We tell spoken word stories to the children in the traditional style, through the eyes and energetic body. Using imagination and connection with One Mind, stories lead to knowledge in a form easily understood and integrated into the human mind and heart. When faced with struggle, we can call upon alternative solutions from stories or be reminded of our true selves, eternal and wondrous. The story entrances the listener into a meditative state of deep listening and both storyteller and listener can be carried into the healing power of the story through the tempo and beauty of the word imagery and also with the co-mingling of shared energies.
Master storyteller, Laura Sims writes, “All of these elements of presence, accessing deep listening, awakening awareness, lightness of language and regard for the energy of situations are the tools that support healing and transformation of all kinds. Storytelling is far more than the sum of its parts. It is only alive in the energy between the audience and the teller. This kind of telling exists moment to moment in the deepening process of listening. I have been asked several times to write down a collection of stories as if they are pills, and each time I have turned down the request since it is not the text alone or understanding that heals, but the entire experience. The same story has multiple meanings. And, the telling doesn’t necessarily hinge on the text, but the very nature of being present and engaging imagination that releases fixation and negative assumptions. The heart is opened.”
We strive to foster connection, engender transformation, nurture deep listening and above all open the heart to its true nature of this One Life, One Source, One Mind, Pure Consciousness.
Try storytelling at home with the help of these great books:
- Storytelling with Children by Nancy Mellon
- Storytelling and the Art of Imagination by Nancy Mellon
- Healing Stories for Challenging Behavior by Susan Perrow
- Therapeutic Storytelling:101 Healing Stories for Children by Susan Perrow
- Awakening the Hidden Storyteller: how to build a storytelling tradition in your family by Robin Moore
- Spinning Tales, Weaving Hope: stories, storytelling and activities for peace, justice and the environment, edited by Ed Brody, Jay Goldspinner, Katie Green, Rona Leventhal and John Porcino (The Stories for World Change Network)
Image Credits
Kabuliwala Storyteller- https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kabuliwala_Storyteller.jpg
Storyteller Annie Tomlin https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Storyteller_Annie_Tomlin-White_Springs,_Florida(7683691192).jpg
African Storyteller- Jim Forest A Life magazine photo taken by Nat Farbman. It was included in The Family of Man exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in 1955.
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