Story...
From the beginning of time - Caveman to Chauser - Hawthorne to Hemingway, stories have been told to help simplify complex situations. Association of likeable characters or exciting scenes bond us to individual human characteristics or tribulations. Being able to understand basic human emotions enable the full expression of one's true self. Beth Easter has the ability to tell stories that unlock the complexities of life's trials and tribulations and transform them into small wounds that can easily begin to heal.
Beth has a collection of stories that she has written and continues to create on subjects that affect our emotional well being. Mixing spirituality with common sense and tightly knitting them into an enjoyable story, Beth is able to enlighten the listener on their very core being and show them means to cope with life's unexpected events. Her stories deal with grief, addictions, natural catastrophes, depression and growing up, to list only a few.
Her stories breakdown into manageable portions the components of perplexing problems by shining a spotlight down the darkened tunnel and unveiling the hidden self.
Exploring the Questions with Story...
Is there a way, amidst the noise to hear, and know the Voice that will lead us?
Is there a way to express what we cannot seem to find words for?
Is there a way to shine a light on what feels lost, somehow inaccessible to us?
Is there a way to embrace what we feel is out of our grasp?
Is there a way to let go of what is no longer necessary to hold onto?
Is there a way to come to know what has been a mystery to us?
Is there a way to awaken our senses to what we are afraid has grown numb?
Is there a way to love what we believe is “unlovable”?
The healing power of “Story” makes it possible to say “Yes” to all of these questions. These questions have been at the heart of my own journey. They are also at the core of the many personal stories others have generously shared with me.
Creating and telling stories offers a way to bring understanding to the challenges of aging, loneliness, fear, grief, attachments/addictions, hopelessness and relationships. The stories are written and told allowing people to pause… to ponder… to gaze at life from different angles. We live in a world that seldom honors the power of those words.
Believing that someone hears our heart… understands our pain is vital to our healing. I treasure the people along the way that could see me as a “whole person” when I felt my condition was beyond repair. I want to bring a message of healing to each of us as we travel the path of life.
The Process
To pause… To ponder… To gaze…
We might see those words as passive, placing a higher value on words that we see as “action oriented”. We are in a world that often craves the quick fix. By-passing the steps, the process, we miss the healing and restoration. Settling for just “an answer” we rob ourselves of the elements that will make us different than we were before. We can deprive ourselves of what would equip us to create something new rather that being enslaved to habits and reactions. Endowed with all that is needed for transformation by the One that created us we are wealthier than we know, and yet we can find ourselves falling for the illusion that we need “More”.
~The stories are not necessarily written for entertainment."
~The stories are written with the intention of bringing healing. "
~The environment and audience are a part of the healing process."
~ The stories that are created involve a rhythm as they are told. It may be that it touches you in a place where you remember the rhythm more than the words."
~Some phrases are spoken slowly allowing the words to fall like leaves from a tree. The leaves having been released from their branches are intended to fall all the way to the ground. They will nourish the soil and something new can grow from it. "
~There are pauses, periods of silence that are empty of words, and yet they may be pregnant with possibilities for healing."
~There is a relationship between the storyteller, the message and the story listener."
~What someone receives when listening to a story is as varied as each individual. "
~The story may not meet you at an intellectual level and for some that can feel troublesome."
"Mentally we can feel as if we are trying to grasp that little piece of silver, the mercury in a thermometer. There are some truths that are not meant for the brain in our heads; they are meant for the mind in our hearts. "
~It can be that the story requires a kind of attention or presence that you are unwilling to spend. There are messages within the stories that require a certain kind of listening, a certain kind of attention."
~Some people find that certain phrases in the story hold an attraction for them. Almost a magnetic force occurs."
~At the close of a story some people find that they want to be quiet for a while. The storyteller may be finished speaking words and yet the story listener needs time with the echo…what remains. If this happens for you, I hope you will honor it for yourself and others."
~Some story listeners are overcome with emotion. Certain stories may touch us deeply. It is unnecessary to have a reason or explanation. Sometimes we work hard trying to reach into our “history” to find or grab a reason for our emotion. Let it surface. Let it come to you."
©BAEaster, 2005