"The universe is made of stories, not atoms."
~ Muriel Rukeyser
As we enter the year's prime shopping season, stores tend to replace stories as the gift source of choice. I grew up in Paramus, New Jersey, the
shopping capital of the known universe, so I understand just how seductive — and soul diminishing — the material mindset can be.
Emerson said: "Rings and jewels are not gifts but apologies for gifts. The only true gift is a portion of thyself." How do we put the "I" back in "stores", supplant material-eyes with empath-eyes? How do we create the new story of Now? We can begin by sharing who we are, as keepers of culture, guardians of wisdom traditions, members of a vast community belonging to something greater than ourselves. In re-storying the holidays, we restore a sense of continuity that is soul nourishing for ourselves and everyone around us.
I've discovered three powerful vessels for re-storying our lives. The first, which has leapfrogged through cyberspace, is Ho'oponopono, a Hawaiian teaching that means, "to make right" with all our relations, past and present. It encompasses the idea of forgiveness, along with a rather extraordinary premise: that by looking deeply within to correct "errors" in our own perceptions, we can heal emotional, mental, and physical dis-ease in others, since we are all expressions of the One Being.
Haleakala Hew Len, PhD, calls this taking
"100 percent responsibility",
and, indeed, it elevates the idea of being our brother's keeper to an entirely new dimension. I posted an article by Joe Vitale, recounting his experiences with Dr. Hew Len, to
my blog.
Synchronistically, Vitale is one of the spokespeople in The Secret, the mega-popular DVD about the Law of Attraction. Like Ho'oponopono, The Secret has bloomed in popularity through virtual word of mouth. Most of us are familiar with the LOA concept: what we think and feel creates our reality. Seeing life as a basket of broken eggs is much less fun than viewing it sunny-side up.
While on one level the information in The Secret
is elementary, the film offers engaging scenarios and a healthy dose of humor to highlight the core message, making it a useful refresher in how to create the life we want — personally, professionally, and planetarily.
And this brings us to the third re-storying vehicle:
Espavo.
Steve Rother, founder of Lightworker.com and channel for The Group, brought through this term, which literally means, "Thank you for taking your power." The ancient Lemurian acknowledgment is akin to the Indian greeting "Namaste", which means, "The Spirit in me recognizes the Spirit in you", and the Mayan saying, "In Lak'ech": "I am another yourself." The distinctive difference is that, like Ho'oponopono and The Secret, Espavo carries an implicit call to action.
So as you prepare to gift those you love this holiday season, I invite you to invest in some new threads from the stories you visit. With autopilot turned off, it's easier to reclaim your Wonder Wings. You already know how to fly. Espavo.
"The universe is made of stories, not atoms."