The Helping Stone Folklore For Today

In days of yore, the story of The Helping Stone was well established. Stone Soup gets it's earliest beginnings in the blend of trickster and the give away. Stone, and stones have always been alive to native peoples wherever they were on the planet. I have lived in Helfenstein, so I know. In many areas, great boulders that could not be moved by humans nearly made a "bridge" across many rivers and streams. When humans would add smaller, but still great boulders into the stream to complete the crossing, these were called helping stones. Is not each of our lives mirrored in this genetic epic unfolding story that is humankind's existence. Where it is difficult to cross, we provide one another touchstones to make the passage a bit easier. My understanding is that we are all Helfenstein to one another. That is why, nearly twenty years ago, I helped to found the Helfenstein Soup Council. The thesis of our group then and continuing mission today is to help one another through our own growing abundance and practice in the art of the give away. When we each give to our own measure, toward the goodness and riches of the whole, all of our relationships change. The stone, which is in our minds inert and unchanging ,is as alive as the soils we grow our food in. In the folk tale of Stone Soup, the beggar is turned away in each and every home in the hamlet. Then, one by one, they are drawn into providing ingredients for a hearty stew because of the magic stone placed in the pot for "flavor". they all had something to give toward the magic stew.
We are both sustained by the stone and given to the stone as tools for the betterment of the planet we co-inhabit. The neighbor girl was over the other day and out of the blue, she said, "It's cool how you are always doping something for the Earth."
I could only think to tell her that if you included all the microorganisms in a handful of healthy soil, they could easily outnumber all the people in the whole Fox River Valley, all the people upstream of us. She thought about it a good long time and said, "Wow." The only guarantee we have in life is that by teasing out any one thing to study, amazement lurks at the answer to every inquiry. life is by nature miraculous, and by looking at the discreet elements, any enlightenment will be eclipsed by what you are missing about the whole. The rock solid truths about life that come from the helping stone theme, as well as the stone soup story belie a holistic view on  abundance, sharing, giving in whatever ways we can for the sake of all.
This is a cry for the Helping Stone to reassert itself in our collective mythos. By the dynamic action of making each and every river ford a bit less treacherous for your fellow inhabitants of the planet. Your life may ultimately depend on those critters in the handful of soil that results from the erosion of that same stone. Stranger things have happened. The fact that the HSC continues to forge ahead long after I have retired from the group, is a testament to their continued community building, creative energy and sustained effort. Many thousands have been helped through their programs for further information about how to give away to this important group find them on facebook. Helfenstein Soup Council