EDUCATIONAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL RESOURCE CENTER

"Flowers, dancing, music and story…all tell the tale of human glory…."

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We set our inner and outer lives in motion through story…

As American Poet Muriel Rukeyser says, “The universe is made of stories, not atoms.”

 

Once we understand the power of story in shaping all of our perceptions of self and world, we glimpse the possibilities of becoming more than storytellers; we begin to see ourselves as story practitioners. This shift in perspective makes an enormous difference. Whether you are a teacher, a business leader, a community-builder or a creative artist; whether your goal is to make measurable social change or to feel more alive in your everyday life, the way of the storyteller can provide a clarity and vitality that few human activities can match. A story is the shortest distance between two people and the most effective method for exploring unseen parts of ourselves.

 

"Stories set the inner life in motion. This is particularly important when the inner life is frightened, wedged or cornered. Story greases the hoists and pulleys, it causes adrenaline to surge, shows us the way out, down, or up, and for our trouble, cuts for us fine wide doors in previously blank walls, openings that lead to the dreamland, that lead to love and learning, that lead us back to our real lives."

Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estes, Traditional Hungarian/Latina Storyteller and Author of Women Who Run with the Wolves

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http://www.learn.edu/programs/ctfas

 

We are all storytellers because it’s the human thing to do:

The story is the way we communicate events, ideas, fears and dreams.

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The story is the way we learn, and the way we teach.

The story is the way we share that which is most important to us.

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With our stories that we define ourselves and each other.

It’s the narrative of existence, both yours and mine.

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The story is the way we confront the real horrors we encounter.

It’s the path we follow to lead our children through the darkest valleys,

and it’s how we find our way to the next sunrise.

In the stories we tell are answers to questions we dare to dream, and those we fear to ask.

But, in this test of life not all answers are valid.

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Today the art of storytelling takes many forms, from Facebook to movie theaters, music to dance,

campfire to art gallery, discussion to rant.

 

But most important are the stories heard at the dinner table, shared around the campfire, told at bedtime

and created in the places where the universe unfolds before us.

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We are all storytellers, and this is an awesome responsibility. What do we tell the children? What do we tell our parents? What do we tell each other?

With our stories, do we chose to be the glowing light of the angels sharing hope and peace,

or so we chose the darker power of the warriors of despair and fear?

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The choice is in the stories we tell our children and each other. We can share our stories, but the truth is that each of us is the story. The way we live our lives is the story we tell. We don’t need to lead the way, all we have to do is share the journey.

            Hank Bruce