Since the dawn of time, humans have gathered around a fire to tell stories. Especially in the midst of a crisis or in times of difficult decisions, folks have gathered together and gone into the liminal space created by a story well-told. Right now it’s not a good idea to physically be in groups, but maybe there’s some way to do this virtually, because I really am convinced it will make a huge difference.
You might think that listening to stories is an activity for lighter times. You might say stories are for kids and by the way, I’m dealing with a pandemic here, so I haven’t got time for stories.
Well, I’m here to tell you why stories matter…especially now.
Stories are incredibly practical. They give you the secret blueprint for accessing your inner Hero/Heroine in order to face these challenges. They help you to attain that ‘something larger’, to mobilize strength in order to overcome obstacles.
Stories remind us about truth, wisdom and beauty through their metaphors…and Metaphors heal. All the depth psychologists…Carl Jung, Marion Woodman, Joseph Campbell, Clarissa Pinkola Estes, James Hillman …they all write from this perspective. They tell us that stories allow us to speak the language of the heart.
In stories, we recognize the dark areas that are part of our reality. We also see our lightness of spirit. You could say that the dark area is down in the village…our most human territory…the stirring pot for our relationships. The light area is the top of the mountain…our higher knowing…our individuation.
In the middle is the heart. This is where these ancient stories can awaken and reflect our completeness back to us. This is where the healing can happen, especially now when it is crucial that we mobilize our wholeness.
Stories help us to bring these parts of ourselves together.
They show us how to respond to the call, how to face challenges, how to place meaning and deep value on preserving our essential selves, as well as our local and global villages.
Symptoms are purpose-driven. They teach us to practice self-care, to be resilient and gritty and to take action. We can then reach our goal and deliver the goods back to the village.
Being at the eleventh hour stirs something in us….we remember our strength, we focus on our true goals and we can share that with our community….for everyone’s benefit.
That is the blueprint contained in Wisdom stories. It shows us our genuine path for the Hero/Heroine’s journey. It erupts in an inner rumbling that causes us to remember that deeper part of ourselves.
It’s said that Carl Jung started off every talk he gave by telling The Rainmaker to his audience! A powerful story like The Rainmaker, shows us that in times of crisis, we must come back to our centre…that is the actual solution. Only when we are centred and in touch with our deeper self, can we deal with our challenges.
I’m very excited to announce that I’ll be doing a free story-telling gathering on Thursday March 26 at 1.00pm PT. I would love if you would join me around a virtual fire and soak in the healing vibrations of a story. Please email me if you’d like to be part of this event and I’ll send you details on how to log in.
Hear that rumbling and allow it to take you to a place of healing and transformation!!
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