The story of you

What is the story you are trying to tell with your life? What do you perceive as your overall goal or theme? What are the main obstacles you face? What do these scenarios force you to discover about yourself? What are the consequences if you fail?  What are the stories you weave about yourself? Identify previous periods of your life that were part of “story arch”, each going through a clear beginning, middle, and end, before giving way to the next story arch. Identify your current story arch. For each separate story arch, draw three narrative images that embody the beginning, middle, and end of each story (you can modify the number of images you create as you see fit). Use symbolism ranging from distinct to abstract to represent the contrast you faced during that time. Try to pack as much meaning into the single image as possible.

Next, find a jar or clay pot with a smooth surface that you can paint on. Paint these images on the surface of the pot, circling its circumference. You may have to be selective about the number of stories you can fit on the pot.

Once the narrative pot is made it is passed off to a group of people who will look at each image on the pot and attempt to give an interpretation of what the story is about. This is done presumably without knowing what the story is actually about, or where one story ends and another begins. They only know is who the story is about, so they make their interpretation with this in mind. One person is assigned to one image as the pot is rotated and passed around the circle. The person who is the creator of the pot listens to these stories as they take shape and attempts to extract meaning from it. Find an atmospheric spot indoors or outdoors for this storytelling session. If possible, choose a spot that has special significance to the maker of the pot. Light a candle inside the pot for extra effect and have the session during a dark or dim time of day.  

Another variation on this requires that the participants in the group begin by writing on slips of paper things in their own lives that they have a great abundance of or a great lack of. In this version the creator of the pot tells them what the story behind each image is. When the pot is passed around, each person draws out two slips of paper. They will attempt to retell the story, how the story would have gone, if the maker of the pot had experienced a great lack and great abundance of two particular things. Of the two slips of paper drawn, that person must choose which one is the great abundance and which one is the great lack before they begin. As before, the person whose story they are retelling listens and tries to derive meaning from this.