Storyteller part of Consultation Center's anniversary year

Storytelling is one of humanity's oldest traditions. For many of the world's religions, spiritual stories are also a powerful teaching tool.

On Oct. 14, renowned storyteller Dr. John Shea will use that tool in a lecture titled, "Spiritual Teaching Stories: Psychological and Spiritual Wellness." The event is part of a 35th anniversary celebration for the Consultation Center in Albany (see separate story).

Dr. Shea is the author of more than a dozen books of spiritual stories, including "Gospel Light: Jesus Stories for Spiritual Consciousness" and "Elijah at the Wedding Feast and Other Tales: Stories of the Human Spirit."

Why stories?

People are drawn to stories, Dr. Shea said, because, like life, stories are "about characters, development and how we deal with unforeseen events. Stories are the mode of expression closest to the way we live life."

For example, a Jewish folktale called "The Shepherd's Pipe," recounted in one of Dr. Shea's books, tells of a father who takes his slow-witted son to a synagogue and is then horrified when the boy wants to play his pipe during the service.

The father tries to squelch his son's impulse, but the flute's music eventually soars to heaven, pulling the congregation's prayers along with it.

Lessons

Dr. Shea said that spiritual stories like that one and the parables of Jesus provide lessons that are always being relearned.

Recently, he has been meditating on the parable of the Good Samaritan; he noted that "stories have levels. You understand them differently at different ages."

Dr. Shea's talk will explain several spiritual stories in light of people's desire for spiritual development. He named the story of Elijah at the wedding feast (from his book of the same title) as one possible example, although he admitted that he doesn't really know which stories he will tell until he stands up to deliver a lecture.

Ragged guest

In that story, the prophet Elijah is turned away from a wedding feast when he arrives dressed in rags but is welcomed when dressed as a gentleman.

Then the prophet pours food and wine all over his clothes, telling the host that since his clothes were what was really invited to the feast, he has decided to feed them -- a lesson on looking beyond appearances.

According to the speaker, people can find psychological and spiritual wellness through stories like that because the tales make them become conscious of life's spiritual dimension.

Dr. Shea said that he'll be "delighted" to share his thoughts on using stories as "tools to help [people] come into greater spiritual consciousness" at a key event marking the Consultation Center's anniversary. "It's a great honor."

(Dr. John Shea's talk, "Spiritual Teaching Stories: Psychological and Spiritual Wellness," will be held Oct. 14, 7 p.m., at St. Pius X parish center in Loudonville. Tickets are $5; for information, call the Consultation Center at 489-4431.)

(9/30/04)