Story Paths

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Welcome.

This writing comes to you from the shore of the ocean in the Salish Sea. There's a woodpecker who's going at it on a Gary Oak just nearby, seeking some bugs. There are seagulls landing and strutting about on a rock outcropping, and I see a human walking back from that rock outcropping jutting into the ocean.

I reckon that human’s in a contemplative mood. I am. The sun will soon set on this short day, as we slowly arc up from solstice.

I'm reflecting on the journey of this newsletter and podcast. We’ve explored the journeys of different creatures and outer space phenomena, and considered parallels in our own journeys. I hope that's been as helpful and fun for you as it has been for me. Putting the music together was especially interesting, a timeless zone of kairos in which many chronos minutes ticked past.

I'm pausing for a breath in this dark time of year, when the world is asking me to rest. It’s a radical thought, that it may not be helpful for me to overextend myself. Let me instead act, when I do act, from a deep place within myself, connected to the earth and community. I wish the same for you, while you also fulfill your true duties.

Here’s some news: I'm going to go ahead and give the full episodes to everybody for free. I like the idea of giving a gift. I'll also open up comments to everybody on the Substack. It felt weird cutting the episodes, and I like the idea of bringing people in and hearing what they think, whether or not they're paid subscribers

And… it’s playshop season! I’ll be hosting live playshops once per week (Thursdays, 10:30-11:30 am PST). That will be for paid subscribers on Substack. If you’re not subscribed, it’s only five bucks a month. Won’t even get a better deal from the devil, I’d say.

And what are we going to do in there? We'll go over the prompts from the podcast, and explore the stories that are alive for those of you who come. I love to hear from people about the journeys in their lives. We can practice fictionalizing our journeys, finding animals to be characters in our journeys, and finding settings that feel like they resonate with the feeling of the setting in our life.

Reckon we’ll have a lot of frivolous fun as well, but depth is welcome.

Also, keep an eye out for workshops connecting storytelling and entrepreneurship.

And more conversations about play, including decolonizing play, from an indigenous perspective.

And more examples of storyfication.

And collaborations.

Game, story, ceremony.

I'm glad you joined me for this introspective retrospective and prospective. Full three episodes and a lot more workshops until soon.

Regarding the playshops:

For those of you who are already paid subscribers, you’ll get a zoom link. For those of you who aren't, please consider subscribing. It's only $5 a month through Substack.

And if you don't want to be a subscriber but would like to attend some of the workshops, I'll see about setting up some one-off system for getting into the workshops.

Until next time, happy creating.

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

Which real-life story does this remind you of? Comments here (paid subscribers): https://storypaths.substack.com/p/18522076-40a8-4569-80b0-71ec20b9699c

There is a boring plywood door, in a boring plywood room. Many people make their lives in this room, but if they were to open that door, then on the other side, they would find dozens more doors.

Only these are not of plywood. They are of oak, rowan, birch, and other luscious woods. These doors are decorated with heather, and garlands of lilies and gorse.

There is old music seeping from beneath them: strings and flutes and drums and feet stomping, and singing which as is lively and new as a laughing babe.  

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.

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/59ab0f86-2c8f-4168-bf08-7ec3eb672e75(Available for paid Substack subscribers)

You can learn more about Jennifer’s work here.

Is ceremony a grave affair for adults, or can it be something playful which includes children?

Or perhaps all of the above? Playful with adults, serious with children, and a mix of all these and more.

Have you ever wished that education could be a ship that can be sailed in any direction you choose? That learning practical subjects can be blended with a spirituality that is life-nourishing and open to questioning and play?

What if someone wants to play, but finds it oddly challenging to let go?

Jennifer Engracio is an educator and shamanic practitioner. She walks many paths and blends many influences, including homeschooling and an earthy spirituality.

She began in the public school system in Canada, but found the values incompatible with hers. Gradually she made her way into more unconventional fields, as we’ll discover.

She explores the intersection of play, education and ceremony. It’s a rich vein, and don’t be surprised if you find yourself singing, praying, crying and teaching as you listen along.

I’ll see you on the inside.

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

Share your stories on the newsletter here: https://storypaths.substack.com/

Welcome to the Story Path newsletter and podcast, a Story Elements Edition.

Journeys: Part six: The Return.

In the previous parts of this exploration of journeys, in story and in life, we looked at different possible destinations, the amazing journeys of different creatures, and considered how these journeys might help us reflect upon as humans. Then we moved beyond our planet.

It's been a wonderful journey exploring journeys, and yet all journeys must end. Journeys do not all end in the same way. Today we will explore different possible endings and how we might craft good returns for those we care for who are journeying. Whether personal relationships, clients or otherwise.

(Listen above)

Prompts

(Take one, none, many or all. I suggest you write a response, or speak it aloud, or discuss them with a friend, or just think about them)

-Imagine a character who embarks on a transformative journey, encountering profound experiences, only to return to a place that remains unchanged. Write about their struggles to reintegrate into a familiar yet unrecognizable world. How do they struggle when their internal changes being unseen by their people?

-Create a fictional society or culture where returning from a journey, whether physical or metaphorical, is celebrated with deep reception ceremonies. Describe these customs in detail and the impact they have on the returning individual. How do these ceremonies shape the community's perception of journeys and change?

I look forward to hearing your thoughts, if you’d like to share.

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

Write your guess on Substack here: https://storypaths.substack.com/p/90569a1b-7787-4636-a3b4-27a969f6b513

Can you guess which real-life story this is?

In the playground, two boys began to fight. It got intense, so the second boy ran off to perch at the top of a slide.

It was there that a third boy found him and asked, "Do you know that you don't have to be close to fight?" "What?" asked the second boy.

"Take this," said the third, and passed that second boy a straw, and a palm full of pebbles.

“In return, I want half your lunch.”

“Alright.”

And so the first boy found himself being pelted by pebbles.

The third boy approached the first, and had soon wheedled out of him another half-lunch. And all that without having to fight.

Would you venture a guess as to which real-life scenario this fable might be? Speaking of? It could be more than one.

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

Here's the article for this episode, with pictures and prompts: https://storypaths.substack.com/p/555eb054-2321-4811-b15c-a6746d84cdd2

Welcome to the Story Paths newsletter and podcast. This is a Storyteller’s diary edition.

As I tell the tale of this one life, may it help you to tell your tales.

In part one, I spoke about how I met an old friend of my father's after twenty years, and how we began to throw ropes across the river of time that separated us.

We gradually made our way toward a meeting in the middle of that river, in part to continue this recollection, in which I confessed to him the reasons why I cut my ties with him, and the other men who supported me, all those years ago.

In we go.

Prompts

(Take one, none, many or all. I suggest you write a response, or speak it aloud, or discuss them with a friend, or just think about them)

-Imagine a character who, after years of estrangement, receives an unexpected letter from someone they distanced themselves from long ago. This letter reveals truths about the past that had been buried for decades. Write about the emotional journey of reconnecting with this person, uncovering the life lessons hidden in their shared history, and the impact this reconnection has on the character's present life.

-Your protagonist discovers an old journal or a collection of letters from a deceased family member, shedding light on a pivotal moment in their past that was misunderstood or misinterpreted. Explore how this revelation prompts the protagonist to seek out someone from their past they haven't spoken to in years. Write about the conversation, the wisdom gained from these interactions, and the resolution or closure it brings to long-standing questions.

-Your protagonist, an entrepreneur, experienced a failed venture years ago that led to a disconnect from former colleagues, mentors, or partners. Unexpectedly, circumstances arise that force them to collaborate or reconnect with these individuals. Write about the emotional and professional journey of reengaging with the past, extracting valuable lessons from those failed endeavors, and how these connections contribute to the protagonist's newfound success or altered business direction. Explore the transformation and growth stemming from this reconnection and its impact on the protagonist's entrepreneurial spirit.

I'd love it if you share your thoughts in the comments.

Until next time.

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

Welcome to the Story Paths Newsletter, a Storyteller’s Diary edition.

Reply to the story prompts in this episode here: https://storypaths.substack.com/p/b44f0ad4-f7b9-4d14-b975-1b34ebc4dee2 (Available for paid Substack subscribers)You'll also find images connected to this episode.---

I'm on pilgrimage again, but it's different this time.

Before, it was overseas, inside the myths of those palms, hills paths, trees, and temples. Singing poems in the tongues of those mothers and wizened sages, walking away from our worldly lives and identities, and toward a common divinity. Barefoot in those holy lands.

I'm on pilgrimage again. These lands are holy too, I reckon, but far less exotic. I'm journeying now into my own past, into places and moments where I changed.

...

As I write this, I’m near the river that I grew up by. I’ve been visiting the trees my sister and I climbed when we were children. Going to the hills that we sledded down, and the schools where I learned and played.

Story prompts:

In your life, has there been a journey that felt like a pilgrimage? Perhaps more than one! For this moment, I’d like to hear about one journey of yours where stories, memories, land and movement intertwined.

Share your thoughts on the Story Paths Substack (paid subscribers): https://storypaths.substack.com/p/b44f0ad4-f7b9-4d14-b975-1b34ebc4dee2

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.com

Share your stories on the newsletter here: https://storypaths.substack.com/

Welcome to the Story Paths Newsletter and Podcast. A Story Elements Edition.

Journeys: Part five.

Oute…

Which real-life story does this remind you of? Comments here (paid subscribers): https://storypaths.substack.com/p/e817b97e-6206-4107-aa85-e6cbcfce7631

In the playground, a boy pushed down another child, and kept them pressed down while he rifled through their pockets, taking one thing after another. Then he let them go and said, ‘Every day you have to come bring me more.’

The child was frightened, more so when they saw another child being pushed down by another bully. But when there was a chance, this first child spoke to the other, saying, ‘We could get free from them, together.’

‘Yes,’ said the second. ‘But what will we do if we win? I don’t want to become another bully. What will we do when we win?’

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.

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/fdce5cda-f28e-49fa-ad02-d8bbf05a27cc(Available for paid Substack subscribers)

Find out more about Mr. Rodriguez’ work here:

https://www.luisjrodriguez.com/

Welcome to the Story Paths newsletter and podcast. I'm Theodore Lowry.

Today, I'm glad to be presenting you with a conversation with Luis Rodriguez. This was an in-person conversation that I recorded at the Peacemaker Gathering, which the Cowichan People hosted, on southern Vancouver Island.

At this indigenous-led gathering, people came from all around. We practiced making peace between us, in the form of ceremonies, discussions, circles, healing, honoring elders, and keeping a sacred fire. This conversation took place during that four day gathering.

I met Luis there, and we snuck away to do a recording on the spot, which means that because this took place on a farm, you get some bonus goat noises in the background, the singing of our cousin species: the goats.

A little bit about Luis.

He has worked for over 40 years in the prison system, bringing creative processes into some of the roughest environments imaginable. He has a bit of a rough background himself, as he'll describe in the conversation. After hard times, and with the support of others, he came to healing, and being able to help others heal themselves.

In the places he goes, there's a good deal of violence, of being caged, of inmates not getting what they need as human beings. He brings play into those situations in a way that is and valued so much by those hardened folks that they request for him to come back again and again.

Now, I know I've had stereotypes about how art and play is something that we can enjoy when we’re living high up the pyramid of needs. But here I learned that play is also needed in the most difficult situations.

In his work, Luis invites his participants to imagine simple, powerful metaphors—a train, a musical instrument, crossroads—to enter into their traumas in an approachable way. To adjust their life path, their intentions, and to walk in a way that is more in accord with their true desires, even in the midst of these most difficult situations.

I bring you: Play in Prisons, with Luis J. Rodriguez.

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