“The universe is made of stories not atoms.”
 ~Muriel Rukeyser

Since the beginning of
time the transmission of knowledge has found its expression in stories. Stories are enacted in rituals, represented in art, narrated and sung in myth and poetry. Stories are not conceptual explanations or frivolous entertainment and they often jump over the rational mind and speak directly to the heart. Stories can be containers and givers of vitality helping us find ourselves in situations which the cognitive mind alone cannot contain.

The passage through pregnancy into motherhood is life altering and involves every aspect of a woman's being. Since time began women have shared their birth stories and found a living link with the birthing wisdom which all women share. Even now women eagerly exchange birth stories touching a spontaneous intimacy that nourishes the soul. Medical information and physiological facts about pregnancy are educational and provide a certain level of understanding. Nevertheless the soul often longs to touch deeper currents within ourselves and to weave the world of dreams, fantasy and imagination, hopes and fears and the multitude of irrational elements into a rich tapestry that contains all the material alive in the psyche of the expectant mother. The rational mind cannot encompass the totality of the experience. The imagination is a soul-power restoring a connection with mythic and metaphorical thought patterns which lie beneath the intellect.

Stories of heroic births nourish the soul in unknown ways. Spoken word stories tap into the perinneal oral tradition with a vitality of transmission not available in a book or on a screen. Be a child again and enjoy listening to the birth stories of women in far off lands and distant times as a foundation to create your own unique birth story.

Check the calendar for times and locations of the birthing circle storytime.