Stories & Consciousness

(c) 2010 Joan M. Newcomb

Have you ever noticed the story you're telling yourself about the reality around you?  Every day, at any moment, you are either narrating a story of what is going on around you, or fantasizing a story in your head about a different reality you'd prefer to be in.

Our inner story teller has a powerful influence on us.  And we can completely transform our life and our personal history by changing the story.  Or at least stopping re-telling an old story over and over again.

For instance, you may have a story about your childhood which is very painful.  After acknowledging the event you lived through, and recognizing how it effects your life today and making steps to live differently, why keep re-telling it?  There's a point where you're retraumatizing yourself, or keeping yourself at an early stage of recovery, by going over and over it in your mind.

Or you may have a version of your history that was given to you, told to you by adults or older siblings, that when looked at through your own eyes in present time, is completely different.

On one level, life seems to be all about the story.  Even if you recognize yourself as an Expanded Being, here in physical form for the fun of it, you can get lost in the story of your life.  As an Infinite Being, we *love* physical reality and enjoy the drama of it, just as we love our favorite TV shows.  And when we remember we're Infinite, we realize our life theatre is as made up as a soap opera or TV series.

The challenge and the joy is to operate from Consciousness.  You are not your story, you are more than your story.  You begin by seeing clearly, and seeing beyond the story.  You  no longer have to react to immediate circumstances because they can (and will) change.  You no longer have to react to personalities in your storyline, because they're just actors who may or may not be here next season.  You can appreciate how creative You are to create such a reality.  You can enjoy the scenery and set design.  You can be amused at the cast and crew.

Stories change without our wanting them to.  What happens when the story breaks down, what then?
It can be very disorienting, because we lose an aspect of our identity. It's an opportunity for us to grow and realize we're greater than our story.

Great progress can be made by being willing to give up your story.  True expansion happens when you choose to live without the labels given by stories.

This week, if you want to, notice how much story telling goes on between your ears.  Take charge by interrupting the narrative.  Redirect your focus by reminding yourself that You are Consciousness.  Do that whenever you notice it for a week, and see what happens!

You are not your story!

©2008 Joan M. Newcomb

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I tried writing this on Thursday and hit a major "writer's block"! I'd start typing and hit a complete lack of motivation and feeling like I didn't have anything to say. When I stepped away from my computer, inspiration would return, so I'd sit back down and... hit the same energy. On Friday I started a completely different article, and then realized I was just telling an old story.

Bing! My internal storyteller didn't WANT me to write this! It didn't want to be exposed! Even though this is an expansion on the topic of Gremlins, this hones in on the core of its existence, and it didn't want light to be shone on it at all!

We have a constant narration in our heads, telling the story of our lives. Is yours a drama, a romance or a comedy? The storyteller isn't you, although it pretends to be. Neurologists will say it's a small cluster of cells on the left side of your brain, the part that's responsible for language and organization and also engages with society. The running commentary is supposed to be the organizational part of you reminding you that your dry cleaning needs to be picked up, you have frequent flier miles about to expire, and what are you bringing to the potluck on Saturday?

However, with attention, it takes on a personality of it's own, and starts creating stories based on tidbits of information and impressions.

Our story teller's original behavior gets patterned in our childhood based on our family experiences, but it continues to get fed by our attention to it.

I notice it responds to matching vibrations and patterns, so if there's something out there resonating in 'the field', it will join it's energy and resonate even stronger. If you watch a news program that mentions something that's similar to a past experience of yours, your storyteller will jump on it and keep you thinking about it, embellishing your own story, for hours and even days afterwards.

I believe it telepathically tunes in to others in your sphere, so even if you're not in direct communication with them, you'll pick up what's happening and your storyteller will start chattering, either repeating your version of your past with those people or making up a new drama of when you run into them again!

If you allow your storyteller to keep old stories alive, you'll keep experiencing the same energy over and over again. You'll find yourself still engaging with the same old people in the same old ways. Or you may have left the original people and circumstances behind but keep finding yourself with similar personalities and new versions of the same old story.

When you stop listening to your storyteller, you stop feeding it energy, and it eventually quiets down.

My storyteller acts up if I'm tired, or hungry, or emotional. Taking time for self-care helps get me back on track.

So, realize that you are *not* your Story! Nor is the story teller You! When you stop giving it power, you realize You are greater than all that's happening in your life. You are bigger than any problem that you have. Reconnect with the Essence of who you really are, and you connect with your real power Source. For the next week try recognizing when your storyteller is chattering, acknowledge it for what it is, and redirecting your thoughts. See how quickly Your life becomes a much more pleasant experience!