Wisdom Stories & Spirit Play Pedagogy: A Way to Rise Above Our Dark Valleys

The journey through grief is often disorienting, a swirling vortex of sadness that can be overwhelming. In the first year following the loss of my dad and brother, the pain was acute. Like many in the early stages of grief, I couldn't fathom a life of thriving without them.

Reaching out to grief counselors and support groups was essential. These guides normalized my experiences, validating the continual shock and disbelief that felt like waking up to a recurring nightmare. They affirmed my grief symptoms, and at the right times, gently encouraged me to broaden my perspective, to see the larger landscape of life's journey.

They reminded me that we are all sojourners on this earth; life has a beginning and an end. There are hellos and goodbyes. Wisdom stories and mythologies offer maps for those times when we're ready to see beyond our immediate pain.

The moment of glimpsing that wider landscape beyond the darkness of grief is truly a moment of grace. It is akin to the experience described in the hymn "Amazing Grace" — a transition from lost to found, from blindness to sight. Grief can feel like being lost in a dark valley, but with support and guidance, it's possible to find a path forward. The journey may be long and arduous, but moments of grace and glimpses of a wider perspective can sustain us along the way. These guides, or "sherpas," help us navigate the challenging terrain of grief, reminding us that even amidst the deepest sorrow, there is hope for healing and a future filled with meaning.

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Spiritual crises can be profoundly disorienting, shaking the foundations of our beliefs and leaving us adrift in a sea of existential doubt and feeling alone. However, the wisdom embedded in these ancient tales reminds us that we are not alone in our questioning and that countless others have grappled with these same profound questions throughout history.

In the face of such turmoil, wisdom stories, parables, and mythology can serve as invaluable compasses and maps, guiding us through the storm of our personal odysseys. When the ground beneath us feels unsteady and the horizon uncertain, these narratives offer a lifeline, connecting us with a larger story, a meta-narrative that transcends our individual struggles. This wide lens or framework helps provide a view of the intricate landscapes of our lives, illuminating the highs and lows, the peaks and valleys, the challenges and the triumphs, the winding paths and unexpected detours that we encounter. By recognizing these universal patterns within the stories, we can connect our personal struggles to a larger narrative, gaining a higher perspective or a newfound vantage point allowing us to contextualize our experiences within a broader tapestry of meaning, and find the language to articulate our experiences, giving voice to the often ineffable emotions and anxieties that accompany a spiritual crisis. In other words, the language of these stories, imbued with archetypal symbolism, gives voice to our existential wrestling with profound questions of isolation, mortality, freedom, and purpose. They offer a bridge, an opportunity to transcend mere reactivity to life's circumstances, choosing instead to cultivate a mindful curiosity towards the unfolding adventure that is our existence.

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Instead of just staying in survival mode, merely running and auto-piloting, seemingly serving as a cog in the machine or feeling like we are the mercy of the disorienting twists and turns of life's terrain, wisdom stories give us the space to notice and become aware of the topography and geography of our life journey. Rich with archetypal themes and symbolic narratives, they can serve as guiding maps for our personal odysseys. By engaging with these stories, we transcend mere reactivity to life's circumstances, choosing instead to cultivate a mindful curiosity towards the unfolding adventure that is our existence.

Rather than simply reacting to life's circumstances or being consumed by daily stresses, these stories provide a space for conscious observation. We avoid getting hooked into the immediate emotional reactions that might otherwise control us – the panic, the resentment, the fear. Instead, we become curious observers of our own thoughts and emotions, recognizing them as fleeting experiences rather than defining characteristics.

In this way, wisdom stories cultivate a sense of awareness. We become more than just our thoughts and emotions; we become the conscious observer of these experiences. This shift in perspective allows us to navigate life's journey with greater clarity, understanding, and resilience. We can face challenges with equanimity, appreciate joys with gratitude, and embrace the adventure of life's unfolding with an open heart and a curious mind.

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As the Ancient One sagely notes in Dr. Strange, "We never lose our demons, but we can learn to live above them." This metaphor of elevation speaks to the transformative power of perspective. By gaining a wider view, we can transcend our immediate struggles and see them within a larger context. This doesn't mean that our problems disappear, but rather that we gain the ability to navigate them with greater clarity and resilience.

​Practices like Spirit Play (or Godly Play) harness the power of storytelling to facilitate this expanded perspective. By physically interacting with the story as it unfolds, participants are invited to observe its contours and landmarks, 

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​but from a safer distance, a kind of a ​bird's-eye view. The gap between the observer and the narrative creates space for reflection, allowing individuals to identify with elements of the story while maintaining a healthy distance from their own thoughts, feelings, and reactions. In essence, they learn to distinguish between the self and the experience, recognizing that they are not merely their reactions but also the silent watcher who observes them.

​This observational stance echoes the strategic mindset of a chess player who surveys the board from a higher plane, anticipating moves and consequences. Similarly, it mirrors the respite of a long-distance runner who pauses on a hilltop to regain bearings, the panoramic view offering clarity amidst the disorienting maze of trails. ​

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In both cases, the act of mindful observation and curious wondering fosters a sense of agency and empowerment, a vital step in the journey towards mental and spiritual well-being.

The cultivation of this "watcher" consciousness is a transformative process. It is an invitation to step outside the confines of our immediate experience and to engage with life from a place of expanded awareness. In this space, we find the freedom to choose our response, to navigate life's challenges with greater equanimity and wisdom. The wisdom stories and mythologies serve as our companions and guides, illuminating the path towards a more conscious and fulfilling existence.

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Annette Gildemann, in Advancing Holistic Healing: An Integrated Spiritual Assessment, Intervention and Documentation Model for Healthcare Chaplains, (p. 25-29) highlights Narrative Theory as a process that allows individuals to move beyond a survival-oriented response to pain, towards a place where painful stories can be retold within a larger, more inclusive narrative. This process facilitates the metabolization of pain transforming it into something that can be utilized for one's learning and growth. The process of widening one's perspective involves a shift toward a symbolic and metaphorical narrative that is grand in scope and encompasses a spiritual and/or religious perspective.

Expanding on this notion of the narrative process, it's important to note that it also entails a creative deconstruction and reimagination, which gradually increases the complexity of one's cognitive structure in terms of both differentiation and integration (*See C. Daniel Batson, Patricia Shoenrade and W. Larry Ventis’ Religion and the Individual: A Social-Psychological Perspective, p.92). This increase in cognitive complexity mirrors the way in which we catalyze knowledge, as described by Michael Polanyi in Personal Knowledge: Towards a Post-Critical Philosophy (p. 195-196). It involves a deep dive into one's internal worldview and beliefs, followed by a sudden expansion into a broader, more complex, and heuristic perspective.

​Neuroscience has unveiled the remarkable capacity of our brains to reorganize and restructure themselves, a phenomenon known as neuroplasticity: this inherent ability to forge new neural connections and pathways underlies our capacity for learning, growth, and adaptation.

Hence, by engaging with wisdom stories—narratives rich with insights and lessons gleaned from generations of human experience—we can harness the power of neuroplasticity to intentionally shape our own neural landscapes. These stories offer us alternative perspectives, challenge our assumptions, and broaden our understanding of our human experience. As we integrate these new perspectives into our own narratives, we create fresh neural pathways that can lead to profound shifts in our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.

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This process of neural restructuring can be likened to the creation of a new footpath or nature trail. Initially, the path may be faint and uncertain, but with repeated use, it becomes more established and well-defined. Similarly, as we repeatedly engage with new perspectives and insights, we strengthen the associated neural pathways, making them more readily accessible and integrated into our daily lives.

Through this intentional cultivation of new neural pathways, we can foster a greater sense of well-being, resilience, and purpose. We can make choices that are aligned with our deepest values and aspirations, leading to lives that are not merely surviving, but truly thriving and flourishing.

​When our personal narratives are disrupted by a spiritual crisis, these archetypal stories can provide a framework for reintegration and renewal. They offer a language for expressing our experiences, a community of shared struggles, and a path towards a more expansive and meaningful existence. In essence, these wisdom stories, parables, and myths serve as a lifeline in the turbulent waters of a spiritual crisis. They remind us that we are part of something larger than ourselves, that our struggles are not unique, and that there is wisdom to be gleaned from the collective experience of humanity. By engaging with these narratives and integrating their archetypal themes into our own stories, we can emerge from the crisis with a renewed sense of purpose, a deeper understanding of ourselves, and a more profound connection to the world around us.

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