I am Story. . . who are you???

A Feri sister asked the other day: if you could describe your life as a fairy tale which would it be? I thought about this question with all do seriousness as any addle brained person in transition would. Something to remove the hostile grounds of boxes, tape, heat and sore muscles. I loved the question and realized that it was a serious question indeed as it would be very revealing to my psyche so it had better be accurate.

I delved into all of the old ones I love. Grimms came to mind, but that's not what screamed into my ears with any relevance at all to my life. What popped into mind as most reflective of me was Lady in the Water. I know, nothing old and historic with thousands of years standing behind it. It is a modern fairy tale set in a modern world, told by a modern shaman. But it seems to be accurate of my life's patterns. I am Story. I point out the purpose and direction of the lives of those around me who seem to be lost in the pattern this world weaves around them. I seem to be a compass of sorts, just like Story. Her very presence helps people unravel the map of their lives. I love Story. She is naive and courageous at the same time. She has no idea how brave she is. In fact, she feels weak and insecure in the world she has been dropped into, I relate to that. She is more worried about everyone elses' lives than what her role amongst her people is. She does not realize the enormity of her mission and what it means for her. Her own success is not at the top of her mind. She is wrapped up in Cleaveland's life. The people around her seem to discover more about her mystery than she can guess. She is only worried about one thing: her vessel.

I was much younger when this happened and I am only now beginning to understand the implications of it. I was in a smoke shoppe cafe holding on to my journal calendar. It was the early '90's. A elder man looked at me and the journal I was carrying observing the questions I was asking the barista. He turned to me and spoke mystifying words to me at the time: " You are a chronicler of the soul." He was striking black man with stark white hair and beard. I had never seen anything as beautiful as the contrast of this.   I had no response for his statement. What does a young 20 something nitwit like me say to that???? I bowed my head in embarrassment trying to puzzle out what that meant. Yes, indeed, I used to consider myself as dull, dumb and a waste of oxygen, probably space as well. I am older now, I have realized that in my youth I allowed others to define me and relegate me to a place on a shelf of triviality and delusion. It was a time when a person like myself who saw things differently was not acceptable. Some of the people I hung out with took my gift of reading cards and signs as a cry of needing attention instead of a boon.

I think as we are growing into who we are to become we have no idea how important we are to the whole of the web. One string attaches to  another and therefore is an important part of the web, for if it is severed the web becomes undone and is weaker for it's absence. Therefore it is important to recognize what thread and what color you are in the web. So I ask you, what fairy tale to do fit in? It need not be a fairy tale of old. It can be a modern one, there are many to choose from. Are you Snow White, or are you Unbreakable. Who are you? You need not answer to me, you can peruse this question in solitude. I would be interested in hearing your answers, of course, but it is more important to recognize yourself.

Great Granny! It's the Wolf!

I guess we're going to be seeing a lot from Red Red Riding Hood soon with the movie coming out. Personally I love the Grimm's version. . . you know the one with all the gloom, doom gnashing teeth and blood. Hmmm . . . maybe I will enjoy the movie. It does, after all, have one of my all time favorite actors in it: Gary Oldman.

On the surface of the story, we see a young lady walking to Granny's house to care for her. Nice and Nice. Underneath it all, the story is a deep warning to all young women. Beware the wolf! What exactly is the wolf in this story? Fear? Lust? Imminent dangers of the wild? Or the imminent dangers of being wild? If you answered all of the above you would be correct.

There are a couple characters that don't really get explored too much in this story: Granny and the Hunter. They get glossed over like they are auxiliary cutouts to make the story work. After all Red needs a reason to be trouncing about the woods and someone needs to save her from that big bad evil wolf, right? UHm hmmm. . . No, they are important figures that should be pointed to and understood.

So Granny gets it early in the story, but her role is no less diminished. Red has to realize that there is something very wrong when she gets to Granny's house. No granddaughter would mistake her grandmother. Grandma is the one who fed our mind and souls with stories and veiled lessons while stuffing our bellies with cookies. You don't forget any woman who does that. This Granny must have been a shrewd woman indeed to teach her granddaughter to be deceptive in the face of danger long enough to escape.

Granny is important on another level. She symbolizes the wisdom that hopefully we all of will reap  from the experiences of our lives and in her passing she joins the ranks of Red's Mighty Dead. An ancient magic happens  here. It is the power of the love our Mighty Dead hold for us that has the power to protect and guide us through our lives when things become panicked and murky. Sometimes even intervene on our behalf. You see, in the Old World, it was often the grandmother who watched over the older children while the mother tended to hearth, home and babies who require more attention. It was Grandmother who often told old family stories and taught the older children which mushrooms to pick and which ones should not be consumed ( or in some case which ones were for eating and which ones were for flying.) Thus was the way the craft was taught, usually from grandmother to granddaughter, as well as an example of what it looked like from mom if the grandmother was Mom's Mom.

Ok, Enough of Granny ( Sorry Granny.) Now we move on to the Hunter. The Hunter in the beginning is often times not even spoken about. Most of the time, we are not aware that he is there until he shoots the Wolf and saves Red. However, he has been there the entire story lurking in the back of the crowd casting mooning looks at Red while no one is looking. He feels too young and too shy to step out into the sun. Sometimes he even feels unworthy. So he watches her from a far hoping that she will see him and shies away when she does, but inside he is elated she did. It is no wonder he sees the Wolf before Red does and recognizes its danger to her and to him as well. Unfortunately, it is too late to save Granny who has surrendered her life to become something more powerful than her frail shell will allow in this moment of danger to her granddaughter. It may even be Granny speaking to the Hunter. It is very possible that Granny saw the Hunter's heart long before he recognized what it was saying to him. It is this connection she will use to speak to him. The Hunter is Love. The Love of life and people. He is the Love that beats a path directly to the beloved and has the courage to nock the arrow and send it to flight.

And now we get to it, that feral eyed beast that slinks in the shadows and raises the hairs at your neck: the Wolf. The Wolf is fear, our own fears and those that have been imposed upon us from society. Stay on the path, walk in the light, don't stray too far out of sight, don't drink the Kool- Aide. The Wolf is lust. Lust of men who would devour you and leave you to bleed when you no longer suit their desires. Lust of things you would have to have and spiral you into dark oblivion. The Wolf is the wild and wildness lurking within that can catch you unaware lure and you to danger and death.

While the Wolf is the dark and wild beast in the shadows, he is not evil. He simply is. Red has choices to make and a long path to Granny's to walk by herself ( maybe in the dark.) Red can choose to become a victim or she can choose to become the victor. She can make the Wolf an ally that walks beside her and warns her of real danger or she can become its prey. She can learn what her limits are and abide by them or she can stifle herself in a safe little life dictated by others. She can learn the difference between devouring lust or true enduring love. The lesson portrayed here should not be: Beware the Wolf. It should be: Be Aware of the Wolf. Know his name, call him out and love him or shoot him if you must