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Allegory: “a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one.” ~ Oxford Dictionary
Do you remember the story of “The Tortoise and The Hare”? It’s a great teaching allegory. The question it asks the readers/listeners to consider; is it better to be fast and cocky, or slow and steady? I don’t know why I have rarely thought of stories in exactly this way, but I believe most stories are allegories, even the ones that are based on real events. I have told my students, Story-Power listeners, and even readers here that every story has a purpose. And, it’s important to discover what that purpose is, because it might be nefarious. Asking questions about what the story means is a good practice.
Barry and I recently watched the Avatar movies. We had never seen the second one. Since there was so much time in between viewings we refreshed our memories. If you’ve been reading these blog posts or listening to my Story-Power podcast, you probably know that I keep thinking about a great story long after I’ve seen or read it. So, of course, I did that with the Avatar movies and it occurred to me that these movies are allegories that are pretty in our faces about how we’ve come close to destroying our planet. And what would we choose to do if we did? Would we be like The Sky People, and just go confiscate someone else’s planet so we could destroy it too and then move on to the next?
There are stark images of the destruction the invaders wreak on Pandora. It’s as if they don’t see or appreciate the beauty of the forest, the animals that live there, or the oceans and the animals that live there. They are oblivious to the deep connections among all living things that they want to exploit. Most of the things The Sky People do are quite disturbing. Cameron uses the story to get us to make a choice about whether or not we’re going to take care of our planet.
What The Sky People in the movies don’t understand is that their home planet has a spirit just like Eywa is the spirit of Pandora. And like Pandora, everything is connected to everything else. Earth is like this too. If you don’t believe me, go read Finding the Mother Tree, by Suzanne Simard. I’m not a scientist, but she outlines her years of study of trees and the forest in which they live. At first she was a researcher for the Canadian Forestry Service. Then she joined a university and became an independent researcher. She did this for two reasons, first because the forestry service objective was to grow more trees faster so they could make more money. They didn’t think about the dire consequences of their practices. Second because she discovered that trees of different species, the fungus underground, and even other plants in the forest, support each other sharing water, and nutrients as needed at different times of the year to help each plant or tree grow. Suzanne’s discoveries have changed the way we look at the forest and beyond. James Cameron’s concept of the Home Trees for each tribe, and of Eywa in general, was spot on. Eywa connects all life on Pandora. Everything on earth is also connected to everything else.
It’s not just trees that are connected. People like Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey and many others have discovered and are continuing to find that many different species of animals, both on land and in water communicate with each other, mourn their dead, and show much greater intelligence than we arrogant humans think possible. If you don’t believe me, go watch the Oscar award winning documentary, My Octopus Teacher, (2020) available on Netflix. A filmmaker in South Africa, depressed because of the pandemic shut down, goes swimming every day in the lagoon near his home and by chance makes friends with an octopus, which he documents over a year. This film gives a whole new perspective on friendship, intelligence, and the meaning of connection.
I recommend watching Avatar and Avatar: The Way of Water if you haven’t seen them. They are available on Disney +, or they might even be available at your local library. They are both good examples of stories that have a moral or a lesson to teach us.
I’d love to hear what stories you’re reading or watching and what you’re learning from them.
Welcome new followers. I hope you’re all enjoying the end of summer/winter depending on where you live on this glorious planet we call home.
Blessings,
Lucinda Sage-Midgorden © 2024
The Space Between Time (is now available on Hoopla. See if you can check it out from your local library. And give it a review good or bad if you can. I’d love to hear your thoughts about it.)
Lucinda is the author of The Space Between Time, an award finalist in the “Fiction: Fantasy” category of the 2017 Best Book Awards.
Have you ever experienced life shattering events? Yeah, after the last few years, most of us have. In The Space Between Time, Jenna Holden gets slammed by her fiancé walking out, her mother’s untimely death, and losing her job all in one week. But she receives unexpected help when she finds her three-times great-grandmother’s journals and begins the adventure of a lifetime.
The Space Between Time is available in all ebook formats at Smashwords and for Kindle at Amazon, or you can find the ebook at iBooks or Barnes and Noble. If you prefer a physical copy, you can find a print-on-demand version at Amazon. Stay tuned for news when the audiobook version and sequel are published.
Lucinda is also the host of Story-Power a podcast where she and her guests discuss their creative endeavors, and/or the stories that have changed their lives. It’s available here on Sage Woman Chronicles and on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, and YouTube podcast apps. Please rate and leave a review. It helps people find me.
Rita Gau’s review: Recently, I finished reading a book titled, The Space Between Time, by my friend, Lucinda Sage-Midgorden. It was the best book I’ve read in a long time. It kept me captivated, which I have not experienced from any other book for the past couple of years. I loved all the little gems of meaningful and what I call spiritual statements throughout the book. You know, those words that make you pause and think, and sometimes have an “aha” from or a deeper awareness about something. And it was entertaining and informational about some of the history in the 1800’s and yet, contemporary. It also reminded me of the importance of “living in community” and how important it is to help one another and be engaged in your community. Thank you Lucinda for a wonderful, entertaining and captivating book!
Story-Power on Patreon and Apple Subscriptions
I’m so passionate about stories that I created the Story-Power podcast, Patreon Community, and Apple subscription so I’d have an excuse to talk story with other story lovers. Patreon is $5 a month for content not found on the Story-Power podcast, or on my Sage Woman Blog. They have recently instituted a free tier so you can try it out before you buy. Apple subscription is $3 a month, again with content not found on the Story-Power podcast. If you’re passionate about stories, and want to talk about what you’ve learned from your favorites, come join me at patreon.com/StoryPower. Or, you can add the subscription on Apple podcast where Story-Power is published. Let’s share what we’ve learned from the stories we love.
PodMatch for podcasters
If you are a podcaster, or have a message or fantastic product you want to share with the world, I encourage you to check out PodMatch. I call them a dating service for podcasters. Use the affiliate link and tell them, Lucinda sent you. Then contact me so we can set up a Story-Power chat.
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