Storytellers are Spell Casters

William Butler Yeats said “The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.”  Stories are puzzle pieces we extract from our memories, and how we put them together – what we choose to show or not show,  is what engages a reader and makes for a magical story.  I love combining reality with with mysticism, because they live side by side in our lives.  We are writers, and writers are Word Alchemists, pulling the mystical and magical elements from memory, then weaving them in a way that is grounding for the reader. We open the window to what is possible and we say “look.”

The more time we spend casting Story Spells, the more magic our stories will hold.

And above ll, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you

because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places.

Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.”

Roald Dahl

The Universe is Full of Magical Things

We need the power of mythology in the every day – stories that teach, motivate and inspire. We are the fantastical heros on fantastical journeys overcoming fantastical odds. Magical and mystical writing unlocks something sacred, but perhaps also dormant within us that wants to emerge.  It’s time to let go of the myths that keep us small and expand into the myths that pull us into a bigger version of ourselves, embracing not our insecurities, but our power. Our life stories can explain the world and save people.  In this series, we will explore all things science can’t yet explain through experience. What better way to bring magic into stories than through magic itself?

We are part of this magniicent, harrowing, complex human experience,

and no matter what we feel in the moment, someone else has felt the same.

They might be feeling the same right now,

which allows us to better understand and relate to each other.

Myths may offer moral clarity. They always bid “pay attention.”

-Rebecca Pecheco

The Alchemy of Story

Alchemy is both the art of transmuting base metal into gold and a powerful metaphor for spiritual transformation and creativity. M.C. Richards said “All the arts we practice are apprenticeship. The big art is our life”. Writers are deep in the practice of creating a canvas of their lives.  All the magic comes into focus by showing up for your life and your story. The act of writing your story is an attempt to enter an alchemist’s laboratory, embracing mysteries that may be beyond our complete understanding. Story becomes a portal to an unseen world. Exceptional writing is fundamentally the product of magical thinking.   

“Great magic, great storytelling, has that battle between your head

and your heart, but you want your heart to win.

That’s when you have a really great story.

When someone reading it knows something intellectually,

but the spiritual component of it, the emotional component of it

overpowers whatever they’re thinking. ”

― Chris Jones, Magician and Writer

Using Mysticism & Mythology to Write Magical Memoirs:

Sample topics explored*:

The Tarot – the Major Arcana 

The Major Arcana Tarot cards represent the life lessons, karmic influences and the big archetypal themes that are influencing your life and your soul’s journey to enlightenment. The Major Arcana card meanings are deep and complex – in beautiful ways! These Tarot cards truly represent the structure of human consciousness and hold the keys to life lessons passed down through the ages.  I will pull three major arcana cards when preparing this class, and we will use those cards to open archetypal themes in our lives and go deeper in our life stories.

Craft explored in this class: Archetypes

Mythology & Legends

 Joseph Campbell describes mythology as “The secret opening through which the inexhaustible energies of the cosmos pour into the human cultural manifestation”!  All our stories passed down through time become a beautiful, strange, mysterious mythology. Sometimes when we write hard stories, or family stories where don’t have all the information, a way into them is not to shy away from the mythology, but to go deeper into it. 

 In Craft explored: Exercises to turn major life themes into mythology

Spells

As writers, we are casting spells every day on our readers – this is the beauty of having our work read and shared. This spell cast gets recast over and over, and that’s why story can save the world – it’s a spell, a way to bring an idea like love or forgiveness to a wider audience through an entrancing story. Every week, we are casting story spells for each other, and we leave renewed and refreshed. 

Craft Explored: Intention in Story

The Third Eye & Premonitions

The third eye denotes intuition and the ability to see things beyond what you see on the surface. Focusing on this chakra assists in visualizing and understanding the world beyond desires and distractions.Don’t take your intuition for granted -dreams for granted – not if you take them for granted, you are at your own peril.  This class will explore empaths and what we know before we have confirmation.

Craft Explored: Imagery and Imagination.

Plant Magick

In this class writers will delve into the symbolism, ceremony, and our ritual relationships with the botanical world, a place where the magic of the natural world begs us to pay attention. Our myths, beliefs and shared stories are continuously reflected in nature, and nature is speaking to us, begging us to listen.

Craft Explored: Naming things

Your Inner Superhero

When we go through personal transformations, we begin to see the world with a sort of emotional x-ray vision, and other superpowers from our myriad of experiences. You become your own superhero. This is taken from my class from Victim to Hero, where we recognize the almost superhuman strength we have gained from our life experiences.

We are now able to help others in a way we weren’t able to when we began our journey.

Craft Explored: Character Plaques

Bonus Class: Healing beyond the Veil w/ Medium Jane Selle Morgan 

A free bonus class for all students taking this course, medium Jane Selle Morgan and Laura Lentz will talk about healing communication with a loved one after they have died. We will explore through writing, the possibility of healing the past with loved ones who are gone as a way to move forward.

A sample of the books used for this course include:

Margaret Terry 

is a writer, inspirational speaker, and award winning author of Dear Deb, A Woman with Cancer, A Friend with Secrets and the Letters that Became Their Miracle. Her book, published by a division of Harper Collins US has been translated into Spanish and Russian. Margaret has written for The Minneapolis Star Tribune, Today’s Christian Magazine, and The Hamilton Spectator.

Margaret has taught workshops at conferences in the US and Canada on writing memoir as well as courses regarding how to secure an agent and the road to publication.

Margaret is a world traveller who has visited over 35 countries. She has lived in four countries before setting in Canada.

Margaret Terry joins Laura Lentz’ workshops as master facilitator and co-teacher.