Writing > On Creativity > Bluebeard's Key > Afterthought
 

Conclusion from the Other Side

Dear workshop participants,

Thank you for your marvellous support and participation during our workshop. I kind of forgot to say the last couple of things I had in mind as a conclusion, and I figure it was probably because I (subconsciously) did not want the moment to end.

This would have left you very much in the lurch, I'm afraid, so here is my attempt at concluding our workshop:

Consider our period of play this morning. Symbols that appeared were fishermen and fans, lions, snakes, cars, motorcycles and buses, lakes and deserts, houses and highways and a locust (that was transformed into a Preying Mantis by the magic of play). I have never seen anyone play as seriously as you did this morning. It moved me. So much that I could not attempt my conclusion for fear of crying and I normally make my endings quite soppy anyway...

So let me try again:

Our Play- / Dream world have many qualities that relate to the fairy tale. Fairy tales are strange but there are definitely some themes that recur. The main character, like Bluebeard's wife, have often got an impossible task (Finding the core, individuating, enlightenment - or just plain old creative energy) to perform. Sometimes a whole LOT of them - it's no accident that we talk about a Herculean Task: He had seven or ten of these things to perform! So do you.

Most of the time they (the main characters) have to go on some journey, where they meet animals. Scary, peculiar and enchanted animals. Where fairy tales have almost no morals, and lying or cheating your way out of a situation (like Hansel and Gretel with the witch) is quite acceptable sometimes, with animals, it is different. The character that aids the animals (the instincts) always gets help from them later in the story. If there is any wisdom hidden in these tales it is this: follow your instincts.
There are always gory, scary or sad bits in it - a bit like life. I don't know when we decided that we were only going to have those kind of things in the movies, and that they didn't fit in real life. Probably at the same time that we decided that magic was dead, too. Now THAT you always get in a fairy tale: The beast becomes a prince, the lamp stolen from the crooked thief becomes the genie of deliverance. Expect magic to accompany your work.

The tale of Bluebeard's Key is explained thus:

Bluebeard is the intellect. Killing one muse after the other, he finds the one that might deliver him (or does she find him?). She does so by disobedience, hard work, and lots of feeling. She resurrects all his destroyed energies, and he is not the prisoner of his crimes against himself anymore, but can be whole and create with her, a new life. It even has a happy ending, see!

Thank you again, I had a great time.
Anni

Posted 04 August 2006, www.annisnyman.co.za, author: Anni Snyman

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