Sacred Stories: A Celebration of the Power of Story to Transform and Heal

by Charles Simpkinson (Editor), Anne Adamcewicz Simpkinson (Editor), Maya Angelou

An eclectic assortment of today's bestselling authors, storytellers, psychologists, and spiritual teachers, Sacred Stories celebrates the healing role of stories in our individual and communal lives.

Maya Angelou offers a poem that recognizes the great diversity in the human family but reminds that "We are more alike, my friends, than we are unalike."

Robert Bly serves "Story Food for Women and for Men."

Sam Keen explores the contemporary "mythic battleground."

Vice President Al Gore explores the unwritten rules in the story of modern industrial civilization.

Clarissa Pinkola Estés's "Story as Medicine" honors story's ability to heal the wounded psyche.

In the midst of modern lives filled with noise and distractions, Sacred Stories, celebrates a renaissance in storytelling and story understanding; one that offers a means to look inward, at the story of our own lives, and outward, toward the story of our shard life earth.

288 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1993

Reviews

[Miya (severe pain struggles, slower at the moment) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting and eye opening yread. There are some stories in this book by wonderful people. I enjoyed it.

[Helen Lehndorf · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up because I am interested in how creativity (in this case, story) can be used to infuse life with meaning and purpose, and can be used to teach 'spiritual' ideas in a largely secular world.

A mixed-bag, some essays were a little dull and uninspiring, but I really enjoyed the essay about Zen koans, it covers what they are for and how best to use them. I also enjoyed the Clarissa Pinkola Estes essay about the 'wildness' of story, and the essay about the much overlooked fables of mid-life. It is worth picking up for those three essays.

[Jami Hart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent essays, but I never understood philosophy. Some may find this to their liking.

[Tommi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having really enjoyed a couple of books by contributor Sam Keen I was expecting this book too to be a passioinate and articulate work however I found it to be a much less holistic pro-Jungian book. But if you're into archetypes and such you'll probably enjoy this one. I felt it was a bit to pragmatic for my rather mystical worldview.

[Andy Fraenkel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fine collection covering the topic from many angles, with selections by Clarissa Pinkola Estes, Robert Bly, Sam Keen, Matthew Fox, and others.