Placed together with love by Aly Kate – The Circle of Birth… circleofbirth.com
Remember the story of ‘Rip Van Winkle’? Such a simple, short tale; yet as I read this story to my son, I saw so much complexity in his face. I too felt so much wonder, had so many questions, yet knew they could never be answered. This story is super interesting, and sparks my drive to wonder even more; plus the thought that Rip Van Winkle has been told now for nearly 200 years is even better.
From our current understanding, there have been nearly 30,000 years of story telling. While in our modern world, we are surrounded by stories in nearly every aspect of our lives; and boy, do these stories come in thick and fast! We are receiving information these days at such a fast pace that its difficult to decipher knowledge from just meaningless data floating in the mind. Where are the stories? How about some time to fully engage with someone’s emotional journey, feel their space as they tell a tale, and come to a understanding about yourself and others. I can tap into the feeling of when I was a young girl: when someone would tell you a random story and it would instantly captivate you, give you that ‘spark’; same goes for reading to children, how interested they are when you start rambling about a goat doing his ironing!
Benefits of listening to and telling stories:
Emotional Connections: It awakens parts of your mind that have probably been dormant for years. Windows of opportunity open wide, possibilities flood into your mind, and all the while, you are creating an understanding of others that you might never thought possible!
Activating brain pathways: Lets face it; you are looking at a presentation, or listening to a bunch of terms and conditions… not very impacting eh? Yet, when you are listening to a story, which is when your brain will fully engage, get to work, and light up the sensory cortex (processing sensation) and the motor cortex (movement), as well as engaging with the visual and auditory areas to make you an active participant in the story being told…
Emotional stories light up more parts of the brain than data based messages.
You get to retell the story now as if it were your own: Have you ever got a story hot off the press? So full of energy! So, the bonus for you is you can (with their permission of course) retell their story, and get to feel their emotions and connection as if it were your own! Birth stories are a prime example of this; I love seeing the facial glow, especially from the new mother when she recounts her experience. There is something so connective in sharing birth stories, as the feeling remains for quite some time.
You are not alone: Currently, we are faced with a very reality based world – TV and social media connect us, yet it’s hard to discern what is ‘real’ and what is fictional sensationalism.
Another story I read to my son recently was ‘Puff the Magic Dragon”. This time I sang it, and I fully allowed myself to become one with the story. I watched his face, I watched his focus change, his forehead wrinkle, and as he buried his head into his pillow when ‘Jackie Paper was no more’ I observed how connected I felt to him and the story. I felt the full unknown sadness, just as did he…
I love listening to stories; this creation, this project to share birth stories just seems like the right kind of ‘spark’ for all.
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