If we want to see our vision and our ideals accepted by mainstream America, we need to tell a better story. The best way to change people's old beliefs is to understand what people need and then tell them the story of how to get it. I believe that if we tell our stories in a positive way, we can alleviate people's fear and win out over the corporate story. But we have to go into our communities and talk with people.

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The only thing this past election really proved is that Americans are in a state of confusion and fear and don't know what to do about it. But science, as well as all creations myths, acknowledge that out of chaos come new forms. We are living in liminal, transitional times, which are chaotic and therefore open to change. We are in the midst of a world-wide revolution, not because we are discontent with the way the economy is going but because we must change the way we live or we face death and destruction through world-wide climate change, famine, over-population, war and disease.

Our culture is facing the dire consequences of our way of life, and we have to decide how we're going to meet those consequences. I think we need to listen to don Juan's advice to Carlos Castaneda, "Take Death as your advisor." We are going through the death phase of patriarchy, and it must die so something new can be born. The patriarchy won't serve the future.

But it is up to us how we make this transition.

While the whole world is going through this liminal time, we can only work on our part of the problem. And since America (our corporations, etc.) was at the forefront of creating a lot of those problems, it is up to America to change. The old capitalistic system and the government created to further its objectives - is geared to war and profit and it is not dealing with the truth of our changing world.

But Americans are being given a chance to re-shape our government for the next 300 years (at least) and the direction the American people choose to take all depends upon the Vision that people have of their future.

The Right Wing corporate vision wants to take us back to the past, a past where we were unconscious of corporate manipulation, but when we had hope for a "better future'. They, like the ancient Greek father gods, would rather swallow their children than let them have their day in the sun have their own vision, creativity and power. The way they tell it, the past was a safer, kinder life. And in many ways it was. But then the 60s happened and we woke up to the underside of how things really worked. We saw how corporations were poisoning our food, our air and our water. We saw how education was being sort-changed for the war machine. We saw the rich getting richer and everyone else dropping into poverty.

The revolution of the 60s still continues, for 60s ideals and ideas have taken root in our personal lives. Now we have to take those personal ideals to the level of community, which stretches around the Earth. And to do this, we have to tell the story of our times, not in a frightening way but in a positive way so that people are willing to sacrifice to change the way the world works.

Yes, we're all in this together, because corporations run the world. So we are all freedom-fighters. America is not alone in having her warring factions. Our civilization is undergoing a major test of our will and consciousness. Do we use all our wisdom and knowledge to face the death of the old ways truthfully so with ingenuity and determination we can create a new society, at peace and in harmony with the Earth; or do we let the "barbarians' that dream of death, war, profits and domination win out as we "party ourselves to death' like the ancient Romans?

The tipping point of political change will be getting enough people to understand the environmental need to change our way of life which is patriarchal capitalism - and then act on the knowledge to make the necessary changes in our way of life. But people will only go through the "liminal space' of notknowing and not being safe if they have an idea of what the cost will be if they don't get to the other side. And they need an idea of what is on the other side of that abyss if they are going to sacrifice an old way of life. For example, when we say we have to get away from our dependence on oil, the corporate story comes rushing in, telling us why we can't. We have to come up with the story of why we can do it, how we can do it, and what it will look like once we do it.

The people most negatively affected by the corporate mentality of greed and de-humanization are the very people defending that system. Something is obviously wrong. And that something is that the corporate story is drowning out the human story. The economy (i.e. Capitalism) is more important than people and the Earth. We might know this, but many more people don't seem to get it.

So Why Stories?

Most people going through hard times are easy prey for the old story of "If we don't have the "fathers' and capitalism to guide our way, how will we survive?" What people need are new stories not of superheroes that go to war against evil, but of those super-heroic powers of the body, mind (heart and intellect) and spirit which can transform each person and give us the freedom to change the world. What would happen if all of us cried out "Give me liberty or give me death!" and meant it?

The Right wing insists on a vision of the past. Progressives have to fine tune their vision of the future. We can do this through stories because stories capture the heart and transform our beliefs, by-passing the intellect. The Right Wing (ruled by the left brain J ) uses this power of the image and story to manipulate, intimidate and create fear. "Commies, lefties and gays are taking over our world. Fear them!" They define us because they have a story the old stories that said that gays and communists are Satan's spawn, if you will.

The people who buy into this story don't know any other way to think about things. That's why Progressives need to work on our presentation. We need to tell our stories in ways that attract people, that make them feel safe, that give them hope. These people do not want to hear that everyone and everything they've believed in has betrayed them. We know they need to hear it, but they don't know what to do about it (remember how you felt on first learning about what was really going on) and so they go into denial and go overboard in the opposite direction. And the right wing media snags their loyalty with their old story.

While progressives have wonderful stories to tell about the potential of our future, for the most part people only see that we are ripping down the old America that they love as we point out the greed, corruption and deceit of the people and corporations in power. We need to learn how to have conversations once again and tell our stories. If we bring up our most intense indignation about "the other side' and throw it in their faces, we stop conversation, as Jon Stewart said to Rachel Maddow the other night.

We need to tell stories that reinforce our understanding of the form of government that was meant to protect our rights. As a matter of fact, we need to tell the story of our birth again our creation story - not the historical facts of the Revolution, but the depth of thought, feeling and action of our founders and how they would see our situation, and most important, what they would do about it. We need to bring our birth story up to date.

Like the thread of meaning in a fairy tale, we need to build stories that begin with the problem and work out the solution by the end of the tale. The archetypal stories contain the structure for imparting the information we need to deal with what's happening to us. When peoples' minds are in chaos, an image or a story can give structure and stability to their thoughts. And that frees people from fear, so they can think clearly and make conscious choices.

Progressives need to provide the stories if we want to see conscious change in the world. For a while we've had to tell the stories of old betrayals, new technologies and possible futures to ourselves, so that new vision, the New Story, would take hold in us. We've been nurturing the vision but now it's time to start telling it to the rest of our people. We are all in this together for good or ill, and so they are "our people' especially the tea partyers J . We have to share our vision of the future with them because change is coming, regardless. We need them to share our vision because it will take all of us to do it. We can't continue to have these partisan battles. We need to work together, because it doesn't sound like we have a lot of extra time to spare.

We're like Dorothy's friends in OZ we have to realize we have a brain, a heart and the nerve to kill the wicked witch of fear, greed and anger. And the best way is through stories. And the best place to do it is in our own communities. Our tribes and friends already share the Story, but our village, town or community needs to hear it.

Stories speak to the child within us, the part of us who wants to believe. Humans need to feel hope, to have something to be faithful to; a purpose that calls us past our own fears, greed and anger to a place of peace, love and happiness. We all want this!

But we have to understand where most people's heads are at. There's too much information out there; it's all too confusing to people because there's no unified story about what we're going through except hints of a cosmic change (2012), aliens takeovers and the other Hollywood renditions of death and destruction of super human proportions coming to us. Then in our everyday reality, people are going through desperate times, and often they are lost in fear because they are alone and vulnerable.

Often their community is their house of worship, and in desperate times, religions revert back to old stories. However it happens, they run into fear. Fear of the unknown, fear of death, fear of pain. And so the Old pulls fearful people back to an imagined safety that is controlled by the "fathers'. Or at least that's who wants to retain power (the father's daughters collude with the fathers for power as well). This is patriarchy not wanting to gracefully leave the stage, even if it means the destruction of the whole world. Sounds like the Anti-Christ to me!

And that's another one of the old stories people are living in the End Times! Scary stuff!

The truth is, we are living in liminal times, times of transition and change. In quantum physics, the cyclical flow of energy as a continual process goes from stability to chaos to a new emergence and change. In personal development, people must learn to assimilate new ideas and adapt to changing circumstances, but if they don't know how and don't feel safe, they will retreat back to old ways, even if those ways are uncomfortable and restrictive. People today feel they are at the edge of chaos and unless we can provide them with stories of how to come through it to a new vision, they will retreat, as they did this past election.

So, here's my idea:

1. We need to create archetypal story templates to share with each other and use when we want to make a point about whatever issue is up for us.

2. Then we each need to go out into our communities and tell the new story. That means town council meetings, letters to the editor, talks at the local library, "town hall' meetings about issues. We can engage in a conversation about the future without having politicians referee us. Collaborate with artists and go to your local Arts' Council and create an event for the 4th of July centered on a local issue unemployment; poisoned air, water, food; the war. Create change by changing people's minds.

3. To create these story templates, we need to work together in master groups with at least an historian, a reporter/fact gatherer and a storyteller who understands archetypal storytelling. We might be able to gather the groups here at OpEd. I'm sure Rob has something on the site where we could post our needs and the results. But that depends on if anyone is interested in doing this.

Thom Hartmann is doing an Internet show on RealTV. He very effectively quotes Thomas Jefferson and other founding fathers who warn us of corporate misuse of power, as well as acquainting us with the seminal thoughts that are the foundation of our constitution. We can use examples of these historical figures with our story so we can layer the issues we face today not only with the ideology of the American Revolution but with some of the ancient archetypal stories which will activate and open hearts to hear the message. (For example, find a fairy tale about a miller who's out of work use that template for creating a story about unemployment.)

Our real work is to build bridges to people's consciousness. Expand their understanding with your own.

We write beautifully for each other here at OpEdNews. But we've already converted the choir. We need to go out into our world and inspire others and illuminate the Truth for them.

Just remember that Truth can be evoked through story, which if told in the right way can open up minds and hearts. Truth can be a bitter brew or a bright promise. Let's work with the bright promise of our future and inspire people rather than alienate them even more.

Let us work together to create and transmit the stories of our times so we can create the future we all imagine.

Authors Website: http://www.cathypagano.com

Authors Bio:

Cathy Pagano is a spiritual advisor and Jungian psychotherapist, storyteller, author and teacher.

She is the author of a book on the return of the Goddess, "Wisdom's Daughters: How Women Can Change the World".

Cathy trained at the C. G. Jung Institut-Zurich in dream interpretation, has an M.A. in Counseling Psychology in Feminine Spirituality, and is a certified Life Coach.

As an astrologer and storyteller, she weaves the Cosmic Stories written in the stars. From The Bard's Grove, she writes about emerging archetypal themes in movies and books.

Cathy works with the tools of the imagination - dreams, alchemy, myths, astrology, symbolic language, storytelling, ritual - to awaken the Soul's wisdom.



I believe that Americans are called to a higher consciousness at this point in our history. We are called on to live up to our ideals and create the country our forefathers imagined. Inner consciousness needs to be acted upon for social justice.



Cathy believes that our writers and artists must take up our responsibility to create art that inspires, teaches and heals our humanity.



Cathy writes about political, psychological/spiritual, and cultural issues.