ABSTRACT
The creation and telling of stories has been used universally by cultures, communities and individuals to provide hope, meaning, purpose and understanding in life. Stories perpetuate knowledge and connect succeeding generations to the richness of their heritage. They are a vehicle through which people are able to develop understanding and coherence in their worlds. Stories provide a very fertile range of implicit communal resources for each individual facing the inevitable developmental conflicts posed by life. In assuming a meta position, stories provide access to universal symbols which, through the process of transformation, make it possible for the individual to address both the conflicts of daily living and the developmental dilemmas of life. Stories provide a map for the soul – a body of knowledge capable of providing shelter, healing, instruction and inspiration (Gersie and King 1990). Stories allow the individual access to realms in which reason does not journey.
