"There are times when people need stories more than they need nourishment, because the stories feed something deeper than the needs of the body." 

         Charles DeLint, The Onion Girl

 Human beings are creatures of story.  We make sense of our world by telling stories - what our day was like, how we came to understand an experience, what happened to us on vacation. Stories are how we imagine our lives into being. We shape the universe through this storytelling capacity. 

        And yet, it is what stories we choose to tell that make all the difference between hope and despair, fullness of life and scarcity, life and death. There are also cultural stories, which can feed a people with visions and dreams of their future, or close off all hope of fulfillment; they can make us insecure and fearful, or inspire us to courageously stand up to oppression and death. When a people lose touch with their cultural stories, they lose touch with their souls and with their place in the Cosmos. This has happened with all conquered peoples when their stories are taken away from them. It is what is happening in America and around the world today.  We are in danger of losing our individual stories to the corporate story.

"There are times when people need stories more than they need nourishment, because the stories feed something deeper than the needs of the body." 

I believe we are living in such a time. Even though we have access to stories and music and news 24/7, they do not sustain nor feed us, because if they did, we wouldn’t need so many! A good story feeds our imagination and we are satisfied to go off by ourselves and think about it. When we hear a satisfying story or a piece of beautiful music, we don’t need to hear another until we’ve digested what we’ve heard.

So how to we reclaim our right to nurturing stories? How do we rediscover the power of stories to teach us about life?   

Storytellers and musicians, actors and artists must reclaim their ancient responsibility -  they are the truth-speakers and memory keepers of the culture.  They must remember that they were once BARDS.  And they must once again take the Archetype of the Bard as their guide. 

Here at Star of the Bards, explore the articles to find out how our ancient stories can help us understand who we are and what we need to do to understand the issues facing us today.

If you are a writer or artist, consider how knowing about these ancient stories can help you develop your art.  Perhaps you need a better story, or a mentor to guide you.

I am here to  be your guide.

 Archetypal Story Consultant:

Cathy Pagano, M.A., CEC is a Jungian Psychotherapist, Mythologist and Creativity Coach.  Cathy  consults with writers and artists on the Archetypal and Mythic dimensions of their work. These tools are the DNA of strong and powerful stories and art since the beginning of time, and will add depth and dimension to your work.

Call Cathy for a Free Consultation.

310-741-7013