Investigate images and stories

Disciplines > Storytelling > Telling stories > Campbell's Commandments > Investigate images and stories

Commandment | Discussion | See also

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Commandment

Resacralize the secular: even a dollar bill reveals the imprint of Eternity.

Discussion

Myths are not just made up of words -- they have images and sounds too. And together they make up stories that have complete and holistic meaning that reach out and connect with large numbers of people.

Many everyday items and events may have sacred origins or may be imbued with mysterious, magical or spiritual qualities in stories. Mystique in stories adds to their allure as listeners ponder deep meaning in once-mundane matters.

Myths are often rooted in real incidents although the stories that survive might be an evolution of the truth. It can help your telling if you dig backwards to find what you can of where the myth comes from. If you can find truths then you will be able to anchor your story in credibility that will resonate with the real.

'Investigate images and stories' is one of the 'Ten Commandments for Reading Myth' as defined by Joseph Campbell.