Reader Question: What Stories Do You Tell About Yourself? by John Cali

When we were younger my family and friends loved to sit around a campfire telling stories. The stories were often about our own lives — the joys, the sorrows, the good times, the tough times.

Often we believed those stories defined us. Yet, as Deepak Chopra says, “Freedom lies in separating yourself from your story.”

Last month after we published our newsletter article What’s Your Story? one of our readers sent us a question.

Reader’s Question:

The reader first quotes the final paragraph of our article, followed by his question, which I’ve edited slightly.

Article: “But even when you’re telling positive stories about yourselves you get into difficulty, even then, if you identify yourselves with your stories. You are not your stories. All you are is the person telling the stories.”

Question: “I’m confused. Can Spirit talk further about this? Thinking I need that paragraph elaborated on.”

Spirit’s Response:

You are God, divine energy in human form. You are unlimited awareness. So whatever your story — “good” or “bad”, positive or negative — the story is not who you are. Who you are is unlimited consciousness. You transcend time and space. And you certainly transcend your physical bodies.

The stories you tell have mostly to do with your physical lives. Yet your physical lives, important as they are, are such a small part of the glory and grandeur of your greater being.

Tell your stories and enjoy them. But know they neither define nor limit you. You are far more than the stories you tell.

*****************************

What stories do you tell about yourself? Please share with us below.

We welcome your comments and thoughtful opinions, whether you agree or disagree with us. Please keep your comments polite and relevant to the topic of this blog post. If needed, we’ll edit for clarity. Also, we’ll delete anything we consider inappropriate.

Send Us Your Questions
We invite all of you to send us your questions. We’ll publish Spirit’s answers in occasional blog posts. Please follow these guidelines:

1. Keep your questions “on topic” — that is, on the subjects we cover in our blog and newsletter.

2. Your questions should be of interest to all our readers. If you have personal questions, those would be more appropriately covered in private readings.

3. Email me your questions. While I cannot guarantee we’ll be able to answer all questions, we’ll do as many as we can.

5 Responses

  1. John Cali

    Thank you very much, Sarah.You’ve asked some great questions. I hope those who read this will respond to your comments and questions.

    My personal experience in childhood mirrors yours. Although I had spiritual experiences, they were so far removed from the spirituality of my family’s Roman Catholic faith that I had no one to discuss them with. It’s a lonely place to be for a little child.

    Thank you also for your other comments, Sarah. I very much appreciate your active participation in this forum.

    Hugs,
    John

    • John Cali

      Thanks again, Sarah. I agree — if you’re secure, then the ridicule of others is nothing at all. It’s their problem, not yours. I learned that lesson from some of my family members who didn’t approve of my work, and still don’t. Now I simply don’t care. I care for them, but not their opinions.

      Hugs,
      John

  2. Shirl

    I can’t say that I have given this much thought. I don’t generally tell stories about myself unless someone ask something specific. In most conversations I am the listener (observer).

    When I am gathered together with like-minded friends we often speak of various events we have attended together over the years. It is not unusual for someone present to tell a story about something I did or said that was particularly humorous. One of the favorites they like to tell is the 3 day seminar we attended that began with breathing exercises and several guided meditations. I am particularly susceptible to yogic breathing and guided meditations. (Big Smile).

    From the very early moments of the first day, I was gone. GONE I tell you. Off planet exploring, and experiencing wondrous things. My best friend was also totally off planet enjoying the unparalleled freedom and joy of being out of body.

    (I don’t know if others who might read this know or understand this type of Spiritual High and the feeling of having one foot in planet earth and the rest of your consciousness soaring out in the universe, but it is truly amazing)

    So we were literally drunk on spirit yet still able to somewhat interact with those around us at the seminar. I guess our faces displayed how “not there” we were and our interactions were not what others would normally see from us. Apparently we were a lot of fun to watch and others enjoyed the laughter it brought them.

    We spent the entire 3 days in this space of blissful joy. Neither of us had any recall of what specifically transpired at the seminar. We had to wait until we returned to our homes in Idaho to get the recordings of the events.

    So that is a frequent story that others tell about me.

    I do sometimes tell stories about something I did, usually something a bit stupid or not the wisest choice for the circumstance, when I am working with others who are looking for a better way to deal with some problem or situation. I like to tell stories in those cases that show how I eventually was able to process the problem after I tried several usually stupid things that did not help at all. It is my way of teaching to make certain that others understand that I am not anyone that is so different or better able to work through these things than they are. I have made plenty of missteps and questionable choices as I have been traveling this path but I never stopped or gave up but learned to set my innate stubbornness and resistance aside and ultimately found a better way.

    And spirit tells it exactly how it is. We are not our stories. I often wonder who that person was as I relate my experiences.

    Always good for a laugh!

    Blessings and Hugs
    Shirl

    • John Cali

      Thanks very much, Shirl. Like you, I sometimes wonder who that was when I’ve talked about my experiences — my stories.

      Hugs,
      John

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