the power of storytelling

Storytelling. One of the most ancient concepts of human civilisation. Before the written word, history was passed down from generation to generation in the form of stories.

Our ancestors would have sat around their campfire telling stories of how someone used a special kind of leaf to heal a rash on their relative's skin, or how the men of the tribe scared off a bear that was coming to attack, or how to find the very best and juiciest berries in the forest. The very same advice could have been shared as a list of instructions or rules. For example, "Use the big green leaf when you get a rash on your skin".

Do you think, however, if you told someone to "Use the big green leaf when you get a rash on your skin", that they'd remember the advice the next time they got a rash?

Possibly, however not necessarily.

What they would remember better would be if you recounted, in vivid detail, the time you were running around outside without looking where you were going because your big brother was chasing you and you were both laughing so much. And next thing you know, you've tripped and fallen onto some long grass. Thankfully the grass cushioned your fall, however you did manage to land on the only patch of white flowers around - white flowers that irritate your skin. That evening your skin itched and itched and itched. It was driving you crazy and you just knew you wouldn't get any sleep. So your Mum, knowing that if you didn't sleep through the night she wouldn't sleep either because you would be poking her constantly asking for help with your itch, she headed outside in the dark with only a torch in search of the one thing she knew would relieve the itch... a big green leaf. It didn't look special, however when your Mum gently rubbed it on your skin it felt so soothing and was so magical. Within no time your rash had disappeared.

Since the dawn of time, stories have been part of human nature because they work. Through them we teach, we share, we recount, we advise, we guide...

What makes them so special? Why do stories work better than any list of directions or instructions ever could?

The answer lies in our imagination.

When someone tells you a story, you can't help but imagine it in your mind's eye. You become involved, you place yourself within that story either as a character or an observer. And just like the saying, "A picture paints a thousand words", when we imagine something we can better remember it at a later time.

In essence our whole life is a collection of stories as we journey from one chapter into the next. So it should come as no suprise that a divination tool used to encourage you to move forward in life would be one that uses pictures and is best shared through the means of a story.

However, when you're reading your oracle cards, do you ever consider that they inviting you to tell a story?

When we receive (or pass on) guidance through oracle cards, it should be guidance that flows, where one piece connects to the next or follows on from the previous. And, to make the reading memorable, relevant, enjoyable, personal we should tap into the concept that has been part of human history since the dawn of time - storytelling.

Yet, more often than not, most oracle card readers consider cards separately, colours separately, or symbols separately. And, as a result, they pass on a message which can feel a bit disjointed.

To truly help someone connect with the guidance you're receiving through the cards (whether that person is you or someone else), it's vital that you can relay the message through the eyes of a storyteller, connecting the dots and allowing the information to flow. In that way the guidance received (and possibly passed on) will feel personal, relevant, and (importantly) memorable.

I truly hope to meet you in the next session of the Card Café.

Viv xx