Valley of Horses: Spirituality, Early Man's Story and Man's Future (Script)

                                           Valley of Horses: Spirituality, Early Man's Story and Man's Future

Hello from NeverBird, I am MissNeverBird and welcome to my channel.

For this video - I will be talking about a book I finished recently - it was actually a re-read where in the past I skipped to a particular part as I was prone to do in the past but this time I chose to actively read and taking in all parts of the story and I did not regret this one bit.

You know those times that you read the right book at the right time - Valley of Horses was such a book for me

Other cases of this happening to me include Eat Pray Love which was such a game changer for me, a book I reviewed called the Insightful Reader by I C Robeldo and I’d Rather Be Reading by Anne Bogel which recommend to any bibliophile.

As a person who loves anthropology, history and spirituality - the Valley of Horses was quite a surprise for me when I re-read it again after some time. But what a read it was!

In previous readings, I was more focused on Ayla’s story but this time round I was more invested in the 2nd protagonist’s storyline - Jondalar.

To my delighted surprise, I discovered that the book contained some rather prominent spiritual themes and elements in a time where early man had a strong connection to the world around them as well as a deeper connection to the underlying forces of the Ice Age - this can be seen in their respect for the Earth and in their high regard for the Great Earth Mother and their theologies.

From both an anthropological and spiritual perspective - I found myself enjoying the story more than I thought

• What I enjoyed in the book was:Jondalar and Ayla being used by the author as a sort of narrative device to show what made us so successful as a species and in this series they act as a sort of bridge between Ice Age Homo sapiens and us

• The difficult but simple lifestyle of early Homo Sapiens is quite intriguing for me - in contrast to the quite complicated world we live in today

• Jondalar - Seems to be the ideal romance interest found in romance stories - but from what I understand this type of love interest was quite different in the time when the Valley Of Horses was published in the 80’s - but what caught my interest in him is that like Ayla he seemed to be an unusual individual and seemed to be what is known as a Highly sensitive person - because he experiences and feels everything so deeply - Twin Flame to Ayla

• Jondalar and Ayla are both highly Gifted individuals chosen by the Universe or the Great Mother and are each other's Twin Flames - where together and separately that each have a special purpose in the next stage of Man's Journey

• The exploration of the human condition with themes such as racism and prejudice

• There is also quite a diversity in the characters as well in terms of sexualities, genders and race - people were more openminded and there are appearances of same-sex couples in this universe

•                        Non-binary and transgendered individuals make an appearance

•        The research behind the series is amazing - from palaeo-anthropology, psychology, palaentology and the ecological and geographical landscape of Ice Age Europe and Eurasia

• The different cultures that evolved due to their environment and the development of their religion and how it shaped the people's psychology and culture is amazing

• Through the course of the series - you can see how a culture changes after new knowledge is brought and beliefs and prejudices challenged

• The big part the Danube River played in this universe

• The Neanderthal aspect is also quite fascinating especially the collective memory but also the concept that Neanderthals can't learn new things beyond what they already know

• Spirit Animals

• Cave Lion

• Spiritual Leaders

This was my take on the Earth’s Children Series starting with the Valley of Horses - for me it serves as the turning point in the series as the events of the story that played out will have significant effects on the rest of the series and the world the characters live in - changing humanity forever.

Also one last note : the concept of sexuality starts to become more significant as both characters cross paths and this takes quite a while (only 3/4 into the book) but the series itself has from the start has contained quite mature themes so please be aware of this as sexuality and gender seems to be quite a significant theme of the series.

If you liked something in this video - I invite you to please like and subscribe to my channel and click that notification bell for future content. If you have any questions - please comment down below about the experience you have had with this series and your take it - I would love to hear from you and which books had had a significant impact on your life?

I am MissNeverBird and always remember to have a little faith, trust and pixie dust. Bye!

Fandom Culture, Death of the Author and Content Interpretation (Script)

                                           Fandom Culture, Death of the Author and Content Interpretation

Hello, From Neverland

I'm MissNeverBird and welcome to my channel.

I have always been fascinated by the way stories (no matter the medium) can inspire and draw so many people to rally around them when they find significance with it and subsequently, when the story evolves into something completely different than expected in meaning, becoming a symbol of inspiration for people that consume the medium in the process.

 But this just proves the effective nature of stories, the human spirit and how you can take something that means one thing but then completely transform its meaning into something completely different. 

In this video - will be exploring the power of fandom in how stories such Harry Potter and others has completely changed my outlook on how an audience interacts with their chosen media along with the concepts of Death of the Author and Content Interpretation that I have touched upon in my first video.

As someone who has unintentionally been part of fan culture since the early 2010's - it has been quite the journey for me.

 As one who loves exploring stories and the effect they have on people - fandom is the perfect place to see how people interact with their chosen media within their fandom community which includes analysers and reviewers, the shipping community and other parts that involve any interaction between the audience and the content.

This leads to the concepts of fandom-, media- and social psychology which explores how an audience interacts with their chosen media

And what's so amazing about a community that exists around a work is the different reasons why a story resonates with an individual - whether its for the characters, the world-building or the story as a whole - creating a diverse community around a favoured work that connects with different parts of said work.

If you are interested in learning more about Fandom Psychology - I will put some links down below.

As I said - the way people react to something, the way they interact with it and the fandom around an object is my main focus of interest.

Take the world of Harry Potter for example - it is one of the biggest if not the biggest fandom in existence and I really admire JK Rowling - despite her flaws - for being able to conceive such as a series - one of the best modern fantasy series in existence - I mean the world-building, the creatures, the magic system, the characters and the metaphors behind the concepts and the commentary on the real world is extraordinary.

What amazes me even more is how attached people become to these fictional worlds that are simultaneously very real and that is due to the amazing cast of characters inhabiting these worlds whether fantastical or mundane.

These are some of the reasons why I love storytelling and stories because they are a mirror of the society and culture that creates them.

Which brings us to:

Death of the Author and Content Interpretation (Title Card)

Stories are a reflection of the society and culture that created them - but humanity is very subjective and not every person interprets a work of fiction the same way.

          How each individual interprets content is dependent on that person’s personality, background, upbringing at that time and what stage of life they are in

 

This is what makes content interpretation so interesting - one person can look at a story and come away with something completely different than another person.

And this circles back to what I had said in the beginning about a story becoming something completely different than what is meant to be. 

Stories evolve as people evolve and when a culture or society's values or ideals start to evolve - what we end up with are stories that are completely repackaged into something new - but these stories that are still the same at their core but completely different appearance wise.

And that is absolutely amazing!

One of the best known examples of a literary character is Sherlock Holmes - known as the most adapted fictional character - appearing in book, tv, stage, radio and movie form - and over the years the character of Sherlock has gone through many re-interpretations and has been become a palimpsest I.e a cultural text that has been repeatedly altered over time as each new interpretation becomes superimposed over those that precede it. Sherlock continuing evolves, embodying ideals and values often far removed from those found in Conan Doyle.

If you find the above paragraph fascinating - this is an excerpt from Ted-Ed’s Who IS Sherlock Holmes? - I encourage you to give it a watch since it perfectly illustrates what I am talking about evolving stories.

If are interested in reading more on this topic  I would also recommend reading Stranger than Fanfiction by Chris Colfer (of Glee Fame) to get more background on fandom culture. It is an excellent read and I absolutely adore it. Please note that this book contains LGBTQ+ themes (Picture of Book)

If you liked something in this video - I invite you to please like and subscribe to my channel and click that notification bell for future content. If you have any questions - please comment down below - I would love to have a discussion with anyone about their fandoms and the impact it has had on them.

I am leaving you with a clip from Dead Poets Society starring Robin Williams who perfectly sums up my feelings for stories  and as an INFP and I put some links down below to sources if you are interested in reading up more on what I have discussed here today

Insert clip here

I am MissNeverBird and always remember to have a little faith, trust and pixie dust. Bye!

Links

• https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/habits-not-hacks/201411/the-psychology-storytelling 

• https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/psychology-of-stories-storytelling-formula

• https://study.com/academy/lesson/relatability-psychology-of-storytelling.html 

• https://penandthepad.com/narrative-psychology-3393.html 

• https://us.sagepub.com/sites/default/files/upm-binaries/50993_ch_8.pdf 

• https://www.teenvogue.com/story/psychologists-say-fandoms-are-amazing-for-your-mental-health 

• https://fs.blog/2016/12/fiction-influences-inspires/ - fiction that influences and inspires

• https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/320914 - How Fiction Can Change Your Perspective on Real Life?

• https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-mind-stage/201211/do-fictional-characters-affect-our-real-life 

• https://www.themarysue.com/the-psychology-of-fandom/ - The Psychology of Fandom: Why We Get Attached to Fictional Characters

           Psychology of fiction – parasocial relationships -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22yoaiLYb7M 

           Sherlock Holmes and Harry Potter are Real - Ted Talk - Karen Shackleford  - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scaTmIDg2Ls 

       - Taking Stranger Than Fanfiction Too Seriously ft EmeraldComet - FOB Equestria

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9tr90r05Mw 

• Who IS Sherlock Holmes? - Neil McCaw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8992A5oAWM 

Why stories play such a big part in our lives (Script)

Hello, From Neverland

I'm MissNeverBird and welcome to my channel.

I have always wanted to create a YouTube Channel for the longest time and since 2021 is a time of new beginnings for me, I decided to go for it.

I created this Channel because I want to have a space where I am free to talk about things that are very meaningful to me and to reach out to others who share my interest.

And a subject that is very close to my heart is the topic of stories and storytelling - something that has always resonated with me.

There were always something magnetic about stories that always drew me in, such as

• why stories continue to affect us
• The role stories play in Society
• What is the purpose of a story?
• The way humanity as a whole uses stories to explore and interpret the world around them

I have always believed this about stories:

Everything can be interpreted as a story, whether it is someone's or something's life story. 

One can even interpret history as a series consisting of a variety of a cast of characters, factors and events that play out in many different ways.

But it is not only stories that fascinated me since childhood as I consumed dozens of stories  ;in book or TV form) - it is what stories revolve around that fascinated me even more: humanity and  how we seek to interpret and understand ourselves and the world around us through the course of our history. 

Our diversity is another interesting part of our evolution. Diversity in personality and character, diversity in culture and diversity in thought.

But the main goal of each human being seems to be finding meaning to their existence.

How and why are the main questions to our existence.

The ever-dreaded why every child seems to utter that will allow them to figure out the workings of the world around them - often to their parents' dismay. 

But humans are by nature meaning-makers and even more - very curious beings who from our early beginnings searched for answers to ourselves and our Universe.

The thing about stories and the people that create them is that stories animate human life and their work.

They work with people; for people; and will always work on people - influencing what an individual considers real; what's possible; what is worth doing and what is best avoided 

But why? Why do stories and narratives have such a great effect on us as humans?

One reason is that we are all story-tellers and meaning-makers at our core

Another is that humans are dependent on stories. 

We see ourselves in these stories (as representation) thus we are able to relate to them and we can see for ourselves how we fit into this world by defining who we are as individuals through finding our meaning/purpose/calling in the world. 

By sharing these tales/stories with others we create relationships with them. The tales/stories will go on to affect them as all stories have the ability to do by inspiring and influencing us in ways we can’t even imagine whether it is found in a character, a quote, a certain event in time, or simply the music itself.

Storytelling has always been a very powerful thing. With today’s media, the concept of diversity in representation is a very emphasised concept especially in today’s political and social landscape with emphasis on the US and this can’t be more clearly illustrated in many of Hollywood’s modern award shows such as the Golden Globes and the Oscars.

What also fascinates me about the concept of storytelling is that it can be perceived as a sort of visual timeline/record of what a society was like at a certain point in time i.e. what society was like compared to what is like today – what their lifestyle and perceptions were at that time or what was their norm and vice versa. Human Culture, I have noticed, evolves very rapidly – what may have been in commonplace then may not be as commonplace now and vice versa – for example the political and social climate along with their values

But what is even more fascinating is that there seem to universal aspects in stories that seem to exist in every story ever created whether orally or written that are universally constant 

The Hero's Journey is only one example of narratives that can be found all over in the world in a diversity of cultures.

The human race has a very fascinating way of perceiving concepts and symbolism such as anthropomorphism and many others – and how mankind can be inspired themselves (and be affected) and in turn inspire others and by doing so they inspire change in others as well.

The environment/something in their environment can affect, influence and / or trigger something within an individual themselves whether positive or negative and in turn they have the ability to invoke change and influence within the world and on other individuals themselves.

But it is not only just the nature of storytelling I will be exploring - these other topics I have always considered going hand in hand with stories:

• The Humanities and Social Sciences
• Socio-Cultural Anthropology
• History
• Philosophy
• Social Psychology
• Literature
• Literature and Film analysis
• Mythology
• Fandom

I would also be talking about my favourite books, tv series, anime and movies along with exploring the fandoms around certain media

Also expect some reactions from me and some discussions around what I deem interesting

So, if any of these topics sound right up your alley - stick around and you may find something that resonates with you or if any of my videos peak your interest - I welcome you to my little community

Oh, and one last thing before we’re done. Please be aware that I have only one rule if you choose to enter this space.

Keep in mind that while I will be covering politics in some of my videos - remember this is purely from an academic perspective and not my personal opinion. 

This is a safe space. So, respect other's opinions and agree to disagree. 

So, this was my first video. I hope you found something that stuck with you. Please like and subscribe if you are interested in seeing more and I hopefully see you in the comments and/ or the next video.

I am NeverBird and always remember to have a little faith, trust and pixie dust. Bye!

Why I love stories

Welcome to The Goose's Feather and to my first blog post!

This post serves as an introduction to why I started The Goose's Feather and what it is all about to give potential readers a sample. So see to see if anything catches your interest and if anything does and / or if you know someone who might find this interesting as I do, please share this!

On to the content - 

In this blog post, I am just going to summarise why I love stories and find every aspect of them fascinating enough to consider them my calling.

This post may not make any sense as the things I have written down in this post is just an outline for me for future posts

This is just a way for me to summarise what is it about stories that grabs my attention and what I want to explore in the future - so these are just what to expect from me to cover going forwards.

Psychology (how people perceive the world around them and how they interact or react to certain things within their world) 

•  Look at their reaction to the storytelling and its components i.e. how people react to literary works and media i.e. fandoms and its complexities

(People's reaction to content I find very interesting)

 In storytelling, more specifically how individuals react to certain parts and/or types of stories i.e. popular media such as comic books, tv series, books and movies; anime i.e. nerd culture/fan sub-culture

This includes:

•  Character analysis 
•  Plot analysis 
•  Shipping 
•  Any interaction between the content and the viewer

 Social Psychology – “the scientific study of how people’s thoughts, feelings and behaviours are influenced by the actual, imagined or implied presence of others 

Stories animate human life – they work.

They work with people; for people; and always work on people.

 Influencing what an individual perceives as real; as what is possible; and as what is worth doing and what is best avoided.

 But what is it about stories that it has such a great influence on us, why are they so effective? 

Because human life is dependent on stories. We see ourselves in these stories (as representation) thus being able to relate to them and we can then see for ourselves how we fit into this world through defining who we are as individuals and finding our meaning/purpose/calling in the world. 

By sharing these tales/stories with others we create relationships with them. The tales/stories will also affect them as stories have the ability to inspire and influence us in ways we can’t even imagine whether it is found in a character, a quote, a certain event in time, or simply the music itself. 

 Storytelling is a powerful thing. With today’s media, the concept of diversity in representation is a very emphasised concept especially in today’s political and social landscape with emphasis on the US and this can’t be more clearly illustrated in many of Hollywood’s modern award shows such as the Golden Globes and the Oscars. 

 What fascinates me about the concept of storytelling is that it can be perceived as a sort of visual timeline/record of what humans were like at a certain point in time i.e. what society was like compared to what is like today – what their lifestyle and perceptions were at that time or what was their norm and vice versa. 

 Human Culture, I have noticed, evolves very rapidly – what may have been in commonplace then may not be as commonplace now and vice versa – for example the political and social climate along with their values. 

 But what is even more fascinating is that there seem to universal aspects in stories that seem to exist in every story ever created whether orally or written that are universally constant (The Seven Basic Plots: Why we tell stories by Christopher Booker) 

 As I just finished writing the above paragraph, I was reminded of a certain quote from the movie “The Theory of Everything” that relates to my fascination with humanity and how they perceive the world (environment) around them, others and by extension themselves - mankind has a very fascinating way of perceiving concepts and symbolism such as anthropomorphism and many others – and how humankind can be inspired themselves (and be affected) and then in turn inspire others and by doing so they inspire change in others as well. 

The environment/something in their environment can affect, influence and / or trigger something within an individual themselves whether positive or negative and in turn they have the ability to invoke change and influence within the world and on other individuals themselves. 

 “It is clear that we are just an advanced breed of primates on a minor planet orbiting around a very average star in the outer suburb of one among a hundred billion galaxies, but ever since the dawn of civilization people have craved for an understanding of the underlying order of the world. There ought to be something special about the boundary conditions of the universe and what can be more special than that there is no boundary and there should be no boundary to human endeavor. We are all different. However bad life may seem, there is always something you can do and succeed at. While there is life, there is hope.”

 These are some links I have included if you want read more about storytelling and its psychology:

 - https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/habits-not-hacks/201411/the-psychology-storytelling

 - https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/psychology-of-stories-storytelling-formula 

 - https://study.com/academy/lesson/relatability-psychology-of-storytelling.html 

 - https://penandthepad.com/narrative-psychology-3393.html 

 Social Psychology (Sociology) refers to:

 • the subfield of psychology that involves the scientific study of how people’s thoughts, feelings and behaviours are influenced by the actual, imagined or implied presence of others – the bridge between psychology and sociology 

 • Sociology

– A subfield of sociology that focuses on social actions and on interrelations of personality, values, and mind with social structure and culture. 

• Information Science and Cognitive Psychology

Cognitive Psychology 

– The study of mental processes such as attention, language use, memory, perception, problem solving, creativity and thinking – linked to social and personality psychology – i.e. the study of how individuals acquire and apply information. 

Media Psychology and Media Fandom – Audience reception and representation 

(For more information - I provided some links below:

https://us.sagepub.com/sites/default/files/upm-binaries/50993_ch_8.pdf 

https://www.teenvogue.com/story/psychologists-say-fandoms-are-amazing-for-your-mental-health

Fandom Psychology 

 Meraki – the soul, creativity and passion that you put into something (May-rah-kee) 

If you are interested in the psychology behind fairy tales I recommend Iron John : A book about Men by Robert Bly

It features a parable about a boy maturing into adulthood with help of the wild man. 

 It spent 62 weeks on The New York Times Best Seller list and went on to become a pioneering work in the mythopoetic men's movement. 

The original story is part of the Grimms' Fairy Tales published in 1812. 

Bly used Jungian psychology, various myths, legends, folklores, and fairy tales to analyse Iron John, and he believes this fairy tale contains lessons from the past of great importance to modern men.

 Fiction that influences and inspires - Jennifer Lynn

https//fs.blog/2016/12/fiction-influences-inspires/ fiction that influences and inspires 

Jennifer Lynn Barnes – writer - psychology of fandom expert, psychology, cognitive psychology 

https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/320914 - How Fiction Can Change Your Perspective on Real Life? 

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-mind-stage/201211/do-fictional-characters-affect-our-real-life - https://www.themarysue.com/the-psychology-of-fandom/ 

The Psychology of Fandom: Why We Get Attached to Fictional Characters 

 Psychology of fiction – parasocial relationships

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22yoaiLYb7M 

 Why? Why are people spending so much of their money and time on fiction? What effects does this engagement have on us? In terms of the relationships we form with these fictional characters.

 Engaging with any fiction means interacting with the story’s characters / spending time with characters thus forming relations between the characters and the audience.

Why do we care so much about fictional characters? 

What effects do the relationships we form with these characters have on us? 

 Media psychologists – relationships formed between the audience and fictional characters – parasocial relationships 

 Alief – an automatic, gut-level, belief-like attitude that may contradict an explicitly held belief 

 Alief and parasocial relationships 

 We know logically that our interaction with non-real characters are one-sided but alief makes us feel otherwise 

 Effects of Parasocial relationships 

• Can buffer against losses of self-esteem and feeling of social rejection 
• Exposure to a picture of a favorite character can increase performance on cognitive tasks -
• Fictional grief 
• Social circle includes these fictional characters 
• Emotional fallout if a character die