Why the story matters

Those who are wandering the spiritual path are well aware of the framework of the ego. Put simply, the ego is a collection of stories we have become attached to. So attached, in fact, that the real sense of self – and life – is lost under a constructed identity. But these stories shape our lives. They determine either our health and well-being or demise, so it is a worthwhile and important area of examination; one that is pressing and relevant right now. And this is not just a personal struggle — it is the very thing we face as a collective human experience.

The stories we have been telling our selves for millennia are determining our relationships with each other and our entire connection to the world around us. We may be able to look to a Truth higher than the ‘stories’ and have an understanding that – at a greater cosmic level – all is perfectly in order. However, it is quite evident that the stories we hold, tell and live out on this planet, are indeed a source of great destruction.

Now, more than ever, is a time to take stock and re-assess our personal (human) and worldly stories. If we are to steer ourselves towards a healthier world we must let go of the small stories and resume our place in the sacred story of the universe: one that tells us we are NEVER alone and that we are intrinsically interwoven into the fabric of every living thing. We are all connected to this universal, sacred story. Through the very fabric of our being, we are imbued with the senses, intelligence and consciousness that can charter the way for harmony between all living things.

‘Story’ is so relevant to our human experience, because it is the way we hold the world in our mind – it is how we grasp the wonder of existence and negotiate our way through life. However, whilst we hold desperately to the small story – the one of fear and separation – we continue to perceive the world as a hostile place and remain in fear of having our life torn from us. This small self has lost sight of the real story of the universe – one of wonder and of a great continuum.

Our awakening is about rediscovering the great conscious agreement and participation we have with the universe. It is the recognition of the self in all things and all things in the self.

There is always great trepidation when we are faced with the notion of giving up the small story – the story of the little self we have become so fixated with! We are so entrapped and mistakenly comfortable in our small stories that we are willing to defend their false grounds at the expense of greater Truths. We are even willing to give up truly living (and loving) just so the ego can continue to be ‘right’. Yet the inescapable fact is that we need to let the little self ‘die’ in order to truly live. This is our greatest discovery: the loss of the small self is the recovery of our greater Self.

This small self created the illusory boundary between our great Self and existence. By letting go of the little self, we can let reality all the way in. Any pain we undergo is simply the breaking of the shell that encloses us from true understanding, and from all that we truly are.

We are not cramped by birth and death at all. We extend in every direction, in every place, in every time. We transcend even these apparent parameters and discover that we are being and becoming itself. The entire universe is composed of this beingness. It is not fixed in time or place, is never born and can never die. The small self dies into this eternally present, grand Self.

It is truly astonishing to emerge from the ego to discover that you are empty of all you thought you were. This revelation is the instant return to the fullness of being. This is what I call ‘empty full’. We are truly boundless – all open – all empty and therefore that which contains all that is. Nothing is left OUT of what I am and can be. Every thing is present. This is the cosmic story. It is the awesome story of the universe as it is. It is the profound story of each and every one of us… of every being on this planet, of every particle in existence.

This is the only story that can guide us to a place of well-being for all on the planet. It is the only story that can mend the perceptual divide we have created between the micro and the macro. And, it is only when we take up this cosmic story in person that we can embody a deep enough connection between the microcosm and the macrocosm – consciously.

Why is this relevant to us all?

How many times have you heard the complaints, that politicians are fixated on short-term solutions? If you look closely at EVERY problem we face it is because of this blind, short-term, ‘micro’ view we have. As individuals and also collectively we take up and act upon limited solutions, without care or consideration for the longer-term ‘macro’ balance of the whole. It is because we are blind to the ‘macro’ that our collective stories continually teach us to stay attached to, and manipulate the ‘micro’. And, as a consequence, we ignorantly destroy what we have and ignore the greater reality of what we are and what we truly need.

The attachment to our micro stories keeps our lives bound within the parameters of unrealistic perception and unsustainable needs. We can never stretch far enough beyond our imagined fears to let life in deeply enough. This keeps us rapaciously hungry – like cancer cells – consuming everything in our path at the expense of the whole (macro).

Only by our little self ‘dying’ can we re-awaken to the cosmic story and to our whole Self. The discovery awaiting us is that we have always been imbued with everything we ever needed to live in harmony with the whole. This is a story so worthy of embracing!

This is a story that can equip us with the strength we need to re-adjust life as we are living it now. It is a story that serves us to know and believe in our capacity to act with the greatest efficacy and timeliness – to steer our world towards one of well-being for all.

The choice is simple: Change nothing and serve the limited, micro version of our self at the expense of the whole – or liberate the inherent power of the grand Self for the whole to thrive. This is the cause of awakening, and it is why the journey of awakening is the liberator for us all. It is the only passage that can bring us out of our world of destruction and into a world of co-creation.

The prospect of changing our stories may sound confronting. And that may be a good thing, because this is a matter of urgency. This is the reality we are facing right now. If we can recognise this, something truly powerful happens. The shock at the micro level becomes the charge of energy needed for us to begin to let in the power of the macro again. It becomes the impetus we need to give our priority and attention to the whole again. And the sooner we start, the sooner we realise that in doing so – EVERY one of our needs are met. The struggle falls away into the grand working of our self in the universe, and our awakening to this brings us home to the wonder of our infinite self.

This then is a sign that indeed we are imbued with the creative intelligence and power we need to return to harmony.

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