The Stories for Life: Storytelling for Connecting to Nature course took place at The Asha Centre, England, from the 25th of October to the 3rd of November. There were participants from various countries like Greece, the Czech Republic, England, Italy, and Austria. The aim of this course was to use storytelling as a means to deepen our connection to the natural world. The setting was perfect for realizing the objectives of the course – The Asha Centre is surrounded by breathtaking nature and incredible spots ideal for introspection and reflection, including a rose garden, an apple orchard, and a serene stream. Each participant was asked to bring a story from our respective country which we shared with a small group of people at the end of the course. Throughout the course, each participant worked on their story during daily pockets of time and learned to view the story through a new lens.
The introductory activity was called “The Heroic Journey” – following Joseph Campbell’s structure of the Hero’s Journey, we participated in a plethora of games that mirrored the Hero’s Journey. The aim of this exercise was for the participants to get acquainted with the stages of the Hero’s Journey, such as ‘The Call to Adventure’, ‘Crossing the First Threshold’, and ‘Refusal of the Return’. The programme of the course also mirrored Campbell’s structure – the first couple of days contained activities that aimed to gently prepare us for the essence of the course. Likewise, the last couple of days were filled with activities that were designed to prepare us for the return home.
Among the most memorable activities was our hike on Welshbury Hill. After climbing the hill, all the participants gathered around a fire and each of us told a part of our story that most resonated with us. Additionally, we also attended various lectures by the renowned author Lisa Schneidau where we learned how to take our stories into the world and how we can use stories and storytelling to facilitate change.
Moreover, during the course, participants learned new communication, expression, and meditation tools and methodologies that would help us share the lessons we learned in Asha in our respective countries. Overall, Ellie and the guest lecturers did an incredible job at helping the participants connect to each other and nature, teach us valuable tools that we can share with the world upon our return, and discover hidden parts of ourselves.
