So, all these people called me on St. Paddy's day....
I didn't answer the phone because these Irish ////eye s are not smiling...
I didn't answer the phone because these Irish ////eye s are not smiling...
Monday, March 19, 2012
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Switching Heads dot com
: tom sullivan <oxfordct2000@yahoo.com> [Edit Address Book]
To: artechno7@earthlink.net
Cc: "William.Boyle@chartisinsurance.com" <William.Boyle@chartisinsurance.com>
Subject: Re: Switching Heads
Date: Jan 13, 2011 10:31 AM
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Tuesday, October 25, 2011
3 reasons why storytelling is the world’s most powerful force
Surely you’ve noticed that storytelling has become a business sensation.
You can barely watch advertising campaigns these days without being
continuously introduced to new characters, company mascots, narratives
and other building blocks of story. That’s to say nothing of the
storytelling that takes place at sales pitches, shareholder meetings,
product launches, IPO road shows, management retreats, company rallies
and other gatherings where attempts are made to positively influence
internal and external constituencies.The biggest, richest, smartest companies get it. They’ve figured out
that there is no bigger force in this world than storytelling.That’s a big claim, but I can back it up with just a few examples of how thoroughly storytelling deploys itself in our lives.
- What is the most abiding and influential presence in most people’s lives? It’s called religion. Billions of people the world over have dedicated themselves (to varying degrees) to a religious faith or spiritual doctrine. And what is sitting at the center of the world’s major and minor religions? A book. It might be The Bible, Bhagavad Gita, the Upanishads, Bodhisattva, I Ching, the Book of Mormon. The list goes on. It’s not a stretch to say these scriptures upon which the religions are based are, at their core, giant compilations of allegories, parables, metaphors, vignettes and all manner of stories about mankind’s relationship to a higher power. What would religion be without story? Does a god exist without a creation story or some other relevant tale?
- Entire cultures and societies are built upon and undergirded by stories. What does it mean to the Jews to be the Chosen People? What does it mean to Persians to be associated with Mesopotamia and the Cradle of Civilization? How could the French psyche survive if its perception as the planet’s most epicurean people were to somehow be banished? One of the principal forces within any culture or society is government. Think about the narratives governments continually feed their people to sustain their own interests and keep their power structure entrenched. What narratives do you think are currently at play in China with its expectations to reclaim the mantle as the world’s dominant people? What narratives keep the people of India and Pakistan poised on the brink of nuclear exchange, or the Palestinians and Jews locked in eternal warfare? Just try arguing in a crowd of Americans that the United States is not the world’s greatest country. This is such a fixed mental edifice supported by so many stories of national piety, achievement and heroism that one can barely fathom its deconstruction.
- Then there’s our personal narratives – the stories we tell ourselves about who we are and what our relationship is to those around us. To say anything less than we create our own reality is sheer folly. Our heads teem with stories that drive our behavior in ways we rarely take time to notice. Whether overtly or subliminally we are constantly writing our personal narratives. These narratives shape our self-image. Positive narratives can drive us to astounding successes. Negative narratives can destroy by driving us to the depths of depression and self-loathing.
Be careful what you think. Be careful what you say. It is all part of
a universal storytelling mosaic upon which the very nature of reality
depends.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Saturday, September 24, 2011
The First Cycle of Irish Storytelling
This is known as the Stone of Destiny, and was frequently mentioned in the medieval Irish romance. The belief is that when the feet of rightful kings rested on it the stone would roar for joy. In myth, the Tuatha De Danann first brought the stone to Ireland.
According to tradition the stone became the famous Stone of Scone on which the Scottish kings were crowned at Scone, near Perth. It was removed by Edward I, in 1296, and taken to Westminister Abbey, in London, being placed under the chair of St. Edward. It was stolen by the Scottish Nationalists on Christmas Eve of 1950, but was recovered and returned in February, 1952.
The stone is also known as the Tanist Stone or Jacob's Stone. A.G.H.
Tuatha Dé Danann
In Irish-Celtic mythology, the Tuatha Dé Danann ("People of the goddess Danu") are the Irish race of gods, founded by the goddess Danu. These gods, who originally lived on 'the islands in the west', had perfected the use of magic. They traveled on a big cloud to the land that later would be called Ireland and settled there.
Shortly after their arrival they defeated the Firbolg at the first battle of Mag Tuireadh. In the second battle of Mag Tuireadh they fought and conquered the Fomorians, a race of giants who were the primordial inhabitants of Ireland. The Tuatha Dé dealt more subtly with the Fomorians than with the Firbolg, and gave them the province of Connacht. There was also some marrying between the two races.
The Tuatha Dé themselves were later driven to the underworld by the Milesians, the people of the fabulous spanish king Milesius. There they still live as invisible beings and are known as the Aes sidhe. In a just battle, they will fight beside mortals. When they fight, they go armed with lances of blue flame and shields of pure white.
Important members are of the Tuatha Dé are: Dagda, Brigid, Nuada, Lugh, Dian Cecht, Ogma, and Lir. The goddess Danu can also be identified with the Welsh goddess Don.
The Epic of the Tuatha Dé Danann is the first Cycle of Irish storytelling.
According to tradition the stone became the famous Stone of Scone on which the Scottish kings were crowned at Scone, near Perth. It was removed by Edward I, in 1296, and taken to Westminister Abbey, in London, being placed under the chair of St. Edward. It was stolen by the Scottish Nationalists on Christmas Eve of 1950, but was recovered and returned in February, 1952.
The stone is also known as the Tanist Stone or Jacob's Stone. A.G.H.
Tuatha Dé Danann
In Irish-Celtic mythology, the Tuatha Dé Danann ("People of the goddess Danu") are the Irish race of gods, founded by the goddess Danu. These gods, who originally lived on 'the islands in the west', had perfected the use of magic. They traveled on a big cloud to the land that later would be called Ireland and settled there.
Shortly after their arrival they defeated the Firbolg at the first battle of Mag Tuireadh. In the second battle of Mag Tuireadh they fought and conquered the Fomorians, a race of giants who were the primordial inhabitants of Ireland. The Tuatha Dé dealt more subtly with the Fomorians than with the Firbolg, and gave them the province of Connacht. There was also some marrying between the two races.
The Tuatha Dé themselves were later driven to the underworld by the Milesians, the people of the fabulous spanish king Milesius. There they still live as invisible beings and are known as the Aes sidhe. In a just battle, they will fight beside mortals. When they fight, they go armed with lances of blue flame and shields of pure white.
Important members are of the Tuatha Dé are: Dagda, Brigid, Nuada, Lugh, Dian Cecht, Ogma, and Lir. The goddess Danu can also be identified with the Welsh goddess Don.
The Epic of the Tuatha Dé Danann is the first Cycle of Irish storytelling.
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