The Story Teller

Native American Story Teller Ring

Channeling the truth from beyond the veil
To weave the worlds old and new
With the magic of words to create a reality
In the sacred dance of dissolution
         and remembering
Each one is the Story Teller
Each to whom the story is told

The Story Teller is one of the oldest spiritual archetypes.  The Story Teller might be the most ancient of the artists and crafters.  The Story Teller is one of the oldest human entertainers and teachers.  The Story Teller is my grandfather telling his fish Tales, my daughter showing me her latest find, and the new mother dreaming her infants potential into being.  The Story Teller is you and me fashioning narratives to help us understand the world in which we find ourselves.

In some Native American traditions, and other ancient traditions as well, The Story Teller was one of the sacred wisdom keepers.  He or She would keep the histories and the traditions, and the societies values alive through narratives that drew the audience into the story.  They were the bridge between what was, what is, and what could be.  They highlighted the cost of folly and greed.  They brought the audience with them for journeys of adventure, courage, and values.  They were the travelers bringing news, lessons, and ancient wisdom.  They were an aid to interpret dreams and the ones seeing life's patterns.  In some Native American cultures, The Story Teller was the gentle teacher that brought the medicine stories to life so each participant could receive the lessons they were ready for.

The role of The Story Teller is to weave a world and invite the listener into it.  The best story tellers lead the listener on a journey of purpose.  Then The Story Teller leads the listener back to the present transformed in some way.  The nature of that journey and the transformation is a dance and an interaction between The Story Teller, the story, and the listener.  It is a ritual and a coming together where all participate in the connection and the progression.  The Master Story Teller works on many levels in an ever deepening well on meaning designed to work at the level of the listening participants.  The purpose maybe to impart wisdom or values.  It may be to teach history and culture.  It may be to solidify culture or to change it.  It may be to bring the past and the myths to life.  It may be just to get the listener to the point of self-reflection.  No matter what the other meanings of the story are, it is always designed to connect the listener and The Story Teller to something greater.

The Story Teller is a magician and an energy worker.  The Story Teller weaves reality with the words, images, and allegories chosen.  The tapestry that The Story Teller weaves can bring the past into the present to connect and root the listener into the established culture or norms and values.  The tapestry can give a vision of the future that transforms and shifts perspective.  The story can be an initiation or a lesson.  It could teach morals or it can be societal glue.  The nature of the story and dismiss or invite and expand.  Such is the power of The Story Teller.  The words are power.  The story solidifies perception or shifts perception.  The story led by a Master Story Teller creates reality.

The truth is that each of us is the master story teller in our own lives.  The story that we tell ourselves defines how we perceive the world and how we interact with the world.  The story creates a tapestry upon which every aspect of our lives sits.  Like the caterpillar, our world shifts and transforms as we shift and retell the story in a new way.  The Butterfly emerges unrecognizable to what it was before.  Such is the power and the magic of The Story.  The world that we see is created from the stories that we tell.  Such is the power and the curse of The Story Teller.

Sources
eaglesflight.com
feminismandreligion.om
blueeyeart.com
starryeyedsupplies.com
​Sacred Pathways Cards by Jamie Sams