BEYOND THE STORIES

One of the basic human mental patterns we learn from the moment we are born is how to make meaning of the things that happen in our lives. ‘This’ object held in front of our nose by our mother means ‘that’ to us. This colour is called ‘that’. This animal either means ‘love’ or ‘fear’ depending on our culture, our families’ beliefs and our personal preferences. Our human software is programmed by our families, our culture and the rules of the society in which we live.

The human ability to ‘make meaning’ from the things that surround us and happen in our lives has led to language, art, social structures, political systems, trade …the list goes on and on and yet…where do these ‘meanings’ come from? Who decides which person’s ‘meaning’ are better then another one? I mean wars are fought over whose ‘meanings’ beats ‘whose’ to this day.

We could even look at this from a level higher and say that all human systems of belief on the planet are really just a form of ‘story’. By ‘story’, I mean, a meaning that someone or a group of someone’s made up at one time to explain something that they saw or experienced. So from this angle…the whole of our human experience on earth is just a series of …stories.

What is the dictionary definition of a ‘story’?

‘An account or recital of an event or a series of events, either true or fictitious’

Or the dictionary also states that a story is

‘An anecdote’

It goes further to say a story is

‘A lie’

So if stories can be either someone’s ‘anecdote’ or ‘opinion’ or even someone’s outright ‘lie’, why is it that so many of us accept the cultural stories as ‘truth’?

So this leads me to my next question which is, what is truth?

In (very) simple terms, new physics tells us that whatever ‘stories’ we believe with enough conviction work in alignment with the particles in the universe to create the experiences we end up having in our lives. Therefore if we believe that the world is a good place then we will generally experience it as good. The reverse is also true in that if we fear that the world is bad, then yep, guess what? The bad things happen.

So all of this got me to musing..What is beyond our stories?

Well when the first person, made the first meaning story, which part of them made it? Their mind? Their heart? Their energy?

I know that when I decide that something means something for the first time, then there is a distinct consciousness deciding this that feels to me beyond my conscious mind. How do I know? Because quite often in the process of deciding that something means something, it is my mind that will come in and play like an unruly child, arguing the toss, kicking different meanings in the way and dragging its heals along. Especially if the meaning I am making is something new that I haven’t done or experienced before. So perhaps then, our ‘storyteller’ is beyond our conscious mind.

Perhaps the storyteller in us sits in our heart. That ‘gut feel’ instinct and ‘knowing’ that we have. Our intuition: the part of us that connects meanings for us outside of our conscious mental processes. In those moments when we just ‘know’ something. Perhaps. Although I ‘know’ that when my own intuition is in play, that there still feels like a part of me is there, observing the intuitive process. Smiling when the thing that I suddenly ‘know’ appears in front of my eyes. Something beyond my intuition and gut feel.

So what is beyond this? Our soul? Our Spirit? Perhaps. Or perhaps it’s our very own Jedi-self (star wars nut here btw), our own version of Yoda that smiles down on our human antics and connects the dots for us in the force when our conscious brain isn’t looking.

Either way, my meaning making human likes the idea that I have a ‘higher self’, a soul. My soul is the space within which my human storyteller plays. It is the part of me that watches and guides and loves unconditionally as my storyteller makes things up and then see’s what happens as they unfold into reality. My soul is the part of me that holds the silence that I reach when I finally get my mind to shut the hell up in meditation or yoga. It is the all-seeing part of me that is beyond even the ‘knowing’ of my intuition.

So lately I have been considering the question. Which part of ‘me’ do I want to put in charge of creating my stories? What would happen if the human storyteller suddenly started taking its direction from the muse of my soul instead of the programming I received as a socialized human child? Well I can tell you, I tried this and things certainly got interesting when I gave over control to my life to my soul leader. Things that my human mind, very much did not expect.

With my soul in conscious control I suddenly found that

• Everything I ‘thought’ was important, suddenly was …not
• The things that I assumed were giving me ‘security’ were shown to be paper thin and even complete and utter illusions
• All my well laid plans…in the toilet
• All thought of even making plans….in the toilet
• All the old fears and stories based on lack and separation…..cleared (forcibly in some cases…it was not pleasant)
• The deep space of quiet, potential and love….became more and more present and then always present
• My connection to all of life and the deep joy that comes with simply realizing that you are alive became the very source of my daily consciousness
• My ability to function in the normal world was actually enhanced as it started to come from a deep place of ‘soul-being’ not conscious human story led ‘doing’
• My real purpose on this earth rocketed into my awareness….to be me. Me in all my glory, all my madness, all my beauty. Me. That simple.

So what stories am I now creating from my soul? Well the truth is that some of my life narratives are still beyond my conscious awareness. I spend each day simply flowing with whatever creates joy in my life. Whatever gives me peace inside and allows me to help those around me in accessing the same on their inside. I know our outsides will all follow in time. This doesn’t mean that I have retreated from the world and am now meditating on a mountainside. Far from it. In fact, today, I even spent an hour cleaning up a washing machine related tsunami in our utility room with a smile on my face and giggling at the ‘story’ I would tell about it later. J Joy in the small challenges of life. A deep cosmic sense of humour.

Things have become so much more fun and light. I play with every moment and every person I come into contact with. Most importantly, I play with myself.

I know that from this place, I really can ‘have it all’ and yet most of the ‘all’ is no longer important to me. What has become important are the stories I accept, the stories I tell and the stories I enact in my life. My soul muse guides these. Guiding me from a place beyond stories. Beyond human meanings. A place of love and full of the joy of being alive as a privileged human ‘being’ on the planet at this time of change.

What I choose to create from here on in and whom I choose as the actors in my human story will largely depend on who I want to play with. Whether they can cocreate with me joy, love and peace in the world for ourselves and others. Whether they can help me live and love for a cause beyond my human stories. A cause greater than my human self.

What are your stories?

Where do they come from?

Do they give you and those around you joy and love?

You can choose…go ahead. Dance and play with your soul muse.