Story, Experience, and Core Essence is an excerpt from my book How to Navigate the Five Steps of Your Spiritual Journey, Chapter 13. The discussion distinguishes what is your essence from the story made up to explain experience.
I am not my stories, especially the ones I absorbed as a child unaware that I am the author of my life. Story helps understanding and interprets life events. Not about illuminating all story, rather, I learned that life is a process of releasing what no longer serves and embracing that which supports, in this moment, my deepest being and becoming.
As self-awareness develops so does notice of the internal conversation discussing the nature of self. Preparation as inner cleaning begins by letting go of the limiting stories and beliefs which no longer serve. Observe within self the difference between three aspects of life: experience, the stories self tells about self, and the self’s core essence.
Experience includes all internal and external interactions including thought, feeling, and action. Experience is always framed with in a personal point of view. In contrast, story is the explanation of experience. Story builds upon previous story and belief, often elaborated by stories from others. Because story can persist almost indefinitely, story feels refutable and undeniable becoming the illusion of both truth and self-definition.
Stories are created to make sense of experience and of life. Stories interpret experience, develop meaning, and can explain both truth and denial in the moment. Because story can be both positive and negative, the goal is not to rid life of story but to release those which no longer serve or express personal truth in this present moment. Story often holds a static interpretation which may lose its benefit or hide truth. Releasing the static story empowers shift to claim a beneficial perspective of self in this moment of being and becoming.
However, the greatest impact comes in confusing story with core essence. Story can have such a powerful hold that story can be interpreted such that there is no difference between story and self.
Core essence is the deepest expression of soul within physical human form. Felt at center, core essence is eternal, immutable, whole, and clear. Connection to an awareness of core essence can become obscured by the stories created, retained, or accepted in reaction to the experiences of life. As experience creates new stories and new stories prop up new experiences, experience and story drown out the awareness of truth found in the expression of core essence. In the process, self forgets that story and experience are not core essence.
How does this confusion come about? From experience in life, a story is created to explain self, to validate meaning, to temper trauma, or to defend against attack. The story is repeated as truth, forgetting that the story was just an explanation given in the moment. Over time the story is acted upon as truth. More experience leads to more story, all built upon the shaky foundation of stories believed to be unchangeable truth and the expression of deepest being.
However, here’s an empowering concept to absorb: story can be changed. Story created in one moment may be released, shifted, and changed in another. Life does not need to be victim to the story of yesterday which no longer serves today. Take a moment to absorb this: story can be changed to empower truth in this moment. Begin by changing the story about your stories:
I can now release story which no longer serves me in this present moment.
Allow the possibility, as well as the responsibility, which comes from releasing limiting story. Feel into center, to your deepest core essence existing within the infinite and eternal flow of All That Is. What serves in this moment may not be what will serve in the next moment. Allow self to move within awareness of this present moment and truth available to you here and now, identifying that which no longer serves, letting go of whatever is not essentially you now.
Life is choice. Choose to release self from a story which obscures core essence. You are neither story nor experience. Instead the truth of self is the essence felt at center. Choice also exists in the explanation of experience which creates story. Story may always be re-examined, released, and reshaped stories so that awareness of true core essence is illuminated.
Story can uplift awareness and understanding of core essence as well as assist understanding of new experience. Thus, life is not about eliminating story. Rather self expansion grows as limiting story is released and replaced by the story of your deepest truth.
In this moment, turn attention to heart’s depth, and ask self or the Akashic Records:
- What stories no longer serve me?
- How can I see my core essence in the present moment?
As the journey continues, I affirm:
What I tell myself about my experiences supports the best of who I am and can become.
Story, Experience, and Core Essence is an excerpt from my book How to Navigate the Five Steps of Your Spiritual Journey,
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