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tell them, he advised, until you find the one that speaks of your own situation. For him, it was Hans My Hedgehog, the story of a magical half-boy/half-hedgehog who slept in a box behind the stove because of his parents' shame. Bly was telling the story to a large audience when he experienced an epiphany about his own youth as a "hedgehog boy." Although his tears were unexpected, the story's blessing penetrated him to the core, and led to his decision to work with youth in crisis. I had been fascinated with the Greek myth of Demeter and Persephone for years before I recognized that my pain as a daughter had led me to that story. In it, the powerful Earth goddess Demeter abandons her life-giving work on Earth when her daughter Persephone is abducted to the underworld. Working with the profound images in this myth was comforting, helped me to comprehend some life-decisions, and strengthened my own joy in mothering. Learning the mythic pattern of this story -- the wounded daughter, the strong but grieving mother, the renewal of love -- also helped me to understand and forgive my own mother. Loss and pain so overwhelmed her psyche that she had no time for her own daughters. I found solace in the larger story when I was lost in my own, when I was in the dark descent and wondered: Am I expected to return? Will there be a welcoming? Who will rejoice for me? When I realized that my own Demeter would be there if my own birth-mother could not, I was tremendously reassured. In mythwork, all characters and all story elements can be recognized in one individual journey towards wholeness. Certain aspects of the story may be more vibrant or more enticing at one time or another, depending on the phase of the journey, the place in the landscape, what has been gathered. While living in California one year, recovering from an unrequited love and gathering windfall pomegranates from the tree in the yard, I heard, as clear as day, and as a blessing, the words: Pomegranate holds a thousand crimson hearts, A star unfolds in that brightness, awaiting the hand that will set it free. Pomegranate is silent, though it has heard all the old songs of love. I welcomed the poem, a gift of myth. I imagined these could be the words of Persephone -- my Persephone -- a w a k e n ing in the underworld. The power of story is contained in many 604 844 3810 Portfolio D e v e l o p m e n t Professional D e v e l o p m e n t Certificate Programs S u m m e r Institute o n Book Arts S u m m e r Studio for Art Teachers First Nations Studio Art, D e s i g n and Technology C o n t i n u i n g Studies Unlimited Possibilities in A r t a n d D e s i g n http://cne.eciad.bc.ca ceinfo@eciad.bc.ca Aspects of the story may be more vibrant or more enticing at one particular time stories. In a Sufi tale, the wise fool Nasruddin discovers that his beloved donkey has been stolen, and posts a notice at the local marketplace which reads, "Someone has stolen my donkey -- i f that person returns my donkey, I will give him... my donkey!" While his friends roar with laughter, Nasruddin tells them that there are two great pleasures in life: to have something returned to you that has been taken, and to give something away that you love. Myth offers us both pleasures: it can restore us to ourselves, and inspire us to share who we truly are with one another. A b e g a e l Fisher-Lang's c o m p a n y M y t h o p o e t i c a S t o r y t e l l i n g strives t o b r i n g t h e c r e a t i v i t y of s t o r y w o r k to o r g a n i z a t i o n s in t h e c u l t u r a l and c o r p o r a t e realms. She w i l l be leading a w o r k s h o p on the Greek myth Demeter a n d P e r s e p h o n e o n S a t u r d a y , M a y 11 f o r t h e W e s t V a n c o u v e r C o m m u n i t y A r t s C o u n c i l . For i n f o r m a t i o n a n d r e g i s t r a t i o n call 604-985-5168 or 604-925-7292. May | June 7