There is no question that our imagination is a powerful thing. In fact, it is one of our most powerful creative tools. And, one of the primary ways that it creates is through story. We hear a lot about the power of stories - usually in a positive light. And, there are times when our stories are lined up with our authentic selves and are helping us to create our reality in the way that we'd like them to. However, there is a flip side to imagination - it can also become so effective in creating stories that it traps us perpetually in a way that removes us from authentic experience. In order to look at the power of story more closely, it can be helpful to take a step back and ask if stories really are always as helpful as we have been conditioned to believe that they are.
If you ever wonder about the power of stories, try observing your mind when something important to you is at stake. Watch carefully as your mind will often try to play out how things will occur. This process has its own momentum - there’s not much you need to do in this exercise except observe. It can be helpful, though, to realize that the scenarios that your mind play out are driven by stories you’ve encountered in the past. This is the momentum of stories. You may notice either positive or negative momentum depending on factors like self-doubt, the topic at-hand, and your hidden assumptions and beliefs about how reality works. And, if you look at story through an energetic lens, you can see that stories have their own energetic structure as well.
When we think in terms of energetic structure, and we realize that we, too, are energy, you can start to grasp what happens when we get caught up in story. Each story does not have its own existence except through humanity’s unconscious support of the story. In other words, the energetic structure and momentum of story occurs through our unconscious support of certain stories. Overall, this automatic process illustrates the nature of unconsciousness. All that unconsciousness really is is a lack of awareness about who we really are, what we really are, and what reality itself really is. This lack of awareness causes us to accept old stories without question, and before we know it, our own energy and creative powers are commandeered to support the same old stories over and over again. This becomes even more confusing, too, as the stories that we helped to create and continue to unconsciously support reflect back to us a false confirmation that this is how reality works.
Overall, it is the contribution of mass unconsciousness that gives stories their power. Once a certain story has attained a certain level of energetic support and momentum from humanity, it starts to have its own kind of existence. This existence is different from our existence because it is a secondary creation that arises from our own creative powers, but it is a type of existence.
Why is this important to understand? Because when we don’t understand this interplay between ourselves, our minds, and story, we start to unwittingly live story instead of allowing our present to unfold with all of the possibilities that are available to us. In other words, when we get caught up in the momentum of story, our connection to all possibilities collapses, and we will only be able to connect with and likely create the preordained experiences, processes, and outcomes of whatever energetic story structure we have been swept into. This is why people like to say that there are only so many stories that can be told - that have been told - that continue to be told. This is why they say that there are no original ideas - because we are being suffocated by stories that have existed for thousands of years, and we can no longer see all of the possibilities that are available to us as a part of the infinite.
And, this goes for both positive and negative stories - hopeful and tragic stories. The more that we experience the true nature of everything, even stories that we would normally view as desirable become stifling, suffocating, claustrophobic. In order to understand why, it can be helpful to consider a vinyl record.
When we are caught up in the momentum of the energetic structure of a story, it is like we are living in the grooves of a vinyl record - stuck in that groove and going round and round - playing the same song over and over again. We can’t rise above it. We make the same noise as everyone else in that groove. Now consider that we are infinite beings - with powerful creative capabilities - with access to infinite possibilities, and realize that we are stuck in these grooves. You might be able to see why even positive stories are painful in these circumstances - a prison is a prison, repetition is repetition, and both of these are incredibly painful to the parts of ourselves that are connected to the infinite.
Considering this example of the record, you might also be able to start to see how you could look at this through dimensionality. If you are an infinite being living in many different dimensions, being stuck in a groove that is essentially only a two- or three- or four-dimensional existence is quite painful. It becomes more and more difficult to try and make yourself fit there - and this is a part of the transition that is currently underway. Because as we become more and more aware of our multi-dimensionality and experience it, these two-, three-, and four- dimensional experiences that are supported through story that we try and fit ourselves into are very limiting.
That record continually spinning, and us thinking that the spinning record is how we can navigate life (through story) helps to demonstrate the momentum of story. And, when this is all we are allowing into our awareness, we tell ourselves that we would rather be comforted by “knowing what is going to happen” (or thinking that we know). Our desperation to know what is going to happen or to control what is going to happen is so severe that our minds will sacrifice everything for the sake of the story - including ourselves. Let me say that again - stories are so powerful that our minds will, to preserve the story, often sacrifice everything - even ourselves - to support a given narrative.
The solution is to rise above those grooves in the record. To see that the grooves are just a small piece of reality. The best way to do this is to be present, allow whatever is going to happen to happen, to become more familiar with all aspects of ourselves in multiple dimensions. When we do this, we can allow for new possibilities, and they can be endlessly fascinating in each moment. We sacrifice control. We sacrifice familiarity. But we also sacrifice the lie that we are small and exist in only a few dimensions. We sacrifice boredom. We sacrifice repetition and imprisonment. And, instead of sacrificing ourselves, we finally find out who we are.
I will be posting a meditation related to this soon, but for now, it can be helpful to at least become aware of when you get caught up in a story. Usually, there are powerful emotions present, and our minds will start to play out scenarios. You may even find that there is comfort in thinking that you know the scenarios that are going to play out. That’s o.k. You may find it difficult to resist those powerful emotions associated with familiarity. That’s o.k., too. There’s no need to struggle against the momentum that you may initially get caught up in related to story. Instead, first become aware that you might be caught. And, when you become aware, see if you can at least allow for the possibility that you may not know what is going to happen. Ask yourself if you may be assuming some things that you’ve accepted to be true without question (e.g., underlying assumptions, expectations, or beliefs). Even just these steps can help to interrupt your energies and emotions that are supporting a certain story structure. When you become really good at sitting in that place of neutrality, you can also start to encounter possibilities that are different, surprising, more desirable in your life. And you will see them start to happen because you will have taken back your energy from story. This is the beginning of freedom.
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