When we try to keep pace with modern life, we often find ourselves connected from our inner wisdom. But there’s an ancient practice that can help us reconnect with our authentic selves and see ourselves more clearly- engaging with folklore and traditional stories. These stories are often timeless narratives, that resonate and reflect our deepest truths back to us in ways that modern life rarely allows.
Ancient wisdom for modern struggles
Folklore works by externalising our internal struggles. As we read stories, it brings what’s inside to the surface. We relate to a character, or a situation and it resonates with us. How often have you read about a character’s journey or struggle and thought ‘that’s what I’m doing,’ or ‘that’s what’s happening to me’? It enables us to see patterns in our lives that might otherwise remain hidden, allowing us to look at and think about our own experiences, and maybe some uncomfortable truths, from a safe distance.
These stories weren't created for our entertainment. To ancient cultures, they were survival tools. They were born from times when people gathered around fires to share wisdom and warnings. The tales served to teach children about dangers, but more importantly, they preserved essential human truths about how to deal with life's challenges.
Consider the Scottish tale of the Selkies, seal folk who could shed their skins to become human. The story of a fisherman who steals a Selkie's skin, trapping her on land, speaks to a universal human experience; walking through life, not feeling like your true self and feeling like there's this draw to something else but you feel like you're stuck. This resonates with anyone who has felt trapped by circumstances, relationships, or expectations, pretending to be something they're not while yearning to live an authentic life.
The healing power of recognition
Many of us carry invisible chains created by societal and familial conditioning. We suppress our true desires, convinced that "on paper" our lives should make us happy. Folklore helps us recognise where we are betraying ourselves. This is particularly relevant for women, who are often conditioned to prioritise others' needs over their own authentic expression. The stories can give us permission to acknowledge those suppressed aspects of ourselves, whether it’s anger that needs healthy expression or creative talents that have been dismissed as "silly."
Most importantly, folklore helps us feel less alone in our struggles. When we recognise our story in an ancient tale, we realise that countless others have walked similar paths. This recognition provides validation and hope that makes us feel seen. The feeling of being witnesses and understood is healing in itself. It reminds us that our struggles are part of the human experience, not evidence of personal failure.
In a modern world that has conditioned so many of us to need instant gratification and external validation, folklore offers something precious; the patience to sit with our deeper truth. These stories invite us to slow down, reflect, and reconnect with the wisdom that lives within us. They offer a pathway back to our authentic selves, helping us see clearly who we truly are beneath the layers of conditioning and expectation.