1) Why do some characters appear in more than one parable?
The book Parables for Personal Growth has nineteen free-standing stories each dealing with a different life issue. All the parables take place in a mythical realm where a king contends with an evil sorcerer and destructive dragon who enslave people. Some stories share characters you have already met. These are designated by diamonds in the Table of Contents.

2) Most of the main people in the stories are referred to generically as “the prince” or “the painter” or “the blacksmith’s son” without having personal names. Why is that?
Fairy tales I loved reading when growing up were often written this way. It lends an ‘everyman’ quality to the character overcoming their dilemma. In my parables I only gave proper names to non-humans such as elven warriors.

3) Why are knights battling the dragon and sorcerer only male?
In the story “Battle Bog” the elves have both powerful female and male warriors. They discuss the strange custom of the humans who think that their human women are not strong enough to fight in battles. The elves attribute this misconception to a possible spell cast on the humans by the sorcerer.

4) I am not comfortable with the higher power being represented in the parables by the male Great King. Why not give that role to a Great King and Queen?
In the story “Hope In The Wilderness” the princess has no desire to seek help from the Great King. She has no use for any males after having been abused by her uncle, the sorcerer. The wise woman of the fairies explains to her “The Great King is neither human nor elf. Neither male nor female. Yet he is all of these.”
I wrote the Great King based on the compassionate higher power I personally experience in my own life.

The Dragon
1) Describe when you have felt the presence of a positive higher power in your life?

2) If you’d like to connect more with this higher power, what actions can you take?
Read a book, explore a website, visit a faith community or _________________?
Is there a friend who seems spiritually peaceful that you would like to talk with about this?
See the parable “The Wise Ones” for characteristics of toxic spiritual communities to avoid.

Lady in Waiting
1) Gaslighting is when someone sways you to doubt your perception of an unhealthy situation. They will discount your concerns as unfounded. The princess senses her husband has emotionally withdrawn from her and gently questions him. He denies that anything has changed, tells her she must be homesick and should visit her family.

When have you experienced gaslighting which led you to question the validity of your reality?

How did you come to recognize the manipulation and deception? Part of your healing recovery is to trust your perceptions again.

2) Step 1 in the Twelve Steps of Recovery is: We admitted we were powerless over people, substances, and things – that our lives had become unmanageable. (See the Twelve Steps of Recovery In the book’s Appendix Two). The princess finally realized she could not “fix” her husband. She realized her life had become unmanageable because she was focused on monitoring her partner’s recovery instead of learning how to live a healthy life herself.

Which statements below can you relate to?
Who am I if I don’t take care of others?
Aren’t I supposed to sacrifice myself for the good of others?
If I love someone enough it will heal their wounded soul.
My partner is an addict, but I’m addicted to monitoring my partner’s recovery.

3) Needy people seem to be drawn to you. What signals are you sending that invite this?
(i.e., letting people talk to me too long instead of being honest about my own schedule needs).
_____________________________________________________________________________
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Limiting how much time you spend with needy people can empower them to care better for themselves. Remind yourself of this especially regarding the following person: ______________

The goal is to set boundaries to allow for healthy support of the person without being held emotionally captive by them.

Dragon Flight
The prince begs his father to cut off the dragon wings growing from his back, but they must be pulled out by the roots to be removed. Examining the roots of addiction in your life can be painful. It involves uncovering false beliefs about yourself and the world. Most importantly, it means replacing those false beliefs with the truths that free you.
An example: False belief: If I let people see who I really am, they won’t like me. Truth: I can be myself with carefully chosen people who have never hurt me.