Story Paths

Here's the link to the article with pictures and prompts: https://storypaths.substack.com/p/9d6551a9-bd4d-48dc-b50c-1b33337d19c9An Old Friend Part I: Crossing a RiverWelcome to the Story Paths newsletter and podcast. This is a Storyteller’s diary edition.I met an old friend of my father last night. As a teenager, he was also my friend, and a mentor.We met and spoke in the lounge of a hotel where he was staying, helping with a charity event for a couple of days. His name is Wayne, and he lives in the badlands of Drumheller. He's in his seventies now, still spry, sharp and well-spoken. His hearing is going, so he passed me a thin microphone connected to his hearing aid, which I hung around my neck so it was close to my mouth, and my voice. A clever device.He and my father had been in a men's group for many years, and when I was a teenager, I had been in that men's group too. It was good to be among older men talking as real as they could, and supporting one another as best as as we could. To gather around a fire in a city park and challenge each other to be real and accountable, to go into the wilderness and try our fumbling best to connect with the land in a ceremonial way. Perhaps that’s how culture reweaves. By trying.Sitting there in the lounge of the hotel, twenty unspoken years flowed between us. We saw each other from opposite banks of this river.We began crossing toward an island in the center by speaking first not of what had happened after we last met, but of what was happening now. He was there helping with a charity event at the hotel, as a runner of bingo chips. It was in support of helping addiction, and he acknowledged the irony of a gambling fundraiser raising money for addiction. I was staying in the city with my sister, who dropped me off and briefly met Wayne as well. I'm staying in her tent trailer, as the house is crowded,. It’s getting cold to be out there, but we just got the propane heat going.This was a level of detail we couldn't hope to get into for two decades worth of moments. But the words were ropes that we tossed across to each other. We staked these ropes in the ground so we could begin to cross toward the island in the center.He asked me what was important to me now, what I'm creating.I replied with a story from my life. When I was at the Ada’itsx (Fairy Creek) land defence camp on the West Coast, I spent some time on the front lines, with the national police on one side and the defenders of the forest on the other. A soon to be indigenous elder named Chiyokten was drumming and leading songs, keeping us enlivened and inspirited, as he often did. He paused sometimes to call across to the police, challenging them to step into integrity with the Earth, for their children and grandchildren.Knowing as I did that he had been at many such actions throughout the continent—trying to stop the logging, mining, pipelines and other invasions of indigenous territory; and knowing that most of his efforts had been overpowered by military force—I asked him a question.I asked him, how do you stay strong enough to do this?He spoke of a fire that he saw: a warm, smouldering fire nourishing all with its heat. As he spoke, I saw the fire glowing there between our feet, beneath the pebbles and pine needles of the forest.“That world is already there,” he said. “I’m feeding it wood to bring us closer. Some call this manifestation. It's true. It's all going to s**t around us. But I feed that fire. And that's what gives me strength.”And so, there in a hotel lobby, I passed this recollection on my father's old friend.“For me,” I said, “most things are in confusion. So I'm giving wood to what feels real and substantial. I want to help the people who are living into a better world, one on the far side of colonialism and extraction from this planet. Much of my contribution is in stories. As I see it, we humans make sense of the world in patterns of stories: events and people woven together into cohesive shapes. And perhaps this story-weaving tendency is not some isolated human thing, but is rather intrinsic to the cosmos who created us. Stories of who I am, who my people are. Of our relationship to other people, to animals, to hills filled with trees. These stories cast us in the roles of competitors, or kin, or both. When we learn to speak our own stories in simple and clear ways, we will see how they are framing our experience like stained-glass windows, filtering the incoming sunlight into particular colours and shapes. That sunlight of reality comes through the windows of our stories. And in this way, we come to understand the world, and we can learn to melt and remold these stained-glass windows to better perceive what is beyond them.”I’m called to this work so we can perceive reality in different and helpful ways. We might sidle over and look through another stained-glass window, and another and another. And in this way, looking through different stories from different people, we might get a fuller sense of what this world is, and who we are.I'm called to this work, and this is why I'm stepping out of my door and offering this to you, my readers, my neighbors in this place and time. May it be helpful for you in your story-seeing and story-forming.In a couple weeks I'll share more of this conversation with Wayne, my friend and mentor. I shared with him how the death of my father led me into an underworld descent,. This descent was aborted by a seeking for spirit, and continued some twenty years later. I’ll tell you this as I told him, who did his best to support me in the grief-fueled commencement of that descent, along with the other men surrounding me at that time.I'll tell you of why they failed, and how life is now completing this arc.And how about you? Which fire are you feeling? What is the look and feel of the life you're living into—both for yourself and for the world? How do you perceive that better world from where you are now? And which fuel-food do you feed that fire?You might choose a personal future fire, a vocational one, or both.Another prompt: consider a time when you encountered a viewpoint very different from your own. Another shade and texture of stained glass that you hadn't experienced before. How did your perspective shift? What was your experience of this shift? Was there discomfort, a sense of revelation? Both.. more?I'd love it if you share your thoughts in the comments.Until next time.Theo This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit storypaths.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit storypaths.substack.comReply to the story prompts in this episode here: https://storypaths.substack.com/p/2486375c-6dd6-4b22-9398-b4b75c8d3f9f(Available for paid Substack subscribers)Welcome to the Story Paths newsletter and podcast, a story elements edition, where we explore the ingredients of stories so that you may better see them and tell them.We’re exploring journeys now.In the last issue we looked at four journeys made by our creaturely kin, namely: the Queen’s Knight (ant), the Half-wild Wanderer (cat), the Intergenerational sky pilgrimage (monarch butterfly), and the Desert Matriarch (elephant).Now let us continue, going from small to large.This issue is available in rich audio form. Below you can find just the story prompts mentioned within it.PromptsThe Hungry Mother (gray whale)Consider a human journey inspired by this journey of the whale.There are really two journeys.One, to a sparse sanctuary. The other, back into abundance.In the second, she is responsible for another, far more vulnerable, being.What human journeys come to you, that parallel hers?The Underwater Surfer (sea turtle)...more in the paid version

Which real-life story does this remind you of? Comments here (paid subscribers): https://storypaths.substack.com/p/57633e41-bf9e-42b6-bc1f-48410d5d1a6fThere was a boy, out walking with his tribe, who came to the encampment of a different group. His tribe jeered and threw bits of wood over, but the boy was curious about those other people.He wished to be in a circle with them, exchanging ceremonies and stories, but they kept their distance, and he wasn’t sure enough of himself to go in there, away from his people.Years later he had this chance, and found himself in a circle with people from that culture, and many of his own. They were protecting land from weapons that paired with those old monkey-jeers and bits of thrown wood. Which real-life story does this remind you of? Share in the comments, and if you’d like, I might share you story in a future newsletter.https://storypaths.substack.com/p/57633e41-bf9e-42b6-bc1f-48410d5d1a6f This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit storypaths.substack.com/subscribe

Reply to the story prompts in this episode here: https://storypaths.substack.com/p/de0c4826-9ab0-43f2-9f63-291a9f883ea3. (Available for paid Substack subscribers)There, you'll also find pictures of Matteo test-playing his games.To watch the video of this conversation, go here: https://youtu.be/Rr0PG7HBusYFind out more about Matteo's work here: https://ma.tteo.me For his climate change game, Daybreak, go here: https://daybreakgame.orgI’m pleased to present the first conversation in a series about play. In this season, I’m approaching people in the field of game design, child education, dance, art, decolonisation, and creative writing in prisons… I’m asking them a simple question: where does play show up in your work?Today I’m please to welcome Matteo Menapace, a board game designer based in England.If you’re into board games, of course you’ll love this conversation. But if you’re not, let me make a case here.We might think of games as being a fun thing we can do on the side in life, but they’re actually intrinsic to nearly every part of our lives.By the time you’ve listened to this conversation, you’ll be seeing traffic as a game, relationships, politics, economics. In all of these fields we are making game rules, then playing within them.The thing is that sometimes we forget we can change the rules.In this conversation, we get into:-The 3 main elements of game design.-How games can be a practice for life, or for life-games, if you will.A spectrum of game types, from abstract to lifelike games.-Competitive vs cooperative games-And some trivia, including…Did you know chess used to have 4 players?Monopoly originally had a sister-game that’s its opposite, about abundance for all?Paid subscribers can comment on this post with replies to the story prompts within the episode.Matteo’s bio:Matteo designs cooperative games and facilitates playful workshops for people to explore real-world challenges. In recent years he lectured in UX, web and game design, and was game designer in residence at the V&A in London. Matteo is co-designing Daybreak, a cooperative game about stopping climate breakdown. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit storypaths.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit storypaths.substack.comReply to the story prompts in this episode here: https://storypaths.substack.com/p/f7093e4f-4c77-4846-a1b5-7614fbe08e37(Available for paid Substack subscribers)What inspires the journeys that we humans write into Stories? Surely the journeys of other humans inspire us. But what of other journeys? What of the journeys that we find ourselves surrounded by, if we are open to looking?In part one of our exploration of the story element Journey, we explored journeying to and from home, in and out of danger toward particular destinations and how those destinations affect the journey. And we meandered through thoughts about pilgrimage.When we think of journeys and stories, we may have some human biases. But what about other journeys? What about the journeys of other species and beings? Journeys surround us all the time, and seeing as we are so woven in with the rest of the living world, our own human journeys are often patterned after these wider older journeys.So let's have a look at some of these, and we will go from small to large.PromptsThe Queen’s Knight (ant)Is there a human journey that parallels a worker ant's journey out into the wild? This ant goes out to gather precious things, and bring them back to hearth, home, and queen.In human terms, perhaps this is a knight going out into the world to get a sacred item to bring life to she whom he reveres. Perhaps this is a man or woman out working in the world, then returning with money and food for their family.What else?Half-wild Wanderer (cat)Consider a human journey that mirrors this cat's wild nights out. Perhaps it is a man or woman who is stuck in their day job, stuck at their desk, typing away. They are domesticated, having all their needs met with a coffee machine, mini-fridge, shower and flush toilet with a warm seat.But suddenly it becomes too much, and the heartbeat of their wild ancestors pounds within their own heart. They flee that place and take to the night. That might be the nightlife of town they are in, or it might be still-wild places in the world.That's one idea, riffing off the journey of the so-called domestic cat.What comes to your mind?Intergenerational sky pilgrimage (monarch butterfly)What human journeys parallel this great trek?Are there any intergenerational journeys that you are part of, something that your parents or your grandparents began, which you are continuing? Perhaps this is a journey of immigration into a new land. Perhaps this is a journey of transmuting trauma. Or of reconciliation with those whom your ancestors wronged.(more in paid version: https://storypaths.substack.com/p/f7093e4f-4c77-4846-a1b5-7614fbe08e37

Write your guess on Substack here: https://storypaths.substack.com/p/f691ae68-1e8b-4e85-aae6-724cab2c946bCan you guess which real-life story this is?In a land adorned with mountains, deserts, rivers, and lush valleys, a people peacefully roamed.Until a monster, fierce and insatiable, descended upon this land. This creature devoured entire rivers, carved into mountains, and threatened the land’s very heart.A courageous man, deeply connected to the beauty of these lands, embarked on a valiant quest. After many days of relentless effort, he succeeded in creating a powerful barrier that encircled and protected the once-beautiful land.The barrier kept the monster at bay, but also kept out those who had lovingly roamed the land. The soil longed for their gentle touches, tweaks, and sprinkles of nourishing dust.This fable prompts us to ponder real-life scenarios it might parallel. It could be a reflection of more than one situation. If you have insights to share, feel free to leave a comment on the Substack article associated with this story.Which real-life story this might this be? Leave your thoughts in the comments. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit storypaths.substack.com/subscribe

Reply to the story prompts in this episode here: https://storypaths.substack.com/p/a363f193-f941-4ae9-aefa-01e09f72c32d.(Available for paid Substack subscribers)Story prompts:Are you on a journey now? How is it both different and akin to another journey you’ve made in the past?One might be a personal journey, another professional. One in youth, another later in life. One internal, another external.I’ll be interested to hear about your journeys. in the comments. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit storypaths.substack.com/subscribe

To reply to the story prompts, go to the Story Paths Substack here.Welcome to the first ‘Story Elements’, where we explore the ingredients of stories so that you may better see them and tell them. This is not a plot-setting character three-act structure, hero's journey kind of exploration, although some of that will be in here. We’re going for an exploration of story that is more organic and poetic.Story can be seen as a response to life.We'll explore in this series how elements of story show up in life. Life also responds to story, and we’ll explore that too.I’ll open this exploration of story elements with a dive into journeys. In the coming weeks, we will be exploring the journeys of our animal kin, and even journeys beyond our fertile home world, then relating these back to our regular old human experience, which turns out to be a tad more mythical than you might reckon.Expect some explanations, and plenty of good questions.Prompts from the audio:How do different destinations affect the journey toward them? And are there journeys without destinations?Is there a journey that you've been on for so long that you have changed since you began? Is there a destination that you no longer want in the same way as you did? Or perhaps that destination has changed?Have you ever abandoned a long-term goal in favor of something else? Is there an instance where you regretted this? Is there another instance where you found a new destination that was better than the first?Are you on a pilgrimage of sorts that may be called by another name? Is there something you've been seeking for a long time, seeking not like an arrow but more like a meandering trail, weaving around a rich and diverse landscape, collecting and sharing inspirations? Are you on a journey that does not end in any particular place but grows and grows?What makes a pilgrimage? A pilgrimage? What is sacred? What or who is sacred? What? Who? Where is sacred? Sacred for whom? When does pilgrimage begin? When the thought is conceived or when the pilgrim is conceived?I invite you to reflect on this in as broad and deep away as you would like a way that works for you. And I'll be happy to hear your thoughts. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit storypaths.substack.com/subscribe

Watch the video here.Comment on the substack post here:https://storypaths.substack.com/p/2ef7e4c2-4f0e-42c9-a6b2-b9840c11a364In less than a week, we’re launching a newsletter about stories. It’s about seeing beneath the skin of life to find the stories within. It’s very interactive: full of story prompts, and there's a free and a paid version.As part of the launch, we're giving away 25 annual memberships. It's hosted on Substack, so if you're interested, go there and comment on any post, saying why you want the membership.But write your post like it's about somebody else, as a story.For example: “Imi the frog wants to learn about the stories of other creatures,” or “Jiminy the Magpie Healer wants to tell the story of how he got into this work, so you should give him a membership.”It’s not a test: all the stories will be accepted. Hope to be reading your story soon.For a free membership, comment on this very post with your story (or a madeup person’s story)! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit storypaths.substack.com/subscribe

(To hear this newsletter with nifty music and sound effects, have a listen to the audio. You can listen here, or look up Story Paths in any podcasting place)Welcome to the Story Paths Newsletter and Podcast. We Are One Week Out…Wait, gotta turn off those capital letter before each word.Not Everything is a Title!Ahem.Next week I’ll be launching the first gale in a storm of story-learning goodnesses, the first course in a feast of nourishing and tasty offerings for thee and thine.Today, for the pleasure of your narrative organ (right beside your third kidney), I offer you a wee sample of the dishes to come.1. Story ElementsPart One: JourneysMatriarch of the DesertImagine a vast desert. It's not dry all year. No, there are shrubs and tough, scrappy trees. Sometimes it floods, and latent seeds burst through clay soil to spread their seeds upon the wind.It's not always dry, but it sure is now. And you, as an elephant, need a lot of water. You can conserve and survive for quite a while, sure. But as the sun crosses the cloudless sky, your thick skin is drying out. You lift your trunk to toss dust on your back, deflecting a little of the harsh light. You lead the others, one plodding step at a time.There is a watering hole. Far, far away. You've been there before, for you are the matriarch, the memory keeper. You lead the others across the cracked ground, trusting your memory, bound in with the land lines and dried river lines. The stony landmarks and the scent of particular trees. Death follows you and your herd, a shadow moving just behind you.As the shadows of the hills lengthen with the setting of the sun, you move toward water, toward life, and perhaps you will make it before this shadow overtakes you, leaving only bones and tusks to greet the coming rains. You walk. You lead them. You remember.Well hey there, fellow human. How are you like this elephant? What do you remember, even if you’ve never lived it, that you’re leading others toward?2. Storyteller's Diary: Tales for the Trees Upon My Trail. When learning to see stories, it's helpful to take notes. Here in this diary, I scribe the tale of my life.May it serve to kindle your tales and tellings.There is where I set out on the ice, when the conditions of the lake's surface were perfect to skate. And there's where I helped my beloved skate for the first time. Her start was wobbly, but she made it all the way across the lake and back.Then I skated in circles, and even though it was the middle of a cold winter, I had to take my shirt off. I had to sing, whoop and howl.There now is a pickup truck by the lake, with cattle ranchers getting out, checking on their herd. In this valley of cow-worshipping vegetarians, this truck feels like a fiery skull on wheels, a chariot sent by Hades. The men hold smoldering scimitars, waiting for the right moment to murder the herd. In the long winter, these grazers kept me company in this sparse, arid, wide, broad, stony lands.Tell me of a land that is dear to you, a land with whom you share memories. Is there a place that, when you go there, even if it has been years since you’ve come, old times become present with you now?I’d like to hear about it.3. Everyday EpicsBeneath sea storms, and underneath the deepest divers, ocean bedrock hums. Are there stories like this, that seep structure up to the storm of the everyday? Let us peer into the depths together.Here's a tale. There was once a monster who devoured entire rivers, and bit deeply into mountains. A man who loved these lands strove valiantly for many days, and finally managed to complete a powerful fence to surround and protect this beautiful land.This fence kept the monster out, but it also kept out those who had so lovingly roamed the land. The land sorely missed their touches, songs, and sprinkles of nourishing dust.Can you guess what this story refers to in real life? Storyteller’s diary, Story Elements, and Everyday Epics. These are three kinds of foods I’ll be sharing with you, progressively, with a different taste each time.Here, one week out from the , I would like to offer an invocation.This is to the universe and the spark of life within us, to the Holy. I cast out a challenge, and a listening. For 90 days, I will put many creations out into the fire-powered web of magical stone slates. This text is one such signal. If this is pleasing to you, I ask you to feed this endeavour in whichever way you see best.For my part, I’m welcoming enriching collaborations. I have set up a subscription service, asking five of our common tokens per month, a month being about a 12th of our world's regular pilgrimage around our sun. If 50 of my species choose to subscribe to this service, I will offer them a monthly workshop. If more… well, let's just start with that. But I see more workshops, ones that help people collaborate in different ways. I see people bringing their people along, and using these workshops as incubators. I see that these workshops will help them collaborate with one another, and bring out their gifts in a fun and playful way. I digress, and you have many more worthwhile entreaties to hear. I have many plans and ideas.But here is me now, listening. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit storypaths.substack.com/subscribe