Awesome Stories 370

/ June 9, 2018

This week Awesome Stories brings you the power of storytelling, transforming education, and celebrating nature.

Unleashing Imagination

Listening to a storyteller is to take a trip into the land of the right brain where imagination, myth, past, and present coalesce. ~ Charlotte Du Cann

Martin Shaw talks about the power of good storytelling to unleash our imagination and free it from “colonization“. Colonization is his word for the enormous amount of information that we receive from mass media sources, much of which is programmed to turn us into better consumers and loyal subjects of the political and economic systems. In oral storytelling, we have to listen and participate, using our imagination to fill in many of the details of the story. A good story is a like a love affair, freeing our minds to remember what we truly love. Stories have the capacity to wake us up from our collective trance and interact with the living breathing world around us. He suggests that we figure out what we love, defend it, and develop the artfulness to bring it into the world as a living story.

Celebrating Naturegratitude, Awesome Stories

Lang Elliott created this poetic tribute to nature. He found himself delighted with the sights and sounds of spring bubbling forth around him. Lang created this as a tribute to our beautiful regional treasure in Arkansas, The Buffalo River, the nation’s first official National River, set aside to protect and acknowledge the importance of rivers. Lang writes about how easy it is to find joy in nature during spring, “when the landscape comes alive with the songs of birds and frogs and we are surrounded by leaves unfolding and wildflowers blooming.” Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we continually celebrated nature, singing songs of joy and gratitude for her precious gifts that feed, nourish, and support us.

Transforming Education

I’ve written about Parker Palmer many times. I’m inspired by his passion for transforming education and learning. His perspective is that education needs a total transformation based on integrating meaning, purpose, and spirituality into the classrooms. The desire for rational and fair education has cut us off from these deeper sources of truth. Most education is based on a deep rift between science and religion. I agree with his perspective that we need to bring them together, both within ourselves, the teachers, students, and core approach to education. He calls this integrating the inner and outer. This disconnect is also reflected in our obsession with economic growth that isn’t connected to something bigger, remembering and honoring our roles within the larger universe. As Lang reminds us in the article above, celebrating nature brings out our joy, connection, and gratitude for the abundant treasures of life.

May your week be full of imagination, integration, and celebration!

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56 thoughts on “Awesome Stories 370”

  2. Storytelling! Went to a storytelling event a couple of years ago–and it was really profound. Everything from the profane to the sublime was captured. And it resonated. We all left the richer for it.

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  3. Recently I fell to the obsession that is so apparent in today’s society that newer and better is the way to go. I caught myself immediately and threw myself right back into using what I have NOW and plan to get a more powerful camera when the time is right. I don’t believe in going with the rest, staying in style. I have for years carved out an existence just for ME and it feels so darn good. I have not ever been a good ba-ba follower. I also believe in the power of story-telling as we each collectively share our lives to inspire and to change us. Thank you for this great post!

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    • Thanks Amy. Storytelling, in words or pics, is a wonderful opportunity to connect and inspire others, using our gifts to uplift others. Kudos on following your own path. It’s easy to get caught up in mainstream messages and marketing.

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  5. Happy Sunday! Love your awesome stories. Storytelling is such a wonderful art form and we need more of that, instead of passively listening to a screen. *sigh* And the Spring Dance! Hmm…I might have to create a fun tradition to do on the Summer Equinox coming up…
    And did you start your new gig? How’s it going? Glad to have you back here, though. 🙂

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  8. Some great shares this week, Brad. I love the idea of transforming education. It does seem to be disconnected from nature, meaning-making, and any exploration of ourselves, our place in the world, and our responsibilities to our communities from the local to the global. Thanks for the links. 😀

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  9. Stories are so important.. Here in the UK I listened to the awards being given out for Children’s stories of 500 words.. Such amazing winners from young ages to teens..
    Loved your link to Daily Good.. I have been following their posts for a while now that come into my inbox.. Which you Brad introduced me too.. And I am never disappointed in reading such inspiration that that gets reported there.
    It can only be good news to integrate truth between ‘Inner and Outer’… Mind Body and Spirit are ONE.. 🙂

    Loved your photo too Brad.. you are capturing some wonderful images of late.. Thank you 🙂

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  18. Thank you so much for sharing such a superb information’s with us. Your website is very cool. we are impressed by the details that you have on your site.we Bookmarked this website. keep it up and again thanks

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  22. Great post and yes story telling is awesome. it’s great to see post like yours over the internet bringing people together and providing an insight on such amazing topics. Good keep it up.

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