1 - The Season of Story

The nights grow long and dark. And from them spring holidays, rituals, celebrations, and stories. Now perhaps more than any other time of year, we find ourselves craving a slow-down to wrap ourselves in tradition, in familiarity, in comfort, and in meaning.

So let us begin with the Winter Solstice, a point in the cycle of the year around which so many cultures around the world held celebration, ritual, and wove their stories.

Resources:

• Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield
• "Stories literally put our brain waves in sync" by Carmine Gallo
• “I will tell you something about stories . . . They aren't just entertainment. Don't be fooled. They are all we have, you see, all we have to fight off illness and death.” -Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko

More from Dr. E.C. Krupp:

• Griffith Observatory
• Echoes of the Ancient Skies: The Astronomy of Lost Civilizations
• Skywatchers, Shamans & Kings: Astronomy and the Archaeology of Power
• Beyond the Blue Horizon: Myths and Legends of the Sun, Moon, Stars, and Planets

More from Lewis Mehl-Madrona:

• Mehl-Madrona.com
• Coyote Institute
• Follow Lewis Mehl-Madrona on Facebook
• Follow Lewis Mehl-Madrona on YouTube

More from Sarah N. Lawson:

• Follow @SarahNLawson on Twitter
• SarahNLawson.wordpress.com
• Some of her past fairy tale work, including First Friday Fairy Tales, can be found on Tumblr at sarahviehmann.tumblr.com