Stories around the fire and the realm of the imaginary

- August 10, 2019

At the end of an entire day of train rides and station transfers, I finally arrive and find myself in the best place I could ever be with my injury and to start my year-long journey. A place where caring for nature, living from food growing in the local fields, and participating in the community is at the center of everything they do here at Schumacher College. I am surrounded by caring people who help me get around, bring me cups of tea and food to the table at breakfast, lunch and dinner.

I have also arrived at the doorstep of a parallel world, the world of myths, stories and poetry. The 2-day course is Mundus Imaginalis - A Myth and Ecology Exploration by Martin Shaw and Carla Stang.

I went with no expectations other than to find out how myth, storytelling and poetry could help with environmental activism and to let myself be enchanted along the way. It turns out it went much deeper than I thought. I learned how the ancient myth stories and poetry can be a doorway to this imaginary realm and also a world inside yourself and our ancestry.

The opening session is Martin telling us the ancient myth story of the foxwoman. With a drum and captivating words and tones. The story resonates, we tell it to each other in groups again, everyone in the room relates to different parts of the story, or differently to the same ones. The discussion feeds the story, as Martin says. We are told that the story itself has a life, and retelling the story a strong power. So to those who read this, feel free to ask me to tell you the story of the foxwoman when we meet again.

The next gathering is out in the woods of huge magnificent redwood trees, around a fire. Carla recites poetry and introduces us to Mundo Imaginalis described by Henri Corbin. And Martin tells another story, also going deep inside ourselves as we each relate to the characters and situations. The night comes, the fire glows, I feel some magic in the air.

Carla and Martin also introduced us to the power of memorizing and reciting poems. We each pick a poem out of the hat. The poem we will have a chance to recite on the last day. I am the first one in the circle to pick, as I unfold the paper, my heart sinks as I read the first line: 'I am asking you to come back home.' Full poem here. This is still Friday August 2nd. On my first day of my one-year journey, this is the poem that I pick, asking me to come back home. Out of 25 other poems in the hat. What message does it have for me? I have a couple days to figure out the meaning, combined with my ankle injury the day before.

The weekend continues, the stories, recitations, poetry and sharing continues.

In the end I feel I have gone really deep, connected in a very different way with the people around me, also thanks to my injury, making me very vulnerable and dependent on others. I recite my poem, in tears, then burn the paper in the fire, symbol of letting go of the guilt of leaving, and feeling the liberation I need to set off on this trip with more confidence.

I am grateful to the stories, the poems, the poets and storytellers, the college, the facilitators and everyone in that circle.