Exploration and Growth Through Storytelling by Nicole Souther

Once Upon a Time…..

Story-telling and people have been together long before humans crawled out of their caves. Stories help weave a society together by providing a moral compass through teachings that reach a wide audience. They are magical in their ability to not be restrained in dogma, rules, and laws. Instead, they are creative, entertaining, relatable, and are a reminder to avoid polarity of thinking.

Polarity of thinking involves viewing the world in terms of black and white, rightand wrong. We are given a construct either from cultural moors or from our religious upbringing to give us a foundation for personal growth. Rules aren’t meant to crystallize us. If we don’t understand how to use lessons for growth, we can judge ourselves harshly for not fitting into a box or we label others who do not conform to our way of thinking. This is known as a false dharma and creates tremendous suffering for everyone. Mythology always escapes the confines of limited belief systems and helps us to do the same.

Mythology often illumines our blind spots and dark places in the human psyche in a non-confrontational manner. We operate within our mental framework and consequently, believe our perspective is reality. It’s difficult for any of us to tip toe out of our mental construct, to see truth on truth’s terms. A myth helps us to see our antics and ourselves from a clearer lens.

Transformation is a recurring theme in just about every spiritual story. A hero’s journey involves an individual with strong attributes who comes face to face with personal shortcomings and failures. They exude tremendous courage, face insurmountable odds and mix their shortcomings with their strengths to come into their fullest potential.

A victim’s story goes in the opposite direction. A victim also has strengths, weaknesses, successes, and failures. But a victim lacks the ability to persevere and work on themselves through difficulties. Rather, they are defeated and give up. Their divine potential is not part of the narrative.

We all have the ability to cultivate our narrative. Whether you approach life through a self – help lens and work towards full ownership of your choices and responsibilities, or whether you’re spiritually inclined and believe we are co-creators with higher energy, stories provide tremendous teachings for everyone.

The truths present within them are timeless and help us to view life as our own adventure.