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Once Upon a Time
How Fairy Tales Shape Our Lives
by Jonathan Young
Inside Journal magazine - Fall 1997
When the people of Hamelin refused to pay the Pied Piper what they had promised, he led the children of the village away with his magical music. This key moment in a familiar fairy tale carries many insights. It is, at once, a commentary on social values, a vivid example of family tragedy, and a bit of personal psychology. Folklore is compacted wisdom
literature that yields more information with each reading.
There is much we can learn by reflecting on the stories heard in
childhood. Magical characters such as the Pied Piper, the talking frog and the fairy godmother are likely to remain in the imagination for a
lifetime. The adventures these stories describe often reflect challenges we face in our journeys. The tales hide a wealth of insights just below the surface. They are clearly more than mere entertainment for children.
My own first hearing of many of the old stories was in the places
where they originated. Throughout my childhood, our family traveled abroad
for several months every few years. There were six children. Keeping all
the kids quiet took some imagination. My parents came up with an
ingenious, and life-changing, idea, which was to have us study the local
tales.
When we were in Denmark, we visited the home of Hans Christian
Andersen, and discussed his stories, such as The Little Mermaid. In
Germany, we went to the village of Hamelin, where the tale of the Pied
Piper takes place. In each location, we would thoroughly examine a story
and the sites associated with it. In Baghdad, it was the Arabian Nights.
While visiting Greece and Egypt, we would discuss mythology. In the
temples of India and Japan, the tales of Asia came to life. Seeing how
the adventures reflected their settings and how the stories are still
alive in those places was a powerful experience. It shaped my sense of the
world.
Various people can imagine the tales quite differently. I had
heard the stories before and had pictures in my mind about what the places
looked like. When I saw, for example, the spot in Germany where the Pied
Piper supposedly led the children away, it didn't look exactly the same as
I had imagined. In a way, noticing that difference made me aware of how
our creativity works. It was a glimpse into the power of imagination.
I later learned how these stories portray life issues in
miniature. The story of the Pied Piper reminds us that every parent has to
deal with letting go of their children and every former child has to cope
with feelings about how it is to leave home. If we take the tale as a
reflection of the inner landscape, we see that all the characters can
represent aspects of our own personalities. The village leaders may
symbolize a practical, thrifty side that does not sufficiently appreciate
our magical qualities or artistic abilities. If we cheat the imagination
of appropriate time and resources, things may go badly. Creativity and
play engage the childlike energies that can leave us in a state of
depression if they depart.
These tales are psychological mirrors and we become more complex
as we mature. The storytellers intentionally loaded the adventures with
heavy symbolism to reveal more meanings as we develop a deeper awareness
of ourselves. Bedtime stories have enormous influence over our identities.
People identify with certain characters in the stories they heard in
childhood. To some degree, many live out these stories, largely unaware of
how much the old tales may be shaping our lives.
It is a great treasure to know and reveal which tales from our
childhood have a hold on us. Once the general pattern or storyline becomes
evident, the challenge is to participate in the rewriting of our own
story. We may not be able to create the rivers that carry us along but we
can certainly navigate the little boats of our lives.
Mythic stories make up a kind of collective dream that we all have
together. If we want to understand our dreams, in many respects, we can
look at these stories and study them. If we want to understand the stories
better, we can study our dreams. There is a great inter-relationship
between these two forms of our imagination.
A talking animal in a story is often the voice of nature. Among
other messages, we are being reminded that we are also animals. We are
walking around in animal flesh. We sometimes forget this in our
excessively mental, all too industrial culture. We are, first of all,
animal creatures. We are not just visitors to nature, or merely caretakers
of nature. We are nature. Guiding animals are crucial in mythic stories.
Psychologically, this might well represent the wisdom of the body.
Sinister or wicked characters may represent aspects of ourselves
that have been neglected or rejected. Carl Jung noted that the shadow
energies in dreams and stories often appear as threatening witches or
wolves. Jung insisted that something good can come from this darkness.
Something valuable waits for us in the shadow. We are not to exclude that
from how we define ourselves. Ultimately, inclusion is the goal. The
challenge is to integrate these elements into identity in a constructive
manner.
The darker elements in some tales often reveal shadow energies in
an action, an image, or even a setting. The deep dark forest is a common
representation of the feared elements within. The monsters live in the
forest. The forest can reflect parts of ourselves that are never entirely
tamed, that are always somewhat dangerous and chaotic. These elements
sometimes come up in nightmares. They are important parts of ourselves. In
some ways, they are the most creative aspects of our inner world. We need
to go into the dark forest. It is difficult and mysterious. Still, fresh
energies and new ideas come from that place.
Often we need the experiences in life that seem like setbacks and
shadows. These can be difficult times. On the first reaction we wish we
could avoid them. Ultimately, in hindsight, we realize those were
enormously valuable moments. Such experiences force us to claim aspects of
ourselves that we have neglected to develop. We become more than we
thought was possible.
There is a tale about a farmer who plowing in his field. Suddenly,
his plow catches on something. The farmer digs down to see what the plow
has snagged on and he finds it has hooked a large ring. He digs farther,
gets the plow unstuck, but sees that the ring emerges from a large flat
stone. After more digging, the farmer lifts the ring and the stone. As the
stone rises, it reveals the entrance to a deep underground cave filled
with treasures.
The parable suggests that when something interrupts what we are
trying to do, we should not be too sure this is a negative event. If we
look into the impediment to our progress, we may open up hidden places in
our souls and reveal secret riches. After discovering the buried treasure,
we have the task of integrating these deep realms of beauty into our daily
lives.
Learning to find the guidance in familiar adventures is not
difficult but does take a little effort. The starting point is
understanding symbolism. Certain significant images communicate helpful
information. The key is knowing how to decode the messages. The farmer
getting stuck shows how trouble can interrupt our journeys for good
reasons that we may not immediately grasp. The tale is a visual
experience. Any one of the symbols in a classic story is worthy of a close
look. If we meditate on the flow of images, and reflect on the meanings it
presents to us, the rewards can be great.
The ancient tales have their own lives, each with unique,
eccentric qualities. Part of the richness is that the same story will have
different lessons for each person who listens. Stories can be like the
Holy Grail, which, when passed from person to person, let them drink what
they alone desired. Also, when we come back to the same story after a
time, it will tell us new things. Stories can speak to us in several ways
at once. The practical aspects of our personalities appreciate the
assistance they provide in prudent decision-making. Our playful child-like
energies find the stories to be great fun. The quiet, spiritual side is
grateful to have some time invested in reflection.
Poet William Stafford had a favorite image. He said that the work
of creativity is to "follow the golden thread." Something catches your
attention, a feeling, an image, an idea, the events of a moment. The
challenge is to pay attention to that subtle urge and follow it gently. We
must roll out the golden thread with care or it will break. Opening
ourselves to greater significance in familiar stories requires a certain
tenderness of spirit. The notions will be fragile at first. We must hold
them gently for a time until they deliver their message to us. The effects
of what we learn might well last for a lifetime.
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