Identity is in the middle of our stories

The solar plexus is considered our center, the middle of the wheel. 

Depending on the spiritual tradition, it is the location of the “internal fire”, the “luminous gem,” our sense of self, or our center of gravity and health. This is yellow, and according to Coldplay, this is the color of unconditional love, devotion and sacrifice. Within the model of Intuitive Storytelling, yellow is where we find the center of our storytelling. It is the very middle of the narrative constellation that makes us who we are.

Identity has value. 

Identity informs our voting, our purchasing, our relationships, and truly any sentence that begins with “I.” 

Identity is made of stories. 

We make statements all day long about who we are: “I do not like eggs,” “I am bad at spelling,” “I’m a socially progressive and fiscally conservative Democrat,” “I love the Harry Potter series.” Identity can be found within a collection of stories that have your attention right now. Perhaps there is a way to prepare eggs that changes your mind about eggs. The term “Liberal” might mean something different to you in the future. You might outgrow “Harry Potter,” and start thinking about “The Bear.” Our identity is at the center of an ever changing, expanding and shifting constellation of stories. It is affected by passion, and memory, and relationships, and world events. Even the weather affects our identity.

Gen Z understands this better than we GenXers, and likely Gen Alphas will be even more proficient.

Binaries are fading. The political sphere, economic sphere, religious sphere, and even cultural sphere all have a long history of developing a sense of “us” by identifying a “them,” and we are all finding that this binary way of living doesn’t have the kick it used to. It's not accurate, for one thing and it keeps changing. We are beginning to see the stories and live between two impulses: to understand, and to tinker.

When I discover who I am, I’ll be free.

―Ralph Ellison, “Invisible Man”

I am my own experiment. I am my own work of art.

―Madonna

We sort through our stories searching for truth, while also treating our stories like paint on a canvas. We ask ourselves what story we want to claim as ours. Something fixed and static? Or something alive, curious, and perhaps even messy?

Intuitive Storytelling doesn’t peddle in facts.

Data and proof is not a part of the dialogue. In the yellow solar plexus stage of our process, we are looking for the ever shifting center of an ever shifting constellation of stories. In book #1, we started with the root, the red base of our sense of safety and security, the stories that have our attention because they are connected to our persistent complaints, upsets, outrages and shortcomings. The stories that are our problems.  

Then in book #2, we looked at the effect these problems continue to have on our energy and resources. We named what we did not like and then pointed our attention toward the way in which we want to feel. We used the orange sacral step of Intuitive Storytelling to fatten ourselves with what we need in order to move ahead. 

And now we have arrived at our center. By naming the root problems, and then finding the resources we need to deal with those problems, we now encounter the identity that is at the center of it all. We do contain multitudes, but one of those identifiers is right in the middle of what happens next. 

Exercise: Find the center of your current middle

Place a blank sheet of paper in front of you. You will add words to this page. Use as few words as you can. Avoid descriptions or explanations. 

What children’s story continues to be important to you? Write the title of the first children’s story that comes to mind somewhere on the page. 

What is a happy memory from your childhood? Title it and put the title on the page. 

What was your biggest challenge when you were a kid? Give this a name and place it on the page.

What is a movie that makes you cry?

What story from your family’s history that seems important right now?

Is there a character from a television series that is similar to you?

What is one of your biggest challenges?

Which book or short story do you think is beautifully written?

Now look at your page of words and draw a line between any words that seem connected. It might be a feeling, or a theme, or a vibe that connects them. Next to each line, jot down the feeling or theme or color or vibe. Don’t think too much about it. Keep connecting words, and jotting down what connects them. Connect as many words as you can. Look at the original words, and then the lines, as well as the words that connect them. Where is your attention going? What word or words do you find particularly interesting, moving or poignant? Circle those words. This word or these words give you a clue about your center.