Storytellers.Indivisible
Changing the narrative to reclaim democracy
Hi! Welcome to Storytellers.Indivisible.
I am Maria Mar, poet, artist, writer, storyteller, shaman and citizen leader. (This last job is what we all need to embrace in order to save democracy from the fascist power grab our country is experiencing.)
My personal mission is to help women to use their creativity to create the life they want. I help them use storytelling to re-write limiting stories into the story they want to live.
And now, I place this art and experience at the service of our democracy. Whohoo!
Maria Mar in an online Medicine Story as Pachamama, or Earth Mother.
Changing the Narrative
There is so much to do to stop this fascist coup and it's all so urgent!
But as I've taken the Indivisible trainings and other nonviolent resistance training to make sure that I'm helping and not hindering, I have become convinced that one of the most important jobs we can do right now for We, the People is to help shift the narratives that are stopping so many of us from actively participating in reclaiming our democracy.
We need all hands on deck, and too many of us are doubting, waiting or afraid to get engaged. As I love storytelling, I decided that this was my leadership call right now: to use storytelling in all its versions to help change the narrative. I hope that you feel the same and join me.
What do I mean by changing the narrative?
This is Why I Created this Group
As a shaman, I have seen how the narratives we carry distort our perception and can trap us in realities that go against the life we want to live.
I see it happening right now. At a moment when we must choose to stand against the regime, many are capitulating because they believe the narrative that our democracy is dead, in spite of the truth that millions of us are fighting to keep it alive.
Those who believe this narrative, bury democracy alive because they comply with the demands of the regime, thereby becoming complicit and allowing it to advance.
We are in a moment of death and rebirth. Inherent in this destruction is the possibility of letting go of the status quo and the policies that derailed our democracy and to help this democracy be born again from its ashes as an evolved democracy with freedom and justice for ALL ~ not just for a few.
We need to change the narrative that the Destroyer (My nickname for the madman in the White House) is installing at both the national level and in our heads.
Storytellers.Indivisible is doing just that at the moment by participating in online conversations and helping people to shift from despair to empowerment, from confusion to clarity and from overwhelm to focused participation.
But in order to embrace this possibility, we must perceive that this is not just a death. Yes, it is the death of an old world where we have grown used to power as white patriarchal dominance that appropriates and destroys, heedless of consequences. It is the death of an old human that has become alienated from self, others and the planet. This is what is dying. And death is chaotic. It involves destruction and walking into the unknown.
But to grab the possibility emerging amidst this destruction, we must see that this moment is also a birth. It is the birth of a new earth where the citizens reclaim the true spirit of democracy; where people not only actively choose democracy as a way of life but also evolve democracy by becoming the citizen leaders that democracy needs to evolve. It is the birth of a new human who embraces UNITY consciousness, living in harmony with self, others and the planet
When we reframe what is taking place in this way, we begin to see the lessons and possibilities in every challenge we face. And that opens a strategic path towards the victory of democracy.
But we cannot do this if we believe the narratives that the Destroyer is painting.
The Destroyer is running the country like a reality show, putting on a performance that he is already a dictator, that what he says is the law and that our country is already an authoritarian regime. He sits in the oval office and signs his Executive "Disorders" in a huge binder with a signature as big as his ego and as jagged as his mental health sine waves. And the mainstream media spreads this.
And too many people are believing the show. As a result, they are giving up on our democracy. They are preemptively embracing defeat. And we need them fighting for democracy, not burying it alive.
Storytelling is the most powerful way to help us change our perception of reality so that we can find our truth and choose the best path towards our goals. So let's use it on behalf of democracy.
How can we do this?
Reality is made of Stories
“The Universe is made of stories, not of atoms.” ~Muriel Rukeyser~
So often we want to control reality and get frustrated when it does not do our bidding. On the other hand, we miss the many bridges that life extends for us to get to our destination just because they come disguised as obstacles.
Having learned this, when I could not heal my leg injury fast enough to march and I could not find any local Indivisible group that was a good fit, I curbed my frustration and instead I stopped struggling, started breathing and listened. I listened to what was concerning me.
It was this two opposite realities that I keep seeing. It was as if I was living in two different, diametrically opposite worlds. Hear me out and if you've seen the same thing, then we got to talk!
World in Grief
In one world, I would talk to people who would not respond. They were silent. They were looking the other way. Looking down. Up. Back. Everywhere but facing what I was naming: "The emperor has no cloth." "This is a fascist coup." "This is not just another administration." "We need to wake up." I kept trying to say it in a different way, to see if they looked up and heard it. But nothing.
They were depressed. In despair. Hiding. Playing Opossum. Their beautiful light had gone off.
Or they were crying, lamenting, grieving, blaming, avoiding, denying.
But the one thing they were NOT doing was standing up against this regime.
This world was dying. It was like going to a funeral. Deadly silence.
World Awakening
In the other world, there were people taking leadership training. In one Indivisible training there were 150,000 people-- so much that they almost broke Zoom! They were organizing, communicating, videotaping, writing, arting, gathering. They were preparing community rapid responses, organizing community watch groups. They were watching the videos of what was going on; but not to doom-scroll. Instead, they were looking for patterns, developing tactics, trying new approaches. And when one worked, it spread through the communities and it became a strategy that made the autocratic moves of the regime backfire.
In this world, a woman from the dying world who was depressed, finally got up and decided to go to an empty chair town hall meeting because she was sick and tired of feeling helpless. And when she got there, the people were asking questions to this cardboard puppet of their Republican Representative who never showed up. And they were laughing and video taping with the help of a local Indivisible group. And they posted the video online and it went freaking viral. You bet ya' that the reps heard! JAJAJA!
And the woman recruited her friends, made posters and showed up to local marches. And she's still going.
This world was alive and busting with energy. Creativity was erupting like a geyser. People were mobilizing. In this world I felt fully alive, passionate and relevant.
This world was alive and busting with energy. Creativity was erupting like a geyser. People were mobilizing. In this world I felt fully alive, passionate and relevant.
What was going on?
Two Narratives
That is when I realized that our country had two giant screens where people were perceiving our reality. In one screen the Destroyer broadcasted his authoritarian delusions and people perceived it as true.
And in the other screen, people looked at his actions and responded with actions of their own to stop, delay, sabotage, or even make his actions backfire. In this screen, we were not spectators, but spectActors.
In the first world we still responded passively, giving away our power to political leaders, to the administration, to bullies, to guns. This is what we have become habituated to: being passive citizens.
In the other world, we were awakening. We were realizing that there was a death but there was also a rebirth and we decided that we would help the birth of a new democracy. We were becoming~ each one of us~ a leader.
When I saw this vision, with this clarity, then my path became clear.
Both as a shaman and as a storyteller I work with the art of changing narratives. I call it Story Alchemy(tm).
At first I could not believe that something so simple and delightful could be of use. Storytelling. Talking with those who were seeking answers, solutions, resources, hope, information. Could it be that simple?
And there it was. The beautiful art of sharing stories, experiences, insights, emotions and visions. This so very old practice is now having a rebirth within my life, as I am using it to help in the transformation of our democracy.
If you love this old art of sharing stories, of simply listening to each other and sharing. Of helping each other by sharing resources. Of coming together to find hope, strength and new solutions... then you may belong here. It's worth giving it a good try, see if this is a place where your personal skills or personality can make a difference.
I then understood why the thing that was most fulfilling for me at the moment-- even though I'm writing a book and doing videos and blogging-- was simply to join the conversations online.
At first I could not believe that something so simple and delightful could be of use. Storytelling. Talking with those who were seeking answers, solutions, resources, hope, information. Could it be that simple?
And there it was. The beautiful art of sharing stories, experiences, insights, emotions and visions. This so very old practice is now having a rebirth within my life, as I am using it to help in the transformation of our democracy.
If you love this old art of sharing stories, of simply listening to each other and sharing. Of helping each other by sharing resources. Of coming together to find hope, strength and new solutions... then you may belong here. It's worth giving it a good try, see if this is a place where your personal skills or personality can make a difference.
Can you join us to help change the narrative, so that more people move from the World in Grief to the World Awakening and we can grow the pro-democracy movement to save our democracy?
If you are here, you are interested. Is this a good fit?
Why has empathy become controversial? It is the antidote to violence, cruelty and separation. It is the path to UNITY.
I'm seeking those who can listen deeply and compassionately, without judgment or blaming, in order to help others to get active on behalf of democracy.
In the beginning, we are focusing on those who are already opposed to this regime, but are not taking action. They may be scared, overwhelmed, believing that we cannot do anything to stop this, not knowing resources or actions that can help or waiting for someone to save us.
Our goal is to help them to shift one degree over from passive opposition to the regime to active opposition.
Why? Because at this critical moment in the fight against democratic backsliding, we must generate a human Wall of Noncompliance that stops the wanna-be dictator from taking over.
We need to go from 5 million people engaged actively in protesting and not complying to 11 million people (3.5% of the population of the US) who refuse to do the Destroyer's bidding and are standing up against this regime.
That may seem too difficult. But it's not. In February 2025 we only had about 75,000 people showing up to marches. And by July 2025 we had 5 million people marching in the NO KINGS! parade. That's 66X increase, and we had not done the massive trainings and organizing we have done since then. So this is doable.
So we need to grow our unified cross-partisan nonviolent grassroots pro-democracy movement exponentially. And to do this, we need to move people from passive opposition to active opposition to this fascist coup; so that they break their silence and compliance and instead practice non-compliance and actively resist.
And the best way to do this in my case is by addressing people's questions and doubts, giving them the resources they need and sharing stories that inspire, uplift, clarify and empower them.
This is doable. But it's also urgent.
So I need as many people as possible. Instead of leaving it to the cyber-spiders of the internet to present topics that may have been skewed by algorithmic settings, we Storytellers are going to march all along the online conversations where this passive pro-democracy citizens are seeking information and answers. We are going to help them activate themselves as citizen leaders who are actively fighting for democracy.
As Storytellers, we can joyfully help grow the non-violent pro-democracy movement and save our democracy.
Why storytelling?
Because when you tell a story you are not arguing. You are sharing. You are not trying to convince. You are expanding imagination and sharing information. And that has a magic of its own.
This is not about convincing people, manipulation, arguing who is right or wrong. None of that. There's enough of that out there and it's not helping. In fact, it's creating more chaos and division.
This is about empathy-- that word that has become controversial at this time of hatred and bigotry. Because empathy leads to UNITY. When we respond to the other person with empathy we see ourselves in them. We relate. And we want to help. And when we do this, we generate Unity and become citizen leaders empowering others to:
~ Discover that we have not lost our democracy, that there are millions of us fighting to save it,
~ Dispel negative assumptions, fears or misinformation so that they can focus on what matters,~ Regain hope and feel that they are not isolated,
~ Find the resources they need,
~ Get inspired by other's stories,
~ Clarify their ideas and make better choices,
~ Know that they are not alone,
~ Be uplifted by what others have accomplished,
~ Acknowledge their emotions and uplift their spirit,
~ Feel listened to and relax a bit so that they can...
~ Receive support and activate themselves.
Sometimes a sentence can illuminate the path for someone. Not by telling them what to do because that is condescending. But by letting them know they are not alone, offering a link to resources or sharing an insight that brings clarity.
I love doing this Storytelling job because at the end of my session I myself feel inspired, uplifted, energized, relaxed and feel that I am making a difference with my love and talent and my passion for conversation and story. And I always learn and grow myself. It is so rewarding!
If you relate, then I invite you to give Storytellers.Indivisible a try. It's easy to start. We give you Basic Guidelines with scripts and resources so you can start right away. You start with what I call Comment Stories. In other words, we join the online conversation threads and help those who need it. You will receive all the information you need, including criteria to use, texts and resources.
Another importance of this Comment Stories and joining the online conversation is that you are taking the pulse of the people. When you do your Storytellers Report about your Storyteller Round, we take the information seriously because it lets us know the pulse of We, the People. This helps us do a better job of growing the pro-democracy movement.
We are just starting this group, so this is a work in progress. However, we've created the Basic Guidelines so that you can start right off the gate!
If you like the experience, then you move up to Level 2, where we use the information we gathered to create visuals, quote posts, and other ways of storytelling for social media, videos, blogs and more. You also get to join the StartUp Team and help Storytellers.Indivisible group to grow.
How does it work?
Get a Basic Guideline. Give it a try.
You can join in 1-2-3.
1. When you begin, we'll provide the information you need. In the Basic Guidelines we'll give you an orientation, basic comment-stories scripts, a list of alternative/progressive news sites where you can find the people who may need answers, inspiration or resources. You will also find guidance and how to do your Storyteller Rounds, and visual resources to post in your social media. In this process, you also get a lot of information about the pro-democracy movement, nonviolent resistance and strategy that you can use in your conversations.
2. Then you do your first Storyteller Round. You go and visit the sources we suggest, watch the news show and join the comment thread. When you see someone with questions, comments or issues listed in our resource, you use the scripts we included. You use the criteria in the Basic Guidelines and your intuition to choose who to engage with.
3. Once you try it once or several times, come back and leave me feedback about the experience. You can include observations, questions, ideas, etc. This is your Storyteller Report.
Level 1 is as easy as ABC
Level 1 is as easy as ABC
A. You can join from any state and work on your own time, from home.
B. All you need is a computer and internet. You can do it from a device, but it may be cumbersome.
C. You can do this in your spare time. You can do a Storytelling Round in about 2 hrs or less. You can do it once or twice a week, or what is possible for you. We want you to enjoy it, not to burn out!
If you like it, then you can move to Storytellers level 2.
This group is starting. I am inviting everyone interested to give it a try.
Let's keep it simple right now. That way we keep the Perfectionist out of the way and test-drive it.
Storytelling is the way we humans organize experience.
It's natural and organic. It's like breathing to us.
It's natural and organic. It's like breathing to us.
So try it and you will see that you are a natural!
What to do?
1. Click the button and register. You will be taken to the "Student Access" page where you can start immediately.
2. Go right to the Basic Guidelines. Study the contents of that module. Download the resources. Check them out.
3.Start right away. Do your first Storytelling Round for Level 1 using the alternative news shows we list in the resource.
4. You can do one 2-hour round or try it for a week or so. See how it goes.
5. Come back and let me know how it went. Give me feedback. Ask questions. Let me know if you want to continue. Do your Storyteller Report.
That's it. If you like it, here are the next steps:
6. Once you feel comfortable and want to do more, then continue with Level 2 (coming soon), which graduates you into the StartUp Team.
7. Keep doing the rounds at higher levels while we meet monthly in the StartUp Team to see how we can grow the group and expand the work.
That's all. I'm looking forward to seeing you inside!
Course Curriculum
Maria Mar
Are you struggling with putting your gifts “out there”? Then Maria is your guide to breaking free from the fears and limitations that steal your gifts from the world. Maria Mar is a storyteller, author, poet, performer, artist and shaman with more than 40 years of experience in transformation through the arts. She has helped creative women in three continents to embody their purpose, unfold their potential, share their gifts and awaken their creative genius. She is a scout for you during change and challenges and helps you go from where you are to where you want to be. Maria invites you to play for your transformation in a magical process that employs creativity to design the life you want. Maria specially loves to work with multi-talented women who are ready to be change-makers but struggle to integrate all their gifts to serve the world. Her shamanic stories are journeys of transformation, manifestation and liberation that lead to potent, immediate and deep changes in your real life.
Join this Group. Give it a try.
Storytellers.Indivisible
Free
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Introduction. Resources. Monthly Meetings. Strategic Reports. Together we can change the narrative to reclaim our democracy.
