One way to enter into the deep symbolic language of our soul is through a fairy tale. When we write a fairy tale, the words “Once upon a time” opens up a portal to another world. We step into shamanic terrain. I have used fairy tales in my groups, classes and individual sessions for years. They never fail to reveal something unique and interesting, offering a perspective that seems both profound and simple at the same time.
For example, here is a fairy tale that one of my students wrote:
Once upon a time, way up on a high hill, on a grassy spot surrounded by tall trees, there sat a young girl. She had eaten all the fruits off all the trees surrounding this grassy spot and now there was nothing left to eat. And that was OK, it’s just that she was so used to looking for rich, juicy red fruit, that she didn’t know what else there was to look at. And so she just needed to sit there, until her vision readjusted to this new inner and outer place and she could see with fresh eyes again, all the beauty in this world.
Every fairy tale is psychologically significant. The narrative and images that show up are metaphorical, not literal. Through the metaphorical images that show up in the tale, we are able to “tune in” to a deeper place within ourselves. These images are powerful because they’re working on all levels at once. They reveal perspectives that we wouldn’t have seen in any other way. When you enter into this metaphoric terrain, an expansion happens. Space is opened up and you naturally see other options and possibilities that wouldn’t have occurred to you otherwise. Your brain starts firing in a different way.
Our creative process isn’t linear. It will make leaps, and your left brain may judge what you’re writing and want to shut it down. Let go of your attachment to what you think this fairy tale should be. Welcome and write down anything that comes. Let the images that show up write the tale and simply record what they have to say. And they do have something to say to you.
If you come to a place where you feel stuck, write the words “…and what I really want to say is…” and see what happens. Those words will help drop you down into a deeper level of wisdom and insight.
Sacred moments are those that bring surprise. If we already know what’s going to happen, we’re not in a sacred moment. When we write a fairy tale, we are entering a sacred space where we don’t know what’s going to happen next. The more you realize that this fairy tale is a real place with real wisdom that you can tap into, the more it will reveal to you.
For more on fairy tales, as well as a process for you to follow when writing your own fairy tale, a short video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAVbcKlbDB4