I was inspired today to read a few pages from Crossing to Avalon: A Woman's Midlife Quest for the Sacred Feminine by Jean Shinoda Bolen. On the first page there is a quote by Alice Walker. I don't remember hearing this quote before even though it is exactly why I founded Heal My Voice!
"Storytelling, you know, has a real function. The process of the storytelling is itself a healing process, partly because you have someone there who is taking the time to tell you a story that has great meaning to them. They're taking the time to do this because your life could use some help, but they don't want to come over and just give advice. They want to give it to you in a form that becomes inseparable from your whole self. That's what stories do. Stories differ from advice in that, once you get them, they become a fabric of your whole soul. That is why they heal you."
~Alice Walker, in an interview about her work in Common Boundary, 1990
The Heal My Voice Circles...women writing a story to heal something in their lives. In the writing, they read their stories out loud to each other and we are ALL healed from the power of her words. Happens every time. Vulnerable. Powerful.
What a great piece for me to read as I wait impatiently for sleep. I will listen to a blessing in song after reading the article
ReplyDeleteThank you~
DeleteI love your blog and I love Alice Walker's description of the purpose of storytelling. As a Maggidah, a storyteller in the Jewish tradition, I found that stories come alive as they pass through my mouth and into the hearts of the listeners. The stories take on a life of their own. Once they leave my lips, not only am I a teller, I also become a listener, enjoying and receiving from them. Thanks for knocking another inspiration out of the park!! <3 Jacke
ReplyDeleteThanks Jacke...I feel like the stories ARE so Alive in us! I love your description of how you become the listener... Beautiful!
DeleteThank you for sharing Alice Walker's quote. Heal My Voice, and you, Andrea, continue to inspire me to step forward on the path of storytelling and sharing... which also hones my listening. :)
ReplyDeleteYou are a storyteller! So fun to watch you continue to step into this. Aren't we having fun cheering each other on? :)
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