Tell Me a Story, Part 2

So, we've looked at how our own personal stories can help us to gain our identity, but what about "fiction." What can we learn about ourselves from the fictional stories of others? I believe that every story teaches us something about ourselves, we only have to look for it.
Often times when I am reading a novel, a line will jump out at me, and force me to slow down long enough to digest what is really being said. One such quote comes from an excellent book called People of the Nightland, by Michael Gear and Kathleen O'Neal Gear.

"The spring itself was a curious thing. In summer, as Loon Lake to the west rose, the spring's flow increased, only to slow to a dribble by the end of winter. As a result, his people made offerings, dropping sprigs of evergreen into the pool as the flow diminished.
He, too, participated in making his offerings to the water even after he had surmised that it was the lake level rather than their need that determined the flow. Sometimes he wondered if his practical bent lessened the magic that others seemed so intent to enjoy."

Notice that this observation is one that any one of us could have made. Surely there are times in each of our lives when we feel our practical bent lessening the magic that others seem so intent to enjoy. Yet having made that observation, how many of us gloss right over it, and go on living as if that particular truth has no impact on us, and how many of us will actually slow down and try to find the magic in our lives.

Sometimes I will tell a story to a client in hypnosis in the hope that their subconscious mind will draw the connection between that particular story and their current situation. I may also utilize stories in the hope that the client will identify with a particular character and discover the way their own strengths parallel that of the character in the story. Fairy tales are especially good ways to help clients discover their own inner resourcefulness and ability for change. I'll talk more about that next time.