How do fairy tales shape our lives? What is so special about fairy tale theme and why does it matter?
We can learn a lot from thinking about fairy tales we heard as children. Magical characters are likely to remain in imagination for life. Adventures described in these stories often reflect difficulties we face in our daily lives. They are clearly more than just fun for kids. Different people can perceive fairy tales in completely different ways.
Later I learned how these stories depict life's problems in miniature. If we take fairy tale as a reflection of inner landscape, we see that all characters can represent aspects of our own personality. Creativity and play tap into children's energy, which can leave us depressed if they disappear. People identify with certain characters in stories they heard as children. These fairy tales are psychological mirrors, and as we grow older, we become more complex. Storytellers have deliberately loaded the adventures with heavy symbolism to reveal more meanings as we develop a deeper awareness of ourselves. To some extent, many people live these stories, not suspecting how old fairy tales can influence our lives.
Talking animal in story is often voice of nature. Among other messages, we are reminded that we are animals too. We walk in animal flesh. We sometimes forget this in our overly intellectual, overly industrialized culture. We are, first and foremost, animal beings. We are nature. Evil characters can represent aspects of ourselves that have been neglected or rejected. Carl Jung noted that shadow energies often appear as monsters in dreams and stories. Jung insisted that something good could come out of this darkness. Something valuable awaits us in shadow. We should not exclude this from how we define ourselves. Ultimately, inclusion is the goal. Challenge is to integrate these elements into the identity in a constructive way. Deep dark forest is a common representation of the scary elements within. Monsters live in the forest. Forest can reflect parts of ourselves that are never fully tamed. These elements sometimes come in nightmares. They are an important part of ourselves. In a sense, they are the most creative aspects of our inner world. We need to go to the dark forest. It's complex and mysterious. However, fresh energies and new ideas come from there. Often we need experiences in life that seem like failures and shadows. These can be difficult times. At the first reaction, we would like to avoid them. In the end, looking back, we understand that these were extremely valuable moments. Such experiences force us to claim those aspects of ourselves that we have neglected to develop. Tale suggests that when something interrupts what we are trying to do, there is not always a negative event.
There is a fairy tale about a peasant who plows his field. Suddenly his plow caught on something. Farmer is digging the ground to see what plow is caught on and discovers that plow has caught a large ring. He digs further, unties plow, but sees that ring comes out of a large flat stone. Digging again, farmer picks up ring and stone. When stone is lifted, it opens entrance to a deep underground cavern full of treasures. Fairy tale is a visual experience. Learning to find guidance in familiar adventures isn't hard, but it does take some effort. The starting point is an understanding of symbolism. The key is to know how to decode messages. Same story will have different lessons for every person who perceives it. Stories can be like Holy Grail, which, passing from person to person, allows them to drink what they themselves desired. Also, when we return to same story after a while, it will tell us something new.
(Fine Art Photography. Created in August 2023).
