As we bid farewell to our 2024 Storytelling Beyond Words students following completion of the 12 week course this spring, course leader Roi Gal-Or shares these words:

“There are two things essential for our survival : STORIES and SEEDS.

Since the dawn of time there is a mysterious relationship between these two, both of them nourishing us and storing inside them a hidden life force. 

Stories, like seeds, come in many shapes and forms, the best ones are kept as precious treasures and are passed down as gifts from one generation to the next connecting us to our ancestors and roots. 

As stories and seeds spread around the world, they keep changing, with new variants appearing and adapting to local circumstances and conditions.

They can take root and grow in the most unexpected places, help shape the landscape, overcome challenging conditions and break through the hardest of surfaces.

Here is a little story gift I shared with the students on our recent three month long Storytelling Beyond Words course as we sowed seeds together to accompany the work on their applied storytelling projects. 

‘There was once a man, a seeker, who following his heart’s desire to understand the ways of the universe, took a vow to keep on searching until he had found true wisdom. He traveled far and wide and on his journey had conversations with many people. He visited many landscapes and cities and from time to time, stopped in various spiritual schools where he met wise teachers, seers and masters who passionately and compassionately spoke of the best ways to reach the wonderful heights of the spirit. To tell you the truth, despite learning many things in these places, at the end of each day he was often left with the burdensome weight of his earthly existence. Now one day, as he was walking on a high road, he noticed to his side a path that went down across some fields. He decided to follow that path and did so until it came to an end in front of a small wooden hut, outside which stood a small sign saying: “Here you can find EVERYTHING your heart desires”. The man entered the hut and met an old woman who had a long white hair and shining eyes. “Is it true,” the man asked, “can I really find in this place EVERYTHING I wish for?” “Of course,” said the woman with the kind smile, “EVERYTHING! So, what can I get for you today sir?” Realizing the woman was serious in her words, the man did not pause for a second. He’d had the full list in his mind for years and so he immediately replied: “Well, I want wisdom, knowledge and understanding. I want peace of mind and a calm soul. I want to be able to understand and be understood by people no matter which background they come from. I want to know when to listen and what is the right thing to say in every moment. I want to be able to love myself and love others. I want the world to stop abusing nature and for people to overcome selfishness. I want no more wars and world peace and….” “Excuse me sir,” the woman interrupted his flow, “I think you have a small misunderstanding…what you are asking me for are the fruits ,but here in this place, we can only provide you with the seeds.’

I warmly invite you to discover for yourself the gifts of ‘story seeds’  on one of the part time storytelling courses I will be offering at Emerson College this autumn.  ‘The Craft of the storyteller’ and ‘Bring your stories to life’ both beginning this September and the next round of Storytelling Beyond Words in February 2025. 

Warm wishes. Roi”

We are now taking applications for the 2025 cohort of our popular Storytelling Beyond Words course – click here for more details and to apply.