LO

L VING THE

Wet.La

W

nd

STORYTELLING

FOR WETLANDS





CONSERVATION


Edited by Špela Kaplja

LOVING THE

Wet.Land

STORYTELLING FOR WETLANDS CONSERVATION

Edited by Špela Kaplja

Some old legends say that wetlands are dark places, places where souls of the dead dwell, places of fright and spook. Wetlands are places where light enters Slimy, disgusting creatures crawl

the world. One legend speaks of alder tree groves in the wetlands. Salamanders

being places that are closest to magic, this is why are poisonous. There are

faeries choose their homes in the trunks of alder trees.

mosquitoes and there is much

When journeying into the world, they shifted form and mud. Wetlands are the home of

became white herons, messengers of light and positive fantastical creatures that are able

changes.

to live in two worlds, Water and

Earth. Those animals capable of

transformation, teach us about

the ever turning wheel of life. Have

Wetland is land without real value, says the you ever looked into the eyes of a

world of money and progress, let’s fill it up frog? They are the most beautiful

with concrete and build commercial zones.

eyes in the world, golden,

Wetlands are the cradles of life with the

containing all of the universe.

richest biodiversity of all ecosystems, they are the source of life, treasuries of precious water.

Which story are we going to choose?

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Fact is that the wetland are

endangered ecosystems, way too

unknown and not appreciated

for their importance. We wish full

heartedly to change this, this is the

reason why we have ventured, feet

mudded, heats wide open, through

the branches of the trees, towards

the sky. We have ventures ventured,

longing to hear the stories of the

wetland, hoping to get a taste of its

mystery.



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LOVING THE WETLAND:

ERASMUS+ MOBILITY OF YOUTH WORKERS

TRAINING ABOUT THE USE OF STORYTELLING IN

ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION IN THE CASE OF

WETLAND.

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In our deep ecology association

from Slovenia, Terra Anima, we have

joined forces with partners from

North Macedonia (SFERA), Hungary

(Ecoservice) and Croatia (Laboratorij

Zabave). In June of 2022, we carried out

a mobility of youth workers training, on

the subject of the use of storytelling for

the purpose of wetland environmental

education and awareness raising. We

embarked upon a journey, trying to

learn how we can strengthen youth’s

relationship with wetlands by using

storytelling.

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The purpose of the booklet in front of you is quite simple, to evoke a love for wetlands in the world. Nothing less.

How can one, or more of them evoke love for wetlands?

Is a handful of dust from the magic wetland cauldron enough to create an alchemical potion to do the work? We surely believe it is, because our faith in the power of wetlands is impeccable.

However, there is something as potent, as magical and as transformational as magic dust. Do you want to know what it is?

Stories.

“If we want to fall in love in the world again, we must open to narrative,” says Joanna Macy, the voice of deep ecology.

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9



ŠPELA KAPLJA is a writer, poet,

storyteller for nature, environmentalist,

facilitator, and above all a spokeswoman

for the world of nature, with decades

of experience working with young

people, developing her own style of

forest pedagogics using storytelling

and creative writing. She is a part of the

AINERS:

Storytelling council for peace, where

among storytellers from Europe, she

TR

speaks for natural world. Published writer,

the red thread of her books published

She develops and teaches storytelling in conservation so far: Pejmo drugače, a handbook for

education, helping people to reconnect with Nature ABOUT

volunteering and responsible tourism;

- be it to young volunteers trying to raise awareness Onja; Visiting Indian; How the heart gets

about whales and dolphins (Atlantic whale and dolphin green: Secrets from the frog kingdom;

foundation), teachers to evoke curiosity and wonder in Forest book - deep ecology workbook

children, tourist guides to add experiences and stories for children in the forest, How the river

into nature guiding tour and getting a deeper experience, makes love, is a love for the natural world.

individuals trying to evoke creative flow and explore storytelling in connection to natural world.

10



NEJA ROJC is the founder of the Terra

passionate environmentalist who uses art as a tool to Anima association and the founder of the

evoke our nature connection. Through teaching the Center Kiron, centre for holistic approach

knowledge of herd, she trains people in non-verbal to working with horses where she has

communication, developing sensual awareness

ABOUT

been successfully conducting trainings for

and empathy through it, leading through positive personal growth with the help of horses

examples and inclusive, non-conflict communication.

for several decades, for both youth and

adults. A graduate of the Marko Pogačnik



TR

School of Geomancy, she is developing

her own form called Zoomancy which



AINERS:

briefly means in-depth perception of

animals and their place in holistic ecology

of life.

She is keen to many approaches and

exercises for in-depth perception of

nature, crucial with helping people

develop the sense of nature and self. An

artist, sculptor, painter and light maker

who illuminates nature with her art and a

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DIJANA ZORIĆ is an expert in

storytelling and business storytelling, who

is continuously improving her skills by

attending various prestigious educations

in Croatia and abroad. She is Co-Founder

and Art Director of STORYing - the 1st

international storytelling festival in Croatia

which gathers renowned European

AINERS:

storytelling artists. Dijana is also a regular

expert mentor at the Zagreb Faculty of

TR

Education, where she teaches Storytelling

and Communication to the Drama

Croatia. She has a rich experience in public and artistic Pedagogy students. Dijana is co-owner

ABOUT

performance that she gathered at numerous socio-artistic of the Storytelling training centre Lab

events such as Summer at Zrinjevac, Cest is d’Best, and of the Laboratorij zabave (Fun Lab)

Advent at Klovićevi dvori, Advent in Samobor, Legendfest,

– studio for promotion of the storytelling

Fairy Tale festival in Ogulin and many other branded culture. She is continuously collaborating

events within Croatian tourism that are important for the with cultural and artistic institutions in

cultural and public life in Croatia.

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TERRA ANIMA is deep ecology

association, dedicated to the study of

natural life and our connection with it,

introducing nature to people through

art. We are developing and sharing the

methodology and practice of Storytelling

for Nature, which is based on developing

didactic tools for educating people on

more soulful level about the importance of

natural world and implementing activities

useful for their personal development and

self-knowledge. Since 2010, we have been

organizing projects for young people,

youth workers and other interested adults,

based on experiential learning from nature

and the arts as tools for deepening and

personalizing knowledge.

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14





15

STORYTELLING

IN NATURE

EDUCATION:



Many people, not being familiar with the wild, get scared Why?

when they encounter wildness for the first time. The chaotic lushness of wetland may seem messy. The soft mud may seem only dirty and the frog song, ornamenting the deep velvety night, may seem disturbing to our ears, which are not attuned to the sounds of the wild, but more used to the sounds of the urban life.

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I remember bringing a group

of children to visit our last

free flowing river in central

Slovenia, Rovščica, it is the

river filling our wetland. The

Rovščica has soft curves,

her river bank is soft and

muddy. I thought it is the ideal

playground for children.

“Phew, mud!” I heard them

scream, astonished.

“No!” was the first response of my inner voice.

But nevertheless, we started with a story about mud, continuing with the acceptance of a small chunk of mud in the palm of our hand and continuing all the way to drawing mud symbols on our faces, which proved our newfound bond with the muddy wilderness. The children that I brought back home were different children, their eyes were glowing and their voices deeper and more lively. Each of them had a song about the wetland in their pocket.

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Being in touch with mud

means being in touch with

the creative force of life,

with all the authenticity

and potent magic of ever

birthing new types and

forms of life. This is the

power of the wetland.

Wetlands are the source of

life.

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Stories have the power to re-domesticate us into a world we have always belonged to, yet during the era of our modern development, managed to forget about. They give us the memory that we belong to Nature, which is the most important realization we need. The wound of disconnection from Nature is

the deepest wound of humankind. Not being aware

of this disconnection, we feed it with consumption, filling wetland with concrete, but still the wound The art of storytelling was a key tool

remains. Frogs still sing in the nourishing, healing for our ancestors to learn about the

dark of the night, calling us. The Latin name for frog world and understand its phenomena.

is rana, which in Slovene means wound. If we listen Stories instilled in them confidence

to the stories of Nature, can we go back and heal in the natural order, teaching respect

this wound?

and prudent handling of the available

resources for life. Because of stories,

they believed in the liveliness of

natural creatures and treated them

with respect, as their equals.

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20





21





ENVIRONMENTAL

Storytelling

Environmental stories teach

listeners about animals, plants,

and natural wonders, or introduce

ecological concepts such as

biodiversity, sustainability, and

adaptation.

- Kevin Strauss

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Storytelling is the most natural and best way

of learning; it is especially useful in Nature

education. Education about Nature in our time

must, in addition to the function of education,

necessarily include stories, as these return an

understanding of belonging to Nature and the

interconnectedness of everything in the natural

world. This empowers young people, inspiring

them to act.

Stories are used in many areas; more and more

botanical gardens have storytelling corners;

museums are increasingly using the art of

storytelling to educate children and adults in

a fun and engaging way. Ecological scientists

use stories to present their discoveries, history and to present activities.

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24

THE POWER OF

STORYTELLING

FOR Nature

Tell me the data, I’ll forget it; tell me the story, I’ll remember it forever.

25



A professor of business communication

gave her students a task. Each of them

had to prepare a 60 second business

speech, using data and facts. In secret she

told one of them to tell a story instead of

presenting facts. The results were amazing;

only 5% of the students remembered the

facts, yet 63% percent remembered the

story. When we listen to a presentation

full of boring facts and figures, only two

parts of our brain activate; the ones

responsible for processing the language

and giving meaning to the words we hear,

but when we listen to a story, the parts of

our brain responsible for sensations and

feelings is activated. Listening to a story,

we experience it almost as if we lived it

ourselves. This is why we remember it

forever. Our brain is wired for stories.

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“The job of storytelling is to inspire people to look again at their environment, both the built

and the natural environment, with all its plants and animals.” (From the Scottish Storytelling

Centre). The following story about a Beech tree

is an example of an environmental story, which

I performed at the Scottish Storytelling Festival.

It is the result of deep listening to a Beech tree in my forest, written completely according

to her dictation. When I later researched the

facts about this tree, I was speechless at the

accuracy of the metaphors she used to present

her “super powers”. A story supported by

information about a tree is a great example of

learning about nature through storytelling.

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BEECH TREE:

facts

The Beech tree, which reaches a height of 30

meters, with its growth, bushy crown and the arch it forms, has been used to inspire cathedral architects.

It has silvery bark and reaches a venerable age of up to 300 years, botanically belonging to the same family as the Oak.

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In the beliefs of pagan peoples, the Oak was the King of the forest, and the Beech was its

Queen. In some places, the Beech was called

Beech trees are also known for their concern

the MOTHER OF THE FORESTS because of

for other members of their species. They

its magnificent appearance. Like any loving

help the sick and say goodbye to the dead

mother, the Beech also takes care of its

with great difficulty. The author of the book

children and bears abundant fruit in autumn.

The Secret Life of Trees, Peter Wohlleben,

Its three-edged shiny brown fruits, called

compares them to a herd of elephants, which

acorns, are eaten by forest animals and are

also deeply mourn the dead. Beech trees

also used as fodder for domestic animals.

have a hard time saying goodbye to a cut

Sometimes the fallen acorns were also used

down, dead tree. They connect with the root

by people; they obtained delicious cooking

system and start feeding the cut tree. From

oil from them. In times of severe famine, flour

the log, it often starts to shoot. They really

was also made from acorns. If you are in the

like to grow in a tight, dense hug. Contrary

forest in early spring, you can show children

to forestry principals and the Darwinist view,

how the big mother Beech tree waits for the

based on the struggle for dominance, the

young Beech trees to get enough sun and put

biomass and fertility of beech trees growing in

out leaves, before she puts out her own.

close groups increases.

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Beech trees are just, according to the law

The Beech tree is associated with wisdom,

of balanced justice, they distribute nutrients

learning and knowledge, especially knowledge

to each other with the help of their fellow

from books, because the leaves of the first books fungi. Those that grow on richer soil give up

were obtained from thin layers of beech wood.

nutrients to those that live on poorer soil, thus This is also confirmed by the etymology of some

ensuring that there are no rich and poor in

words: Old Slovenian terms for book are “bukve,

Beech forests.

bukle”, the German word for beech is “Buche”,

and for book “Buch”. Swedes have the same term

for book and beech: “bok”. Another thing you

can observe if you are in the forest with children in early spring, is to show them the youngest

shoots of trees that resemble green notebooks.

Then you can tell them about the ancient

connection of the beech with wisdom and

the written word, which was known to ancient

peoples.

NOW ROCK YOURSELF GENTLY

WITH THE RHYTHM OF THE STORY:

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BEECH TREE:

a story

ONCE UPON A TIME THERE WAS A KINGDOM. It was surrounded by a grand, vast forest of Beech trees. In the middle of the Kingdom there was a hill and, on that hill, stood a castle. In that castle lived a young Queen and King. They were happy, in love and in happy expectation of a new life, the seed of their love, which the Queen was carrying under her heart. It was only a question of days now. When the big day came, all the castle was trembling with excitement. This excitement grew thicker by the hour, like the sky outside, which was growing darker.

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The labour became complicated. The young

The little Princess spent all her days in her

King sat in the corner with his hands covering

room, as she could not stand the closeness of

his worried face. The young Queen was

another. Never were her young cheeks touched

surrounded by healers and medics, all trying

by the warmth of the sun, moreover, her young

to help her. With a lightning strike through the ears were never caressed by sweet bird song.

black of the night, the cry of a new life entered She was afraid of the world. Whenever anyone

the room. But at the same time, one life went

tried to get close to her, she sat in the corner away, because the Queen did not make it

trembling. The King was becoming grey with

through the labour. The King was broken on

worry and sadness, because he would do

his knees when they brought the little Princess

anything to help, so he gave out a notice.

to him. He took her into his arms and washed

He called everyone, healers, magicians and

her with tears, both tears of happiness over the entertainers. He promised a big prize reward to

new life and tears of deep sadness over a loss

anyone who could help the little princess.

of his beloved.

His messengers rode out, putting the notice

Days passed and the castle was far from the

on every house and every tree in the Kingdom.

same.

Soon they came running, from everywhere,

healers, magicians and entertainers. No one

succeeded, further that a step into the room

and no one managed to help the Princess.

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The King desperately closed the door to the

“When the sun starts to go down and my tree-

palace and to his heart.

top starts glowing with the reddish colour of

the passing day, start picking dry leaves from

Days passed in the silence.

the floor. Pick them up and weave a cloak from

them and in the morning, when the sun starts

Meanwhile in the forest, in the greatest Beech

to rise and my tree top will shine golden from

tree there lived a dwarf and this day, as every

the promise of a new day, you will be finished

day, he went for a walk. He was walking joyfully and ready to carry the cloak to the Princess.”

through the forest when something caught his

attention, it was a notice on a tree. Although

The dwarf did exactly so. He waited for the

yellow from the days that had passed by and

sun to start going down and when the beech

the words were washed away by the rain,

tree was glowing red, he started to pick the

he could still read the main things. He could

leaves one by one and weave them into a

understand that a young Princess needed help

fine cloak. All the time, the beech tree was

and so he ran back to his Beech tree to tell her singing the sweetest lullaby one could possibly

of that. He was sure that she could help.

imagine. When the morning turned her tree

tops golden, the little dwarf was finished. He

“Listen to me,” she said with tenderness in her

took the cloak and headed towards the castle.

voice.

Fearlessly he entered the castle yard and even

more fearlessly he told the guard that he was

34



there to see the King. The determination in

Magic happened.

his voice left no room for doubt, so the guard

showed him the way. He found the King sitting

She had felt like that before, the warmth and

in his chair. He told him he had help for his

the safety. For the first time in her life, she

daughter, again with determination in his voice

felt like being in her Mother’s arms. She felt

and trust in his eyes.

loved and cared for. All those strong emotions

brought tears to her eyes, but those were not

“Well okay, go,” said the King and showed the

the tears of her heart breaking, those were the

little dwarf the way to her room.

tears of her heart mending, healing. The King

however did not know that, he only heard her

The dwarf was fast to find the room. He opened

cry and, in his rage, he took the poor dwarf

the door just a little bit, just enough so that he to jail. The dwarf did not worry much. Again,

could push the cloak through. Then he sat on

he sat with full trust, waiting for everything to the floor of the hallway, with utter trust that all come down alright.

will be well. Hours passed and in the room the

Princess was more and more pulled towards

Back in her room the Princess felt happy.

the cloak. There was a special something about

For the first time in her life, she opened the

the cloak, some familiar warmth, that shone

curtains and the window. For the first time her

out of it, something that she could not resist

young cheeks were touched by the warmth of

and in one moment she grabbed the cloak,

the sun and her young ears caressed by sweet

surrounding herself with it.

bird song. Then she ran through the halls to

35



find her father’s arms. She jumped into his lap

And in the castle happiness came back,

smiling and he could not believe his eyes. He

laughter filled the air. The Princess grew and

cried with happiness. In a moment he realized

when the time came for her to go to school,

and screamed:

she expressed the wish to learn from the

mighty beech that had the wisdom to help her.

“Dwarf, save the dwarf!”

Of course, her father granted the wish and the

Princess spent many days and hours in the

He ran down to the jail with his Princess in his forest learning from the Beech tree.

arms. Setting the dwarf free he kept asking

how can he pay him.

When her time came to take the crown, she

became known throughout the Kingdoms

“Oh but dear King, we are not the beings of

to be the most lovable Queen. Her kingdom

material rewards. Pay some respect to us, be

thrived and she ruled in cooperation with the

aware of us beings of nature that live close to

natural world, the animals, trees, plants and of you. Respect us and take care of us, that is all I course, dwarfs!

want and, quite sincerely, I miss my Beech tree

terribly, I want to go home.”

So, the dwarf left, his Beech tree was waiting

for him, curious to hear the little hero’s story.

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SYNCHRONICITY

or about the connective power of storytelling.

There was a study in which neuroscientists connected storytellers and their listeners with an fMRI device. They were amazed to find that when a person tells a story to another person, the brains of both show almost identical activity. Their brains synchronize. Can we say that when listening to stories, we are on the same wavelength as the narrator, that the story creates a space in which we can truly hear and understand each other?

38



RADICAL EMPATHY

can save the world.

I first heard of the term radical empathy when

Stories of natural creatures, told in the first person, performing at the Scottish Storytelling Festival, allow people to empathize with them and identify which in 2017, was devoted to storytelling

with them. Empathy is the way out of human

for Nature. The term explained the power of

orientated perception of the world into a more

storytelling to evoke radical empathy.

respectful, equal and understanding way of being.

“Radical Empathy is not about you and what you Stories help people to make a connection with other think you would do in a situation you have never beings, who do not speak the human language. In

been in and perhaps never will, it is the kindred this way they start to care, which is key to educating connection from a place of deep knowing that young people by actively involving them in solving opens your spirit to the pain of another as they the ecological crisis. Stories make us fall in love with perceive it.

the world; and what we love we will preserve.

-Isabel Wilkerson

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CHANGE

Stories change our beliefs and encourage a more

sustainable way of living.

Stories can change beliefs about the

As part of the Terra Anima Association, we

environment. Suggestions for a more

founded a civil initiative for the protection

nature-friendly way of life and advice

of an area, which the previously mentioned

about more sustainable behaviour in

part of the forest is also a part. Thus, this

everyday life can seem like orders. On the

success story inspired us to act and the

other hand, the story of local residents,

result we will be gaining protected status

who joined forces in a civil initiative and

for our precious marshland.

who managed to prevent the construction

of a residential complex and protect a

valuable part of the forest, inspired us

years later.

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POWER OF IMAGINATION

To create a better future we must first envision it.

Stories take us to adventurous journeys into

then take action to create it. Stories give our

unknown lands, where we meet beasts of earthy

imagination wings which help us to fly out of

power, towers of beams climbing towards the

the familiar concepts and dream the impossible.

sky and faeries dancing in the mists above the

Our imagination is crucial for the creation of new river. They present us with new ideas, open our

visions, inventions and practices; a world that we horizons and activate our inner world.

have not known before.

Falling into hopelessness is an easy trap to

fall into, in our modern time. This can lead to

passively waiting for the end of the world. It is THE STORY OF PEAT MOSS shows

at this time, when solutions seem impossible,

us how the impossible becomes possible with

that we need stories even more. We need

the help of faith, even when the solution is far them to teach us to imagine a better world and

beyond the horizon.

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MOSS’S love STORY.

Have you heard about it, the longest love story on Earth? It is about a Moss that fell in love with a Star. But let us not go to fast.

It was an especially beautiful night, sky as velvety black as the skin of a salamander and stars shining like yellow stripes on his back. There was one Star shining brighter than the others, she blinked cutely and shone seductively. When the little Moss noticed her, he turned bright green up to his ears in fascination. He fell in love, fell in love at first sight.

42





“My dear Star, how beautiful you are, what

“Oh, how could I do that if I am only a small

is your name?” he was asked, his little voice

creature and my Star is so, so far away.”

echoing in the void of the vast night sky. The

distance between them was great so the

“Nothing is impossible if your longing is strong answer did not reach him. But never mind, still

enough,” said the response of his big heart

he kept trying, never losing his hope.

beating with love. So, he decided to persist.

“My name is Moss.”

Of course, he told his forest friends about

this. Believe it or not, everyone laughed at

him. They told him that he was stupid and

Things were never the same from that night

that no one had ever reached a star. He was

on. All he could think about was his Star. So

also told that he was a dreamer and that it

similar they were to each other, she, a yellow

was simply impossible. But he didn’t give up.

Star in the sky, he a tiny green shaped star on

His heartbeat was too strong and his desire

the Earth. All he could think about was how

too burning to just give up. All night long he

to come closer to her, to talk to her and touch

thought about it, searching for a way to reach

her.

his Star. And on the clear bright morning, it

dawned on him:

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“I will make a ladder to reach my Star!”

Indeed, he did and this is how he became a Peat Moss.

From then and today he is still slowly rising towards his Star. From old roots that die and turn into peat, he grows new roots, new rungs on the dream ladder to his Star.

Ever since then and to this day, Peat Moss has been rising towards his Star, making his love story the longest love story on Earth.



***

Let me tell you a secret. You may have known that people used to use peat for heating in old times and in some places, they still use it today. But the secret is why. It is because the peaty soil is so ardent with the love of Peat Moss for his Star.

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45



S

Disconnected from Nature, we have forgotten

torytelling is

her liveliness. Young people understand that

nature is alive because she grows, blooms,

a unique way for

runs and crawls. But, how do we help them

young people

understand that nature is alive with feelings and consciousness? To get to know her as a being

to develop

with whom they can form an equal relationship?

understanding,

With the help of stories, definitely. Storytelling has had different meanings at different times,

wonderment

from helping our ancestors to understand the

natural world and its phenomena and teaching

and respect for

them how to live connected to the rhythms of

the Earth, to connecting communities.

Nature.

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Later, the purpose of stories changed The stories we need today are stories that

dramatically with the intervention

reclaim the power of Nature. Stories that show

of religion. Nature beings become

us her aliveness and inspire us with respect,

demonized and presented as evil and

stories that help us to find contact with her again.

dangerous. This way of presenting Nature

These stories build a bridge between us and

through stories, served the purpose of

Nature, they are alive and create magic. These

the rational and industrial, ruling over the

are conservation stories, stories for Nature, which forces of the natural. Stories of captured

arouse enthusiasm, interest and respect in young bears and slayed dragons helped

people.

humanity gain the perception that they

are above natural forces and rule over

Stories for Nature awaken the heart-intelligence them. This caused our alienation from

and enable us to develop a relationship with

the natural world and domination over it.

Nature and its creatures. A relationship no

Many classical fables and folk-tales often

longer based on fear and dominance but on

attribute negative qualities to animals,

kindness, cooperation and respect. These stories which arise primarily from human fear

consist of the biological and socio-biological

of them and as such we instill a fear of

characteristics of the plant or animal, the wisdom animals in our children.

of ancient peoples in the form of myths and the

symbolic meanings of the plant or animal and

the intuitive perception when in contact with the chosen creature of nature.

47

We are now living with climate change and the disappearance of species, more

than ever before, so in desperate need of

the art of storytelling. We need this art to

help us remember that we are a part of

There is a myth that the purpose of education is Nature. We need this art to dare us to open

to give one the means for upward mobility and our hearts and dare to care about Life and

success. The plain truth is that the planet does all its crawling, speaking, singing, flying

not need more successful people, but it does creatures around us. We need this art to

desperately need more peacemakers, healers,

help us step out of a human orientated

restorers, story tellers and lovers of every shape world, fully aware that the creatures,

and form. The planet needs people who live well sharing this wonderful Earth with us, are

in their places. It needs people of moral courage equal to us. It is only in this realization that willing to join the fight to make the world habitable we can achieve harmonious cohabitation; a

and humane.

Heaven on Earth as it is supposed to be.

- David Orr

Going deeper with the power of the story.

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49



N

My first teacher and my role model storyteller,

singer and keeper of the heritage, Ljoba

ature

Jenče, told me that to become a storyteller,

becomes a

one must first learn to listen. Young and

eager to get on and tell, I found it difficult

mirror and story

to understand this. I mean, surely, I need to

learn how to speak and perform, right? Soon

a medicine:

it became clear to me that in order for me to

attune with my inner voice, I needed to attune

The healing

with the voice of the natural world around

me. In order to fill my inner well and enrich

power of

my language, I needed this dialogue with the

wild. Even more importantly, if I am not to just storytelling.

repeat old folk stories, I need to get out and

listen to Nature to give me new material.

So, go out and listen.

50

Listen to a bird singing. Then stop and listen This deep work with stories and Nature brings

to your response inside. What does it say,

healing and personal growth. Communication

what was the bird saying?

with Nature is not a one-way process

intended to create a story with which we

This is how we begin to open up to the natural

will represent and perform. It is a two-way

world outside and to the expanse of our own

process in which Nature holds a mirror to

soul inside. Every story, poem or snapshot

us. A mirror that reflects our own emotional

I wrote showed me my own, still unhealed

state and brings a healing nectar in the form

wound, the challenge that lies before me and

of a story. Of course, a story can only remain

the potential that I carry within me. In doing

a story. But if we are ready to look at the

this, we not only begin to learn a language

symbols it carries, we get the opportunity to

that communicates with the natural world,

know ourselves and grow.

which communicates on an emotional level

in symbolic language, but we also open up

to the natural world, who shows us a mirror

of our inner world. With this, it illuminates

through written insights and stories and

provides us with an insight into the picture of

Following is an example of

our own current internal state.

a personal healing story,...

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The spiral of life

A young girl named Žaltys, 5 or maybe 6 years old, used to go to the cold wild river, where she was spending time on the edge of the forest. She was playful, wild and free. didn’t care about manners.

PLEŠNARA

Whenever she ran to her sacred place, she

immediately took off her clothes and jumped into freezing water, to calm her fire a bit. She took the world in with all her senses. She was as open and as LIFE - URŠ

sensitive as a human can be.

OF

When the girl cooled off a bit, she took a step into the wet fragrant forest. Always enjoyed feeling the cold THE SPIRAL

mud under her feet, smelling wet air in her nostrils, touching the trees while climbing on them and seeing all the beauty of life around her. Grass snakes accompanied her many times as they were guardians of life and pleasure. Surely this girl was full of life, light and warmth.

52

But one day Žaltys didn’t come. And the next day. And the day after that. The brown serpent queen with a white crown behind her ears called upon all grass snakes of the area for a meeting. All of them felt that something was wrong. It was as if somebody would take away a THE SPIRAL

bit of sunlight. Each day she didn’t come it was getting a little bit darker in the wetland. They knew something was happening to the light of life in their protégée and they could not do anything about it. So they called for Saule, the goddess of Sun, light and health. They called OF

for her to help.

LIFE - URŠ

Saule said: ‘’Now is the time to wait. Wait until her spark of life starts to grow bigger in a desire to create a new life. What you need to do in the meantime is to grow in number, to reproduce.

A

You need to have enough strength to lit on the sun in her belly, when the time comes.’’

PLEŠNAR

In the meantime, Žaltys was going to school, being a good girl, dressed properly, behaving as she should. Away from the wetland, away from feelings of life in her. She almost forgot about her times in the forest beside the wild river. About life and pleasure, she felt there. One day after school, while she was walking in her new forest in the city, she almost stepped onto a big snake. She got so scared that she ran through the forest back home, shaking in fear of a snake, in fear for her life.

53

The grass snakes started to worry. Did she totally forget about the times she used to spend with them? Did she forget about her essence? But they trusted their goddess Saule, so they waited and were multiplying their numbers in the meantime. Men were trying to extinct the snakes away from the Earth as they were nor comfortable with the pure light and life they are bringing. But unknowingly they were helping them to breed faster in dung heaps created by men’s stock grazing on meadows.

PLEŠNARA

Žaltys was growing up fast. When her sexuality was awakening, snakes started to do their magic, so she would really feel the tingling in her body. But the teenage girl was too shaped LIFE - URŠ

by society to just let it be. She did everything to not feel the feelings. Drinking, smoking, OF

working more, worrying, alienating from her feeling body. Running away from herself was easier during the day…

But the nights … oh, at nights snakes visited here in her dreams more and more often. She was THE SPIRAL

running from them, hiding, locking herself in cages, when they were approaching here in night dreams. She couldn’t escape the snakes nor the emotions arising in her body. Young woman was more and more afraid of going to sleep at night as her scary dreams didn’t want to leave her alone. But grass snakes started to emerge during the days too. She was not sure if it’s only her imagination, but she was seeing snakes in every piece of nature she visited.

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Žaltys was still living her ordinary life, alienated from herself and her feelings, but there was strong emotion rising up in her. It was fear. The more she got afraid, the more these scary creatures were emerging in her life.

THE SPIRAL

One summer morning, when she was crossing the green meadow after the rainy night, she felt their presence. As the girl looked up, she saw these brownish green snakes with white crowns appearing from the forest. She started to walk faster. The faster she walked; the more snakes OF

were approaching her. Before she realized, they formed a spiral around here - HER. Žaltis LIFE - URŠ

was trying to escape out of it, taking the circular path they formed. Her fear was growing. The spiral of snakes was growing with it. Getting out of it seemed hopeless.

A PLEŠNAR

Her fear grew so big that she couldn’t take it anymore. She fell on her knees and cried out loudly in fear and despair. She gave up and surrendered.

At that moment grass snakes from all over the place started to slide toward the woman, circling around her. Sliding on her body. Suddenly she started to feel all the sensations of human body at ones. Enjoying the pain and pleasure. In that exact moment the spark in here belly exploded in radiating light and the new life emerged.

(Urša Plešnar)

55

Y

Perhaps this is the most important aspect

Terra Anima, a deep ecology society develops

of storytelling for the time we live in

the art of storytelling for Nature. With it, we

now. Through communication with the

bring the stories of Nature closer to people,

natural world, a story allows us to weave a

teaching them to listen and develop their

relationship with Nature and return to the

own language for communicating with the

living, an all-intertwining matrix of life from

natural world. Stories are an exceptional tool

where we can act for the highest good of our

for environmental education, for connecting

own souls and the souls of the whole world.

people to initiatives for the protection of

natural areas and for personal growth that

If we do not throw away our human-oriented

leads to a reconnecting with the abandoned

view of the world, the Earth is doomed.

wild part of oneself. This profoundly

Surface reforms such as recycling can help,

transformative, healing work leads us toward

but the principle of deep ecology says that

an authentic relationship with ourselves and

our only hope lies in a deeper, emotional,

the natural world. We realise that there is no

even spiritual relationship with Nature. Stories me here, Nature there, but is instead all here,

appeal to us on an emotional level, from

undoubtedly connected and intertwined.

where we have the power to empathize, to

connect and this helps us forge a personal

relationship with Nature.

56



57



58



GET OUT,

LISTEN

AND TELL:

tools

59





I.

Stories make personal

PLAY:

Tell a story from your memory of a wetland.

About an animal, plant or a special experience.

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Crazy frog woman,

or why is it that I journey into the marsh?

Again, it is the time, it is the magical time of the frog song. or, if you ask my dog Brina, it is the crazy time of running for a hundred or more times up and down, carrying frogs across the road.

Tonight, the full moon is shining, the air richly trembling with special anticipation. It’s nice, until the moment when the lights shine on me. A car of course, a beer by the pond is so much fun. A frog run over in the middle of a dirt road, under a full moon. I pick up those who survived, a couple of heroes and take them to the lake. I move on. Lights again, Brinka gets excited, I turn around, a four-wheeler, a happy family of three on it. Why would you walk in silence, in the light of the moon, when you can drive and accidentally run over a few frogs. Well, I know that’s not their intention.

I feel so alone, under the spotlight of the full moon. A crazy woman with tree frogs in her hands, a headlamp and a dog, rolling her eyes. I ask myself why nobody cares. Warning signs at the beginning of the road, newspaper articles, pleadings to not use this road in the mating season. Life is rushing on, frogs on the road don’t stop it and I am sad. Sometimes it all seems hopeless, and yet every evening I still travel there.

61

Because that’s how my compass is set.

Frogs use their own compass, every year they unconditionally and irrevocably return to their pond. Their world is getting smaller, our wetlands are being covered up, the road is busier, frogs are roaming to their source, to give new seeds to start new life there. Nothing stops them, not even difficult circumstances. They go because there is no other way.

That’s when it strikes me, what is my source? Unshakable faith in good, in the magic of the world, a hope that never dies. Now I know that I am on a pilgrimage with them. With a bucket full of frogs, I’m not just saving their lives, I’m saving mine. Maybe what I’m doing looks crazy or hopeless, but it’s just the opposite. Together with the frogs, I also make a pilgrimage to my source, to refresh my soul and remember what is my essence, my pond, my wetland.

With hope and faith in the magic of the natural world, I wink to the moon and by the fence I see a newt looking at me. Magic in an instant. A world that speaks to those who believe in miracles. With a newt in my hand, I conjure up a world that believes in good, that carries a bucket of frogs to the pond and brings back a bucket full of fairy tales.

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That’s why I go to the marsh, to my wetland; to remember the fairy tales and that they come to life with the newt in my palm; despite the fact that life hurts, I still believe and look for the frog’s song, sparks of beauty that I weave into the web of the reality I believe in.

“What do frogs and stories have in common?” Meti asked me the next morning in our wetland forest.

“Seeds of Light,” I shot back like a falling star.

“Stories and frog spawn are seeds of light that bring hope to Earth.”

This is what stories and frogs are for me.

(Špela Kaplja)

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II.

Stories build the bridge

The purpose of the exercise is to establish

a connection, a personal bond that can

become an entry point for getting to know

the wetland. It is in the personal connection

with our life that we are able to understand an

PLAY:

ecosystem deeper and bond with it. Answers

vary of course; when I was pregnant and full

In what period of life, or in what experience

of water, when I am in the creative process,

were you like a wetland? What state of your

when I am in connection with myself and the

life do you associate the wetland with?

world around me, when I have a childish fear

of the dark.

64



In retrospect, can I say that I felt that

during the week we spent together?

As I think about it, I could say the

wetland was “blooming” in me, in us.

We were more conscious about its flora

and fauna. I like to think about that

journey as a wetland filled with magical

creatures, water and fireflies. This

thought also gives me comfort,

obviously it is connected and I won’t be

able to separate this experience from

the wetland, but I don’t mind.

(Kata Dobran)

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“Already a gentle breeze

Can blow me away now

I don’t care about anybody’s son

I’ll wait till a gentle, soft hand

Brings me out from the mire

And then I’ll rise again

From the dust of myself

(Zsuzsanna Serban)

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With every walk in nature, especially in the wetlands, I feel like a microscopic dot that sinks its wide paws into something bigger, more magnificent, where life runs its course. I am only an outside observer who pauses to feel this

mysterious serenity and incredible harmony of the beings in this circle. Looking back, I realize that the wetland itself lured me into its home in my early 40s, perhaps to realize how little, or rather nothing, is needed to make life go as it should, without any interference or control. I want to preserve this beautiful balance in nature and protect it from, unfortunately, my own kind.

(Mojca Kočar)

67





III.

Stories blur the

boundaries

PLAY:

If the Earth is a living being (which of

course it is) and ecosystems are its organs;

mountains and rocks are its bones and

rivers its veins; which organ in the body of

the Earth would wetlands be?

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Are wetlands the kidneys of the Earth?

Kidneys are bean-shaped organs that secrete urine. They filter our blood, remove toxins, neutralize acid, create urine, produce hormones and absorb minerals. Every day they filter enormous amounts of fluid (from 150 to 180 liters of plasma) from the bloodstream.

Wetlands, in addition to storing water, also take care of cleaning it. Wetland systems take care of wastewater treatment. Water stagnates here which is why they are an important part of the ecosystem. Plants growing there, with the help of microorganisms, extract excess and toxic substances from the water, which is why the water is cleanest there.

Imbued with cosmic wisdom, these water seeds, like all seeds, hold and guard the deep secrets of life. They say that the kidneys store the basic spark of life with which we came into the world. In Chinese medicine, the kidneys are the most important organ, as they store our life energy. Healthy kidney energy uplifts and supports survival, whether through playful ingenuity, or deep, silent listening.

Wetlands are a living cauldron of life-force spaces that strengthen human creativity and help maintain inner balance. They are treasuries and the purification plants for our rich palette of emotions.

69

When I die

Lay out my body like a corpse.

You may want to kiss my lips

Just beginning to decay

Don’t be surprised

If I open my eyes

- Rumi

In her book, Body Eloquence, Nancy Mellon explores the power of stories to influence the body and organs, she writes about the unquenchable power of kidney energy, the spark of life it carries and how it is the last to go out when we die. The number of people with chronic kidney disease in the world is constantly increasing; by 2040, it will be the fifth leading cause of premature death. And the wetlands? We have destroyed up to 90% of them in Europe in the last hundred years. The increasingly common occurrence of burnout among people indicates a decline in vitality. The ecosystems around us and the state they are in, undeniably influences our wellbeing. We cannot blind ourselves to the fact that we are not a separate, untouchable part of the whole of the natural world.

Declining vitality, increasing fertility problems, the drying up of excitement about life in all aspects, our precious wetlands filled with concrete, extinction of plant and animal species in the wetlands, lack of creative ingenuity and variety of feelings and expressions, it is all intertwined.

70



To be able to preserve

ourselves, we must

preserve our wetlands,

the most endangered

ecosystems on Earth,

the kidneys that store

the star seeds of our

existence on Earth. By

protecting them, we

may rekindle our own

spark of life within.

(Neja Rojc)

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IV.

Stories teach empathy

PLAY:

Step into the life of a creature and

compose a narrative from the first person

point of view.

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Dragonfly.

With all these colours on me and these huge

glowing wings, I'm quite elegant.

Oh my god, I've been living in this little

Oh, I see now that I am a dragonfly. I'm flying pond, under this lily leaf, for a long, long fast and seeing everything around me, the

time.

beautiful nature and many delicious meals,

flies, mosquitoes, and butterflies.

You know I'm not going to complain, I

have many friends here, delicious food,

This is like a magical dream. It was a close and oh my gosh, these tadpoles and

call, froggy, I have to keep an eye out for

larvae are so yummy. I swim every day,

frogs, lizards, and birds. They want to devour but I've been here almost 5 years and

me.

my life is so simple and boring.

OK, it's time to go on a trip. First, I'll go Life can be so short, so why am I waiting?

up to the leaf to see what's there.

I’m off to discover and fill this magical life.

How lovely it is.

(Verica Arnautovska)

Wow! Mirror, mirror on the pond, who is

the most beautiful of all?

73





V.

Stories inspire us to

discover Nature’s

secrets

PLAY:

Out of the known facts, write an animal or

plant riddle.

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Sometimes you can see sky through me,

Riddle, riddle, not a tale, that you know

but sometimes your eyes just stop on me.

oh, so well

You can hold me with your arms and listen to I drink all day but I am never drunk,

the stories from the time people walked by me.

I’m the swamp

My blood can cure many diseases, you simply

King with a brown trunk.

don't know that.

What I am?

I invite you to lay down beside my tall trunk and the shadow of my evergreen crown.

(Alder tree, Darko Veljanoski)

(Pine tree, Mojca Kočar)

75



The playful mischief of spontaneous storytelling allows us to begin to develop our own language

for talking to Nature and open ourselves to the

VI.

imagination, which is really the language of the natural world.

Stories encourage

The purpose of the exercise, which belongs to the creative thinking and

group of spontaneous storytelling exercises and

awaken our natural

awakens our natural skills in creating and telling stories, is to encourage the participants to use all storytelling skills

their senses to awaken imagination. In order to

activate the imagination, the recognized things

found and sensed in Nature are transformed into

a fantasy form, so that, for example, the root of a tree becomes a giant’s foot, which then serves to initiate the story.

PLAY:

The exercise awakens us to stronger perception

Sensual adventure

of the natural world and shows us through

spontaneous exploration and play that stories are everywhere; we just have to open up to them.

76



77



78

Praying.

It doesn’t have to be

the blue iris, it could be

weeds in a vacant lot, or a few

small stones; just

pay attention, then patch

a few words together and don’t try

to make them elaborate, this isn’t

a contest but the doorway

into thanks, and a silence in which

another voice may speak.

- Mary Oliver

79





PLAY:

Poem of the moment.

The purpose of writing songs from a

momentary experience of Nature is to

open us to a deeper listening to the

natural world and to develop our own

language for talking with it. This exercise

sharpens our full presence in the moment,

using all the senses and opens us to

wonder. As Mary Oliver says, the poem

serves as a hymn and a portal to a deeper

perception of Nature.

80



Little White Heron.

Amongst the sharpness and the softness

Gather white veils of your feathers

Dangerous and lonely are your journeys

Where does all this life force come from?

“Every day I feed on the source of your strength Life force is the wetlands.”

Močvirje (Swamp)

Moč vir je (Strength source is)

vir moči je (Source of the strength is)

Močvirje (Wetland)

(Nika Solce)

81





Rain Drops.

Stepped ratio

Of the rain drops

In the centre of the Universe on the Earth

On the constellation of Light itself.

Shines the look from the Trees.

(Ela Zdešar)

82



Salamander.

Salamander, thrown in the flame

Try to escape and seek your faith

The rock around you is cooling fast

But your energy won’t last

Be cool in the pain

Feed on the good flame

Nurture the flame of love

And those who speaks your language

Will become your path

(Zsuzsanna Serban)

83





VII.

Stories enable personal

This exercise is based on the idea of using

a tree as a metaphor for telling stories

growth.

about your life. Participants are invited to

think of a tree, its roots, trunk, branches,

leaves, etc. and imagine that each part

of the tree represents something about

their life. The art of storytelling helps us

PLAY:

hear and tell our story first. When we tell

it, we recreate ourselves, truly showing

Tree of Life.

ourselves to the world, even to those who

do not speak a human language.

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85



86



87



VIII.

Stories educate.

The purpose of this exercise is to create a

story from Nature through deep listening,

PLAY:

intuitive perception of Nature through all

the senses, research into the biological

Story from Nature.

and socio-biological characteristics of

a plant or animal and research of the

wisdom of ancient peoples in the form of

myths and symbolic meanings.

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89

ANOSKI

This is a story about one magical tree. The tale goes like this...

VELJO

In Oxfordshire, in the ages of dark, there was a righteous King. He was humble and he was happy if the common people were happy. That very thing, his happiness, came ARK

and went when his son was born. The new heir was sick from the cradle. The Prince’s lungs were broken. Doctors of eloquence tried and tried, but couldn`t succeed, in TREE - D

making a difference with his illness. Pain was felt from the King to the last bird of the AL

Kingdom. Sadness was sung, days were obscure and no joyful bells rang.

GIC

The song was heard three kingdoms below, by a woman, a witch, that knew a cure.

ONE MA

She came to help, to save the Prince’s life. But the potion of health didn`t work, the Prince died and, in a breath, a cry from the King was heard. The witch said that was all she could do, because she was late and away from the castle she went.

ABOUTY

OR

After the rain, an angry sun came. The King’s mask changed in a thought. He blamed STA

the witch for the death of his son. Now furious, he wanted revenge. He took all his guards and went after her, for blood.

THIS IS

90



THIS IS

It was midsummer’s eve. One of the King’s guards A ST

saw her and screamed, “Look over there, on that OR

hill, that’s the witch!” And there she was. “After Y ABOUT

her!”, yelled the King. The witch sensed the spears, the sharpened knives and at that very moment, ONE MA

she asked Venus to spare her life. Her wish was answered, Venus shaped her as a glorious Alder tree, with all the powers of the enchanted world.

GIC

This happened in front of them all. Their disbelief AL

didn`t help, the King ordered the cutting down of TREE - D

the witch tree. The new magical Alder, saw the Kings’ eyes and threw a spell that contained them ARK

all. They were turned into 77 stones.

O VELJ

Even today, they stand surrounding her, the

ANOSKI

magical witch. They are known as the Rollright stones from the Rollright army of Oxfordshire.

(Darko Veljanoski)

91



AR

OČ KAJC

- MO

PUKY

92



Puky

Deep in the forest, just near the highest, tallest black Pine tree, lived a small, blue eyed girl, with long, blond, curly hair, which she was wearing as a dress on her tiny body. She would make clothes from the tree leaves when it was really cold. Her favourite material was fern, she PUKY

could sew anything she wanted, but mostly she preferred to live as she was born.

- MO

Her name was... well we don’t really know her real name, but let’s call her Puky. Puky was born JC

in the forest, since her mother ran away pregnant from the big city, where she never felt alive.

A KOČ

Her mother was a storyteller with a special inner power, she was able to talk and sing with AR

the forest animals. When she was singing, nature just stopped breathing to hear her angelic golden voice and the plants start blooming as a gift to her soul. In Nature she fulfilled herself and living with Puky deep in the forest, was one of the best decisions she made.

Unfortunately, one day she left little Puky alone with her best animal soul mates and she never came back. Puky never found out what happened to her and since then, she lived without contact with any human being, deep in the woods, alone. She was scared, lonely and sad without her Mummy.

93

Laying in the roots of the tallest Pine tree in the forest, she cried and begged the universe to bring her back, but she never did. Instead, forest animals tried to console her. Each day one of the animals would lay beside Puky to give her a warm, safe place. She felt loved and truly accepted by the forest and the animals.

Her inner wild child was raising and she was becoming wilder and wiser. She knew how to AR

create things from the wood and she was eating forest fruits and wild plants. She knew every OČ KA

single plant from roots to fruit. She became a wizard and the guardian of the forest.

JC

Her best friend was the highest, black, old Pine tree, because this tree was the best listener

- MO

and it was always there for her. They become inseparable and Puky even made a little shelter PUKY

under the roots. At nights she climbed up to the top and watched the stars shining. She believed that one of the stars was her Mummy.

One day, as she was walking and singing through the forest, for the first time she saw a group of people, wearing strange clothes and measuring something near her home. She hid behind the wide Beech and watched them from a distance. After a few weeks they came back with machines that Puky had never seen in her life.

They cut the trees.

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Puky’s heart was dying little by little with each tree. She was sitting on the top of her Pine and cried. She didn’t want to leave her best friend alone. She cried and cried, her tears were falling down to the soil, which become impermeable. With a little help from above and a little magic, each tear become a big bubble of water, falling down and it spread out into the forest.

The forest turned to wetland.

Workers found out that their plans could not be realized because of the sudden mud and that PUKY

they must quit with their project of cutting trees and making place for a... They disappeared

- MO

and never come back.

JCA

Puky’s heart was joyful, when she found out that she had a power to help her friends as they KOČ

helped her when she was hurt.

AR

After many years, Puky become a woman and in that moment, she felt that she wanted to go out and see the world outside the forest. She noticed a grey haired woman, dancing with frogs on her arms, chasing dragonflies and birds flying all around her. It seems like she was talking or singing to all these little animals.

When their looks met, deep inside her body Puky knew this woman.

(Mojca Kočar)

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The rise of the Salamander.

SKA

Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, in a big volcano lived a Salamander. He was a lizard-like form, with big, yellow eyes and cold, slimy black skin.

KRSTEV

When he was a baby, during winter he wanted to sleep in the fire logs that humans were ARA

using to make fire. One day, a man tossed him into the fire along with a log. As a result of being tossed into a roaring inferno, he woke up and jumped out of the fire. He was angry and confused. The anger made him roar and he started throwing flames out of his big yellow eyes, setting the house of the man who had thrown him into the inferno, on fire.

ALAMANDER - S

The Salamander, full of anger, started walking through the streets with flames bursting forth THE S

from his big eyes, setting the whole village on fire and showing no mercy to anyone. Wherever he went, he did the same.

Full of anger and hate and roaming through a dark forest, he noticed smoke coming from a THE RISE OF

big mountain. There he found his sacred temple, the volcano. He lived there for many years, holding his grudge and setting on fire everything that bothered him, or got close to him.

Everyone knew about this mysterious creature and everyone feared it.

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THE RISE OF

THE S

ALAMANDER - S

ARA

KRSTEV

SKA

97

One day, when an Alchemist from a village far away from the volcano, heard the story of this beast, he became very interested in its life and so he started travelling all around the world, SKA

just to learn about this mysterious creature.

After years of searching for answers, he finally felt ready. “I am going to tame this wild beast, KRSTEV

“said the Alchemist. Everyone thought that he was crazy and that trying to tame the beast ARA

would be suicide. However, the Alchemist was very determined to do what he wanted, so he went to the mountain where the volcano was and he started to silently observe the animal that was living in the fire. Every day for three years he went there and he took notes about the animal’s behaviour.

ALAMANDER - S

One day, when he wasn’t careful enough, he pushed some rocks into the crater. That is when THE S

the Salamander saw him. The enormous beast started roaring and throwing flames at the Alchemist, but the man already knew the behaviour of the beast and managed to escape.

This dangerous encounter didn’t make him quit. He was even more determined with his idea THE RISE OF

of taming the wild beast.

After many years of trying, the Alchemist was exhausted and on the edge of quitting, because he hadn’t found a way to tame the wild beast.

98

Then he remembered, “Music! “He shouted proudly. He took his flute and started playing.

THE RISE OF

The Salamander was angry and furious at first, but after a moment he stopped roaring and throwing flames and started enjoying the music. The Alchemist was very surprised and couldn’t believe his eyes. He started playing music to the Salamander every day.

THE S

One day the huge beast came out of the volcano, looking for the Alchemist. He sat before the man and just listened. The Alchemist was so afraid, but he continued playing music. They ALAMANDER - S

were doing this for three months and the day came when the Alchemist felt confident enough to start talking with the animal. He started teaching the Salamander about the purpose of life and what great power he holds.

ARA

After many, many days spent together, they became friends. The Alchemist introduced the world to the once untamable beast, who became as tame as a dog.

KRSTEV

The Salamander used its powers to help people make fire and they taught him how beautiful SKA

it is to live life without hate and anger, but instead, full of joy and happiness.

The Alchemist, as proud as can be, made this magical creature the spirit of elemental fire.

(Sara Krstevska)

99



A

KAPLJ

TH. - ŠPELA

THE EAR

OR OF

CTTE

FROG: PRO

100



Frog: Protector of the Earth.

FROG: PRO

Once there was a frog. Well, there are still quite some frogs but this story was told to me about this particular one, so… there was a little frog who lived in-between the pond and the TE

great wetland forest, she loved them both equally. She was a little frog and life was new for CT

OR OF

her. Everything attracted her attention and made her golden eyes stare in awe.

THE EAR

“Wow!” was the most commonly used phrase of hers.

But there was one thing that really blew her over.

TH. - ŠPELA

It was an early summer night, the sun just laid down to rest behind the great treetops of the pines. The stars sat on them, like birds on branches and shone magically on the forest while KAPLJ

the air was fresh from the night whispering her fairy-tales to the forest.

A

“Wow!” was heard from out of the darkness.

“Mamma, this is magic!”

And a gentle Mamma frog said back, “Yes, my love, the world is full of magic.”

101

They kept going all the way to the pond, where all the frogs from the forest were gathered.

A

The little frog had no idea what was to come next, but obeyed when her Mamma told her to wait on the bank of the pond. Then in the split of a second, all the frogs disappeared deep KAPLJ

into the pond.

“Wow!” was heard from amid the slender, tall, wetland grass.

TH. - ŠPELA

When they came back, the little frog felt as if time had stood still. Fireflies stopped in motion and the wind waited in anticipation.

THE EAR

“Wow!”

OR OF

CT

The frog choir started to sing and so touched was the little frog that her eyes grew to the size TE

of walnuts, glowing stronger than the stars in the sky. She felt like her heart was going to burst, and it did; out of sheer admiration she started to cry. She was enchanted and felt warm raindrops falling on her soft skin.

FROG: PRO

“Wow, the sky is crying too. I am sure there is no greater magic than the frog’s song,” she whispered into the ears of the night. When her Mamma came back, all she heard were questions about when will she be able to join the choir.

102

“Mamma, Mamma, when will I sing with you?” she kept asking.

FROG: PRO

“When you will learn to listen to the need of our dear Earth, then my little love?” she said gently and took her home.

TECT

Just before she fell asleep, the little frog said, “Teach me to listen to the Earth, will you OR OF

Mamma?”

THE EAR

And in the days that followed, the little frog got her lessons.

TH. - ŠPELA

First, she was taught about her senses and the power of sensing even the slightest change in her environment.

“Wow!” said the little frog while discovering the quality of the water through her skin.”

KAPLJ

“Yes,” said her Momma.

A

“But it is not easy to use, many toxins are being put in the soil, water and air. Waste is being thrown on the forest floor, not only looking nasty but poisoning the groundwater.”

103

“We are the most sensitive ones, sensing the slightest change in the soil, water and the air we A

breathe. We get sick fast when our environment is sick and this is why we are less and less.”

KAPLJ

“Mamma?” said the little frog, wiping a tear from her cheek.

“There is hope my little love,” she said.

“As long as there is our song, there is hope. Even though our homes are getting smaller and TH. - ŠPELA

smaller and are not important to human beings. Even though we fight hard to survive, there is hope. You know the power and magic of frog song.”

THE EAR

Little frog listened with all her heart, and learned.

OR OF

CT

She learned about animals and plants in the forest and understood how everything is closely TE

interconnected. She swam in the pond, learning about the life in the water. She was learning fast, making her Mamma proud. One day she felt that it was time.

FROG: PRO

“Little frog”, she said, tonight you will join us in our Earth Council.”

“Wow!” she said and jumped high with joy.

104

When she dove deep to the bottom of the pond with the other frogs, she was uncontrollably FROG: PRO

proud. She felt her Mamma’s hand guiding her and felt safe. When they came to the bottom, she understood her Mamma signaling to her to calm down and she listened. Little frog saw how all the frogs came together, closing their eyes in perfect synchronicity. She watched and TE

followed, closing her eyes in stillness.

CT

OR OF

After a moment, an echo filled the water, saying,

“Trees have been cut down and the wetland forest is in mourning. Frogs, call for the water THE EAR

from the sky to ease and cleanse the sadness.”

TH. - ŠPELA

They all swam back, again in perfect synchronicity, little frog following, feeling like a big frog now. Out on the pond’s bank the choir gathered. Without talking or touching they sensed and caught the rhythm and started to sing. Their song shook the ground and touched the roots of the trees. It shook all the sad energy from the air and spread throughout the wide, long forest.

KAPLJ

Just before they were finished the water came from the sky. Purifying water raining down like tears from the sky, mourning with the trees, easing the sadness and calling new life to grow.

A

The Earth grew greener and lusher, refreshed by the waters called by the frog’s choir and their song. From that night, one the little frog was a proud member of the frog choir, tending the Earths’ needs.

105

After that night, little frog got the most fabulous idea.

A

“Mamma, Mamma! what if we can get the people to listen? Maybe one of them would be KAPLJ

inspired and learn to listen to the needs of the Earth, becoming her protector and helping us sing our loving song of the green lush Earth? Is it possible?”

Well, it was a big idea, but her Mamma would never discourage her, So with the help of other TH. - ŠPELA

frogs they set up an event.

THE EAR

All dipping their toes into mud, they made posters on tree trunks, inviting people to the evening show.

OR OF

CT

So it happened that afternoon on that day, a group of children was playing in the forest with TE

their Mum and they noticed the muddy invitations on the tree trunks.

“Let’s go!” they said.

FROG: PRO

And they went, bringing some other children along too.

“Wow!” they said when seeing the scene. All the forest was glowing with fireflies, just as if the stars had come down from the sky. When the frogs started to sing, they listened.

106

Soon the children felt it in their hearts and sooner still they got inspired. They put their hearts FROG: PRO

and voices together that night, children and frogs, celebrating the beauty and magic of our beloved Earth. How happy was the little frog, jumping puddles with joy.

TE

Later on, little frog continued with her choir. Sometimes the forest was upset from unkind CT

intrusion and their song served as a lullaby that calmed the forest down. At other times they put OR OF

things in balance and on other occasions their song was a healing one, helping the wounds of the forest to heal faster. Always the frog choir chased negativity as far as possible away with THE EAR

their singing.

TH. - ŠPELA

The children set up a choir too. So inspired they were that they started making their own songs, spreading the messages of the frogs, but in their own language so more people could understand. They sang and taught of the importance of protecting the wild environments, they sang and celebrated our connection with the living Earth. Sometimes they even brought rain KAPLJ

with their song, many times for sure they brought tears into the eyes of their listeners, who were touched by their singing. Oh, how proud she was, the little frog. She came secretly, to listen to A

the young protectors of the Earth and the Earth grew greener and her heart beat happier.

(Špela Kaplja)

107





108



109



110



WETLAND

In Slovene, the roots of the word wetland (močvirje) are: moč: POWER and vir: SOURCE,

this indicates that this is a place that is a source of power.

From an economic point of view, wetlands have little value, so they are filled with concrete and destined to become industrial zones. In the last hundred years, we have destroyed up to 90% of wetlands in Europe. These, the Earth's most vulnerable ecosystems are important as air conditioners in managing climate change, providing drinking water supplies and purifying and enriching groundwater. Wetlands are the most biologically diverse and varied ecosystems.

111



OUTSIDE IS INSIDE:

How our Soul existence is connected to the existence of the wetlands and how the wetlands lead us back to our own power source.

112



ENERGY MANAGEMENT: BALANCE:

Wetlands regulate water supplies, storing it in rainy periods for dry periods. On a deeper level this handling of supplies teaches us about efficient management of our own energy supplies. When to retreat, rest, replenish your supplies in the shelter of the inner world, and when to be active in the outer world.

FINDING STRENGTH IN SENSITIVITY:

Wetlands are home to creatures with the most sensitive skin, creatures most sensitive to changes in the environment. Butterflies, dragonflies, frogs, newts, etc. In a world that has labelled sensitivity as weakness, these creatures remind us that it is in developing our sensitivity that we find our greatest strength.

DISCOVERING OUR POTENTIALS AND GIFTS:

Wetlands are treasuries of biodiversity; where else can we get in touch with our inner diversity. Here we can realize our potentials, gifts and passions.

113



Wetlands are a living cauldron of life-force, places that strengthen human creativity and help us maintain inner balance. They are treasuries and purification plants of our rich emotions and so much more. Contact with the muddy soil of the wetlands helps us to make our dreams and ideas reality, as this mixture of water and soil is the material in which starlight, dreams, visions and ideas come true, gain shape.

Wetlands are the cradles of life, and we cannot see a better place to connect with nature and our own life force.



"You can't reach for your star without having your feet firmly and softly in the mud.”

- Špela Kaplja

114



115

SOURCES

AND

LITERATURE:

Matthews, Paul: Words in Place: Alviani, Carl: The Science Behind

Reconnecting with Nature through

Storytelling, Protagonist Studio, 2018

Creative Writing Steiner/ Waldorf Learning

Resources, 2017

Denborough, David: Retelling the Stories

of Our Lives: Everyday Narrative Therapy

Mellon, Nancy, Body Eloquence, The

to Draw Inspiration and Transform

Power of Myth and Story to Awaken the

Experience, 2014

Body's Energies, 2008

Gersie, Alida in Schiefflin, Edward:

Mellon, Nancy: Storytelling and the Art of

Storytelling for a Greener World:

Imagination, 2003

Environment, Community, and Story-based

Learning, Hawthorn Press, 2014

Reynolds Thompson, Mary: Reclaiming

the Wild Soul: How Earth's Landscapes

Kaplja, Špela: Gozdna knjiga – Vaje

Restore Us to Wholeness, 2014

globoke ekologije za pristno povezavo z

naravnim svetom, Terra Anima 2017

Wohlleben, Peter: Skrivno življenje dreves,

Narava, 2016



118

Title: LovingTheWet.Land

Subtitle: Storytelling for Wetlands Conservation Edited by: Špela Kaplja

Contributros: Špela Kaplja, Neja Rojc, Ela Zdešar, Darko Veljanoski, Kata Dobran, Mojca Kočar, Nika Solce, Sara Krstevska, Verica Arnautovska, Urša Plešnar, Zsuzsanna Serbán

Illustrator: Neja Rojc

Designer: Mojca Ažman

Photos by: Ela Zdešar, Kata Dobran, Neja Rojc, Špela Kaplja Published by: Terra Anima, association for deep ecology E-book

Radomlje, 2022





This project has been funded with support from the European Commission.

This publication reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.