Earth, Myth and the Sacred

It is apparent that we live in a critical time of transition. A time in which our present ecological crisis is forcing us to face the fact that we have pushed our own planet to the brink and we must look with urgency to our relationship with the earth and our environment.

Many are saying that it is our forgetfulness of the sacred in nature that has led us to this point.

“There is a pressing need to articulate a spiritual response to this ecological crisis.”
Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee

I believe that storytelling has an important role to play in providing children and young people with a container for exploration of the sacred and can help restore relationship with nature and the earth.

The oral tradition of storytelling and the stories of our ancestors were woven through with a deep respect for nature, for all of its elements and living beings. It is said that there is a culture of wildness in myth - that myth arises out of landscape and those were the things which informed our cultures.

She tells the children:
As he passed he looked at me smiling,
And left me a star right in here.
Where have you kept that star?
A cheeky cub asks her.
Has it left you, has it gone away?
Like a thing of enchantment?
No, my children, the star still shines bright,
For I carry it nailed to my soul.
Lorca. (Source)

As a storyteller, I am drawn to the old myths and folktales which provided people with a compass, an ancient wisdom to live by. Stories that informed communities about how to live with dignity and depth for thousands of years.There are stories which evoke the magic inherent in nature, from the fairy folk to the river gods, from goblins to giants, from Greek to Norse myths, from Celtic to Siberian folktales. Such stories tell of a sacred relationship with earth and with ourselves.

I tell the stories that were told to us by our ancestors. From a time when children would sit around the fire at night wrapped in fox fur and woodsmoke, eyes bright with wonder as they listened to tales that taught and entertained, nourished and provided meaning. Mythic maps for life. Stories for the Earth.

Storytelling evenings, events and public speaking engagements are available - please contact Rose for further information.