Greetings story Lovers,

The seasons have shifted suddenly here in Scotland and we can suddenly feel the Cailleach's icy breathe upon our backs. The skies have greyed and the rivers swollen. We have shifted into the darker half of the year once again.

It seems unthinkable that only a fortnight ago I was telling tales in a sweltering, sun kissed, Berlin garden-theatre (and cursing my decision to pack woollen garments for European travel!).

I feel partly responsible for this sudden drop in temperature, as last weekend I spent making drums and telling Cailleach tales in Glen Lyon as part of our Honouring the Cailleach weekend. We invoked the aged winter goddess and may have accidentally called her in too early. Sorry about that!

The winter is a fine time for tale telling though, and the Scottish International Storytelling Festival is on the horizon.

It's an annual highlight, and this year I'll be hosting an Open Hearth event on the 13th of October (it will be broadcast online) and telling tales with a basket weaver at the Basket of Stories event on the 28th and 29th. I'll be up in the Hebrides in between. There are many other events by great storytellers so do give the programme a browse.

Scottish International Storytelling Festival Programme:

https://sisf.online.red61.co.uk

Myth as Medicine is ready for another deep dive into mythic dreaming. I'm curious to see how it feels as we descend into winter, rather than the springtime. More root tending I feel, as we deepen rather than expand.

We have a fine cohort already, but I could probably squeeze in a venturer or two. Message me for sign up details or book via the link below.

Myth as Medicine booking:

http://storyconnection.org/myth-as-medicine/

Finally, for Myth as Medicine I've made a story resource list. It has some of my favourite story collections, cultural texts and online sources for tales. I'm happy too send a copy to anyone on my mailing list too. Dm me if interested and I'll pass it on.

A good starting place for online stories is Sacred Texts free story archive. They have many antiquated story collections from around the world, and a user friendly search system. Get lost for an afternoon via the following link:

https://sacred-texts.com

Also, the podcast passed the one thousand download threshold, woohoo! Thanks for listening! More episodes coming soon...

https://talesforourtimes.buzzsprout.com

That's it for now. I'd love any suggestions for good places to discover new stories that I can add to my resource kit. Feel free to message with recommendations.

Wishing you a splendid descent into the darker half of the year.

May your dreams be potent.

All best

Dougie