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Archive Number 979

Date: Sun, 6 Jan 2002 21:29:18 EST
From: Cristy West
Subject: Re: Story and Transformation



In a message dated 1/6/02 2:45:42 PM, nyannatobin@ATT.NET writes:

<< This dream
reminded me that I have helpers. I just have to remember
to find them and ask. >>

Dear Karen, Nyanna Susan et al.--

I find it so interesting that when I posed the question to this list about
the transformative power of story, most of the responses coming back so far
have related to people's dreams. So what does this suggest? Perhaps that we
all instinctively feel that story and dream come from the same deep
transformative source within the unconscious... ? Nevertheless I am also
reminded that in the horrific videotape of Ben Laden some weeks ago, he and
his central advisers were shown as giving central importance to dreams and
the dreaming mind.... A whole culture of death and destruction apparently
built around dreams. Well, lord knows, this has certainly caused
"transformations" to occur, for better or worse! But perhaps we need to be
cautious to make dreams alone our central guiding intelligence... Dreams
and the raw energy of the unconscious mind may form one important "vertical
axis" of creativity but perhaps we also need to consider some sort of
balance from a "horizontal axis" that, especially through story, can
establish vital connections to community, history, culture...

Perhaps all this is too big a question to be considering so soon after the
holidays when we are all tuckered out. Still, I do wish others on the list
might take a crack at answering that question I posed before--i.e., to repeat:

"What do we mean anyway when we speak of "transformation" and
how is this accomplished through story?"

Cristy W.