Ancient peoples of many diverse cultures knew what they were doing, in honoring a long-standing tradition among themselves – that of storytelling.
This was the medium through which their culture grew and became strong, in the telling and retelling of the important values, legends, rituals and events of their lives.
It was also the medium through which those who had gone before them were honored, and held in high esteem by those remaining behind in an earthly existence, as well as a way for them to heal from the pain of their loss. They understood the healing value of doing this.
Never forget, the pain of losing a loved one has been around since Man first drew breath as an emotional species, subject to all the feelings of our kind.
This historical and time honored medium, used so effectively in ancient cultures, was also a powerful way for them to remember their loved and revered ones, with the knowledge of them passed on from generation to generation.
Somehow through the ages, most of us have lost our understanding of the memorial, and healing value inherent in the ancient and powerful medium of storytelling.
We tend more today, towards simply thinking of the events contained within our lives as mere experiences, hardly worth the noting, other than as a passing desire to not have to repeat too many of them.
Which fact simply goes to prove that we have forgotten and lost much in our scramble to civilize as a species, intent only on ourselves and the pursuit of an existence too often filled with an emptiness of meaning, let alone with the vital knowledge of those time honored mechanisms by which we can find ever greater healing in a time of grief.
Yet the truth is that the opportunity to exercise this tradition remains today, still an equally powerful medium to remember your own lost loved ones by, in whatever culture you may personally inhabit around the globe, and in whichever way you choose to express your story.
The healing lies in the telling of the story itself.
The simple truth is that it’s in the individual telling of your stories – in whatever way and medium you’re able - that you honor and show your esteem for the ones you’ve lost.
And it’s in the telling of your story that you are blessed to find even greater healing than you had ever thought possible. Because then there are others within the tribe of humanity who share the knowledge of your life altering experience, and all are made stronger from the telling of it.
That’s the profound benefit of telling your story your way. It continues to heal you more and more in the telling, just as it did for the ancients.
There is much to be learned from their example.
With Love and Understanding,
Ken Matthies
HeartSpun Posts from the Crucible of Experience
The preceding is a segment reprinted from the 10 part Stages of Grief – Healing
Your Grief article series entitled “Your Story, Telling It Your Way” by Ken
Matthies available at http://www.kenmatthies.com/"
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