How Stories Shape Us
Part III: Stories As Transformative Catalysts
* This is part III of III for the essay series How Stories Shape Us
A 19.5-minute read and/or listen.
A life — the totality of an individual’s activities, relationships, hopes, dreams, poems, and progeny — is created through the enactment of the stories we tell ourselves, the stories we tell others, the stories that are told about us, and the cultural stories that constrain us all. Telling a story about ourselves results in our living out that story. We become who we describe ourselves to be. We perform the roles required by our stories, for particular audiences and on particular stages — the various contexts of our lives.
— Lewis Mehl-Madrona
Stories serve as an essential nutrient for the human spirit. They enable us to make meaningful sense of our experiences, shaping our thoughts, values, dreams, and relationships. A healthy dose of good story is crucial for our well-being and growth as individuals and communities.
Our stories encompass the entirety of our actions, connections, aspirations, imaginings, and expressions, reflecting the legacy we leave behind. They play a fundamental role in shaping our lives, as we construct narratives about the self and the world around us. Regardless of one’s degree of awareness, these narratives weave themselves into the very fabric of our lived reality.
We naturally embody the identities and roles that are assigned to us through our culture’s stories, performing them on the distinct stages of our lives, each tailored to suit specific audiences and contexts. Guided by the scripts of the stories we accept, our thoughts, choices, behaviours, and even our biology are influenced, charting the course of our personal journey. Ultimately, our lives become a living embodiment of the stories we accept and embrace.
Stories play a crucial role in granting us a sense of continuity and direction, offering some kind of scaffolding to help navigate the ever-changing present. They hold the power to guide us, as the narratives we construct about ourselves shape our origin, identity, purpose, and future, inviting us to co-create reality with a profound sense of significance. However, stories can also become limiting forces, confining and impeding our growth.
Regrettably, we often find ourselves constrained by the stories we tell about our beliefs, abilities, worthiness, and the scope of what is possible. In the modern era, we have grown accustomed to diminishing our individual and collective power by perpetuating stagnant and rigid stories that constrict and constrain us from living a life of vitality, wholeness, and purpose. For this reason, we must attempt to reclaim the power of story in our lives if we are to truly thrive together.
Stories possess a truly transformative power that is intricately intertwined with our destinies. They nourish the infinite wellspring of our creative potential, as they illuminate the motifs and themes that define our intimate and expansive Earthly Kosmos. They invite us to ground into the depths of our being and creatively explore the emergent complexity of our existence. Through our narratives, we catch glimmers of truth, purpose, and the boundless possibilities of Now.
The transformative potential of stories can be unearthed through three essential steps. Firstly, it begins with cultivating awareness of the overt and covert narratives that we collaboratively construct about ourselves and the world. Secondly, we must consciously select which stories to embrace and expand upon and which to release when they no longer serve life in a good way. Lastly, it requires the courage to awaken and nurture the genius storyteller within, taking an authentic and creative leadership role in the process of enlivening and ensouling wholesome, integral, and possibly novel, narratives.
These steps toward greater self-responsibility and self-empowerment revitalise the ancient yet revolutionary art of self-authorship, essential for collaboratively crafting life-bearing communal narratives — ones of weaving, mending, healing, celebration, and resilience — stories that are profoundly needed in this time.
I want to emphasise that this process requires a committed willingness to critically examine our beliefs and assumptions about reality and humbly transform them when they no longer align with the greater story we wish to participate in. I propose that an authentic and meaningful narrative must embrace some kind of a holistic, integral, and biophilic perspective — one that reveres, treasures, celebrates, and safeguards the sanctity of all life in all of its interdependent stages and forms.
Without actively tending to the well-being of our diverse relationships through the narratives we construct, achieving true health would be monstrously challenging, if not impossible. Our ability to wholly care for ourselves is intimately connected to the quality of our Earthly relations and the stories that connect us. It is also essential to recognise that stories will always differ to some degree from person to person and community to community, naturally. Keep in mind that diversity stands as a cornerstone of genuine resilience — an essential element in fostering comprehensive and interconnected well-being.
The reclamation of conscious storytelling and self-authorship, in a mythic sense, also necessitates a willingness to embrace uncertainty and change, and to wholeheartedly engage in a dance with the Mystery. Stories possess transformative power, but their true impact can only be realised if we approach them with presence, openness, and responsiveness, ready to shed old narratives and embrace new ones that genuinely reflect our values, aspirations, and desires in the Mysterious Moment.
It is crucial to acknowledge that our stories are in a constant state of evolution; the narratives we currently tell and share may not align with the stories we will embrace in the future. This truth calls for a humble and vulnerable acceptance of the unknown, urging us to embody a flexible adaptability that encompasses our entire being — heart, body, mind, community, and soul.
So, how are stories transformative catalysts?
In previous essays of this series, we followed the timeless storied threads that weave together our individual, collective, and ancestral wisdom, revealing how stories connect us to each other as well as our animate Earth. We have learned about the depth they can contain and how they are able to ground us into a universal regenerative power, deepening our respect and reverence for all of Creation in the process.
Thus far, in the current essay, we have learned how to leverage the transformative potential of stories through three simple steps, allowing us to responsibly self-author and co-create our lives in a meaningful and empowered way. In order to better understand how this is possible, we will turn our attention to some of the wondrous alchemical qualities that we humans possess and how they are inherent in our storying capacities.
While we will lightly explore some important dimensions in the following paragraphs, it is imperative to note that there are numerous related aspects yet to be uncovered. Perhaps as you venture out into the world, wayfaring into the future, harnessing the storied winds of change in the present, you will discover them for yourself. I hope to one day hear your stories and learn of what you find out there.
Life is a play of patterns, the patterns of trees, the movement of the stars, the patterns of the seasons, and the patterns of human life in every form. Each of these patterns could be called a song or a story.
— Jack Kornfield
Life unfurls as a dynamic dance of vibrational patterns — trees swaying, stars swirling, flowers twirling, seasons changing, and human experiences spiralling. Each pattern is a captivating story, a unique song of the universe resonating with profound vibrational power. One of the most remarkable aspects of these vibrational patterns, extending throughout all of Creation, is their ability to surpass tangible physical forms and journey through the unseen realms.
Just as a musical number can dive into the depths of our souls, stirring emotions and igniting our spirits, so too can stories reach beyond the mere mental, resonating through the unseen vibrational matrix that underlies the entire Kosmos. As we engage with stories and songs, whether consciously or unconsciously, our very biology responds, adapting and evolving. In this profound interplay, the genius of story, song, and frequency reveals its transformative power by shaping the very pattern of our being.
Cymatics, the captivating study of visible sound and vibration, unveils a remarkable truth — that the patterns of sound, when expressed in the physical world, give rise to tangible and intricate geometric formations. As vibrations ripple through matter, they generate intelligent patterns that reflect the inherent, complex order and interconnectedness of everything. Think of it as the visible dance of sound, showcasing the beauty of vibrations through observable patterns.
A clear illustration of this occurs when music emitted from a speaker visibly shapes distinct patterns in water, sand, or grains—a tangible manifestation triggered by the vibrational pattern (or frequency) carried within the music.Youtube provides many opportunities to see this phenomenon for yourself.
Even more intriguing, science has shown how music, language, and even human intention can significantly impact the growth patterns of both wild and cultivated plants. Communication between particular vibrational patterns lead to certain cause-and-effect outcomes in the material Universe.
Nearly everyone can recall a tale that deeply touched them, evoking strong emotions and igniting growth-oriented motivation and purpose — forever changing the way they navigate their journey through life. Similarly, we all carry memories of stories that deeply wounded us, stunting our growth for a time and disrupting our ability to make meaningful sense of ourselves and the world.
In both cases, specific vibrational patterns (i.e., supportive or non-supportive stories) affected our emotional, mental, and biological growth patterns over time. In effect, our well-being is influenced in different ways depending on the vibrational patterns that we encounter out in the world or that we self-generate within our own inner landscape.
As has been outlined already, these vibrational patterns and their cause-and-effect material outcomes are not limited to the external and easily observable world of physical phenomena; they resonate deep within us, affecting our biophysics, biochemistry, and beyond.
Consider the natural (albeit miraculous) electromagnetic currents ceaselessly flowing within our bodies — a harmonious interplay of cellular networks and communities where organs collaborate to compose our unified 'organism'. Guided by imperceptible electromagnetic communication and organisation, this orchestration conducts the sacred symphony of life within us. These electromagnetic patterns encapsulate the subtle electrical and magnetic activities at cellular and subcellular levels, crafting an intelligent matrix of vibrational signals and responses vital for biological functions and processes.
Contemplate further how a simple song can easily transcend mere sound waves that affect the mechanics of auditory perception and profoundly touch our spirit, influencing our life's path in some meaningful way.
Through these marvellous interactions between vibrational patterns, our entire human system — including our psyche — develops, learns, adapts, and evolves.
The transformative power of story, song, and frequency, then, lies in their ability to shape and modulate these patterns. In essence, when we share our stories and sing from our hearts, we are generating our own unique vibrational patterns of meaning that flow through us and out into the world. These patterns interact with others — establishing either resonance or dissonance, coherence or incoherence — influencing one another, facilitating some kind of amplified change.
Within the unseen domain of vibrational patterns, resonance and coherence simply refers to waves or signals (e.g., songs, stories, etc.) that work together in a well-organised and synchronised way, akin to a smooth and harmonious dance. On the other hand, dissonance and incoherence pertains to waves or signals that are not working together in sync, resulting in a jumbled and chaotic pattern, much like a dance where everyone moves randomly and without coordination.
When we engage with stories, immerse ourselves in song, or attune to frequencies that resonate with our deepest intentions, hopes, and dreams, we enter into a kind of harmonious dance. Our system’s inner patterns respond, realigning and recalibrating to the external patterns that we are dancing with. In this process, a subtle and powerful alchemy occurs — the patterns of our being synchronise with the patterns of the stories and songs that we embrace. Coherence is established, strengthening and amplifying our Becoming.
Through this kind of engagement, we immerse ourselves deeper into the transformative potential encoded within the storied matrix of existence. Our thoughts, emotions, and intentions become conduits for change, growth, and evolution. We find ourselves in a state of resonant emergence, where the stories we share, the songs we sing, and the frequencies we attune to collectively shape not just our perceptions and encounters, but also the essence of our existence and the mosaic of life itself.
Of course, this process can flow the opposite way as well. When we are entangled in dissonance and incoherence — when we align ourselves with stories that do not resonate with our deepest inner truths — our being tends to lean toward discord and disarray. This process can materialise in various ways, ranging from minor emotional disturbances, unease, or perplexities, to more serious manifestations of illness, dislocation, and suffering.
When we are able to notice the disharmony and imbalance, no matter how deep the roots go, we have the opportunity to remedy the dissonance by acknowledging its presence, honouring its origins, and lovingly uprooting it. Then, we can purposely establish coherence once again by realigning to what truly resonates with our inherent wisdom and heart’s desires.
As we begin to fully recognise and honour the immense power that story, song, and frequency have in shaping the pattern of our being, we are invited to become conscious participants in this universal dance of patterns. By cultivating greater awareness, sensitivity, honesty, integrity, and creative courage, we can actively choose the narratives we live, the songs we carry, and the frequencies we align with. This self-empowered act of establishing meaningful coherence in our lives allows us to more gracefully navigate the complexities of our encounters.
Understanding the capacity for stories to catalyse profound transformations within and around us, and acknowledging that life is unfurling all around us as enlivened patterns of intelligence, we find ourselves with more clarity and creative courage at the heart of it all. We are inevitably shaped by the stories that touch us; and yet we simultaneously wield the power to shape them in return. As we embrace the melodies that align with our soul's yearnings and the stories that kindle our hearts and spirits, we venture into a life of boundless possibility.
As we reach the culmination of this essay series, we are urged, as individuals, to assimilate our collective exploration and imbue any newfound knowledge into the living marrow of our being. We are beckoned to perceive stories not merely as mirrors reflecting our shared humanity and aliveness, but also as sacred seeds sown within the rich soil of our collective consciousness.
May our seeds germinate into narratives that produce enhanced understanding, compassion, and unity, fostering a world where wholesome stories are genuinely acknowledged, respected, and even celebrated. Let our love and nurturing care yield an abundant harvest of creative and connective beauty, reaping the fruits of our humble Becoming.
* This is part III of III for the essay series How Stories Shape Us