Now that the weather here in San Francisco is changing - the leaves are falling off the trees and there is an occasional bite in the air - all I want to do is curl up, write and read stories of wicked step-mothers and handsome princes. And to continue to embrace my shadow side, and potential for deeper self-love! Ah, the task of the fairy tale.

Writing fairy stories comes easily to me. I grew up devouring fairy tales and magical stories. I loved to write stories as well as direct my sister and friends in plays I made up as I went along, with no plot of any kind! The story (below) I wrote in a sunny café on a cold day. It graciously flowed out of my pen and didn't stop from the "Once upon a time" opening until it reached "The End"! I had no idea what the tale would be about other than a peasant girl with a basket of beets. What emerged was my personal story at that time in my life.

Not everyone shares such an affinity for creating stories, and many of us have received and internalized messages that we are "not creative". This story came out of an experience I had with sandplay therapy*, in which I had chosen a peasant girl figure bearing a basket of beets. It may be easier for you to begin your fairy tale by choosing an image you are attracted to (or repelled by - there will be a lot of energy to work with!), perhaps an image from a recent dream, or an image that arose while meditating. You could then begin your story with "once upon a time there was a.". If you need more structure to begin, you could have a dialogue with your chosen image while in a meditative state, which may help in forming your story.

Maybe writing a story seems too daunting. Journaling about the fairy tale characters you loved as a child or the ones you resonate with now is a wonderful way to connect to deeper, perhaps forgotten parts of yourself. Where in your life are you like Sleeping Beauty? Did you feel more connected to the wolf than Little Red Riding Hood.?

I urge you! Find your favourite writing instrument and your journal. Even a blunt pencil and the back of your grocery receipt will do - any way to capture your story!! Find a cosy spot, write the words "Once upon a time." and see what unfolds. Oh! I almost forgot to tell you to lock your inner critic in a soundproof box before you begin (tell her/him s/he can come out later, if s/he must!)! Enjoy the sound of your pencil or pen scratching on the paper and the solitude and fullness of your imaginal world.

And, if you are inspired, share your stories with SpiralMuse!

READ PENNY's FAIRY TALE More>>

* Sandplay therapy is an Expressive Arts Therapy approach based on Jungian ideas about archetypes with the intent to access the client's unconscious world. The client chooses objects from a large collection of small figures, natural objects, etc. and "is given the possibility, by means of figures and the arrangement of the sand in the area bounded by the sandbox, to set up a world corresponding to his or her inner state" (Dora Kalff). Dora Kalff says "in sandplay it immediately becomes clear that the human being can come closer to wholeness".

Penny Roy Fellbrich is a Marriage & Family Therapist intern in private practice in San Francisco. She has a Masters in Counseling Psychology from the California Institute of Integral Studies, with a specialization in Expressive Arts Therapy. Expressive Arts Therapy is psychotherapy that weaves in the arts, as appropriate, and includes art therapy, music therapy, drama therapy, poetry therapy, dance/movement therapy, ritual, storytelling and sandplay. Penny's clients find using the arts alongside verbal therapy to be very healing and to deepen their understanding of themselves and their lives. Penny uses expressive arts therapy, along with verbal therapy, in her work with children, teens, families, couples and individuals, and also specializes in working with body image and eating disorder issues. If you are interested in contacting Penny regarding therapy, please go to: www.Expressive-Arts-Therapy.com.

Further reading on the archetypes and fairy tales: The Feminine in Fairy Tales - Marie Louise von Franz Shadow & Evil in Fairy Tales - Marie Louise von Franz The Uses of Enchantment - Bruno Bettelheim