SOUL SEMINARS : Why Stories Matter

Dear friends,

We are delighted to invite you along to our next Soul Seminars ; Why Stories Matter: an evening with Ruth Marshall. Ruth is an engaging and exciting speaker and storyteller and we are very much looking forward to exploring ideas around 'why stories matter' This event will be held at Dunderry Park, Co. Meath

ABOUT THE EVENT

You can give this away as often as you like, but you can still keep it. It moves from place to place, changing as it goes, and, without it, there is no past or future, no reason or meaning. What is it?
Answer: A story.

I saw a wall plaque in a shop the other day that caught my eye. It said: “HOME is where the story begins.” As a storyteller, I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry when I read that, because, though it sounded corny, it’s also true. Since before we were born, we have been listening to stories. We grow up with stories, and we create new stories with each new experience. If we are fortunate, the stories we grow up with are helpful ones that teach us, on a soul level, about the laws of life, natural morality, the value of simplicity, goodness, and the need to journey into the darkness so we can find the way back home. These stories carry healing truths, nurturing and guiding us. They are stories to live by.

However, many of us grow up in homes with wounded stories, often passed down the generations from our ancestors. When we live with damaged stories we often follow a life-script that we have not written ourselves. We may be living someone else’s story.

There is a Siberian proverb that says, “If you don't know the trees you may be lost in the forest, but if you don't know the stories you may be lost in life.”

To be authentic in life, we need to be living our own story.

So what is my own story? How do I find my own healing story? How can I create a healing story for myself or another person? Is storytelling still relevant in the digital age? Are stories just for children? How can stories help us to heal ourselves and the earth?

These are some of the questions we will explore in asking why stories matter.

In this seminar, I intend to: share some stories that nurture the soul; invite you to be deeply present to yourself and practise a deep listening, in a playful way; and help you to discover the characters and landscapes that will populate the spontaneous healing story you will create for the stranger sitting beside you (who might be an old friend by then). But don’t worry, you won’t be put on the spot! This kind of storytelling is not about performing, but about listening deeply and letting the truth speak through.

I believe that stories speak to our secret heart, and when we listen we can become like children again, filled with wonder and possibilities.

A good story can change how we see the world, and how we choose to act in it.

Biog: Ruth Marshall

Ruth Marshall is a storyteller, facilitator with many years experience of facilitating creativity and transformation. She brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to her work, creating a magical space where transformation can happen.

She studied archaeology at Glasgow University and has trained in many fields, including Storytelling as a Healing Art; The Transformation Game; Sacred Dance; Life & Business Coaching; Steiner Education; various energy healing modalities.

She is the author of two books: Celebrating Irish Festivals (Stories, folklore, crafts, games to mark the seasons of the Celtic year. Hawthorn Press, 2003) and Clare Folk Tales (The History Press, 2013), and was editor of Network Ireland holistic magazine for 16 years. Her lifelong love of crafts, singing and (more recently) the ukulele have now found their place in her workshops and performances. Some of her deepest learnings have come through meeting storyteller and healer, Nancy Mellon, and through deep encounters with nature.

She works with all ages, from infants to the retired, and currently teaches in a Steiner school; facilitates personal development groups for older people; visits schools as a Heritage Expert, and tell stories in museums, schools and festivals, telling gentle tales that warm our hearts, and touch our souls.

Website: ruthmarshallarts.weebly.com

As always we will have registration between 7-7.30, a short meditation from 7.30-7.45, Ruth will speak on the subject between 7.45 and 9pm. We will then take a short break and finish the night with a Q&A.

We look forward to welcoming you at Dunderry Park.

Warm regards,

Martin Duffy