There are many stories about the Sufi wiseman/fool, Nasrudin. They are among my favorite stories. I always enjoy his upside-down wisdom. I enjoy sharing these stories when I perform because not only do the alter the perspective of the listener, they often alter the pattern of performance. By this I mean that we’re accustomed to […]

Source unkown The Crane Wife a traditional Japanese tale Every tale has many levels of truth and of wisdom. Like a prism refracting white light and revealing the many colors within, Story Wisdom allows us to peer into a story from different perspectives. We can see, then, the many shades and nuances of truth, receiving […]

Once, there were no stories on earth to hear.  They all belonged to the sky god, Nyame.  He kept them in a golden box at the foot of his golden throne.   Image courtesy of Modern Ghana.com Now, Kwaku Anansi, the spider-man, wished to hear these stories.  He thought Nyame too selfish keeping them all for […]

 Deep in the forests of Norway, on the darkest night of the shortest day, a man lived in a small house with his family.  He had many children, including his youngest daughter.  One night, an enormous, thick-furred bear knocks on the door and asks the man to give him his youngest daughter – in return […]

Courtesy of torange When I say, “the goose that laid the golden egg,” you know exactly what I’m talking about. It’s a story that is deeply engrained in our cultural memory.  If it’s not, here is a recap of one version: A farmer has a goose that lays a golden egg every day.  This goose […]