning points as climatic events impacting on your landscape - were they avalanches, tsunamis, earthquakes; or were they slower shifts in the landscape, e.g., invasive species?
how is your landscape changed as a result of the climatic event?
Map 3: The hidden paths
Exploring the unknown
what parts of your inner terrain have you yet to explore?
what longings are awaiting your attention?
locate these unknown territories in your feeling body
map the roads to reach the unexplored territories.
Map 4: The landmarks
Recognising strengths & teachings
what are the defining qualities, experiences or people that have contributed to creating your interior landscape?
describe the geographical landscape elements that best represent these defining qualities, experiences or people
where are these qualities, experiences or people located in your feeling body?
how do these strengths and teachings guide you forward?
Map 5: The road ahead
Writing the next chapter
if you were to draw a map of where you’re going, what destinations does it include? Describe these destinations in terms of geographical landscape, the interior of your body and literal Earth locations.
describe the landscapes the road ahead must cross to reach these destinations?
what provisions do you need to guide and support you on your journey?
Map 6: Home-coming
The landing place
At the beginning of this mapping exploration you described where you feel at home on your body. Revisit this reflection.
where is home for you now? Describe its landscape.
where are you at home in your feeling body?
map the return journey home.
This journey was developed as a guide for pilgrim writers to envision their lives as landscapes of discovery and possibility.
Go well, pilgrim writers.
THETA WRITING - experience writing using Theta brainwaves
THE STORY OF YOUR HEART - in Morocco, they say to know the truth of your existence you must first know the story of your heart.
Short writing journeys are for all subscribers, free and paid.
If you would like guidance as you explore your living interior more deeply, Write Your Way Home offers 12 writing journeys for the brave + 3 for the bold.
"This book has passion, depth, humour and courage. It's transformative, sassy, fearless and funny, a weaving of power and gentleness. It's the kind of book that is worthy of the great masters but written for our times." Ali Symmons