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The Dance of Story, Storyteller, and Harmony by Joy Sagar

Spiritualist Joy Sagar delivered a talk on 12-29-2024 at Colby Temple, Southern Cassadagaa Spiritualist Camp, Cassadgaa, Florida. Video Courtesy of — Southern Cassadaga Spiritualist Camp Meeting Association

Here is the draft of this talk.

Let’s begin with a question: Have we ever stopped to consider where our story ends and we begin?

It’s easy to think of our stories as something external—a narrative we carry, like a book under our arm. But truthfully, our story and we, the storytellers, are inseparable. We are in constant dialogue, shaping and reshaping each other. Our story is not just a collection of events. It’s a living, breathing extension of our souls. And yet, at times, it can feel as though the story takes on a life of its own, becoming something far more significant than we ever imagined.

This is where harmony comes in—not as a resolution, but as a balancing act.

When the Story Becomes Bigger Than Us

When our story grows beyond us, it becomes something extraordinary. It transcends the personal, touching the lives of others and carrying truths that resonate universally. Consider the parable of the Worn Path. Walking the same path daily, the traveler eventually faces a fork in the road. It’s a choice between the familiar’s comfort and the unknown’s uncertainty. After much reflection, the traveler steps into the unknown and, in doing so, finds the path that leads to growth and expansion. Sometimes, we, too, must choose the unfamiliar. When our story grows beyond us, it’s not about staying within the confines of the known. It’s about stepping beyond our narrative and letting it resonate with others.

Viktor Frankl, who experienced unimaginable suffering, reminds us: “Life is never made unbearable by circumstances, but only by a lack of meaning and purpose.”

When shared, our story can become a source of meaning—not just for us but for everyone who hears it. At that moment, we are no longer just storytellers. We are guides, beacons, and bridges between our experiences and the collective human spirit. Spiritualism teaches us that all stories are connected. They are threads in the great web of existence, each adding unique color and texture. Our stories inspire others and contribute to the universal narrative of growth, healing, and unity.

When We Become Bigger Than Our Story

But what happens when we outgrow our story? This isn’t about ego or rejection. It’s about spiritual evolution. It’s about recognizing that the narrative we once lived by no longer fits who we’ve become. Consider the parable of the Broken Pot. The man carried his clay pot, which had a crack, spilling water as he walked. He had spent years seeing the crack as an imperfection. But over time, he realized it was not a flaw but a gift—allowing water to nourish the plants along the path. Sometimes, our imperfections, our cracks, are what enable us to grow. They create space for something new, something more.

Joseph Campbell said it best: “We must be willing to let go of the life we planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us.”

This is where courage comes in—to release what no longer serves us and step into the unknown. Spiritualism reminds us that life is not static. It is a continuum, an endless unfolding of the soul’s potential. To grow beyond our story is to honor life’s divine flow and align with the ever-changing rhythm of existence.

Andrew Jackson Davis, a key figure in Spiritualism, captured this truth when he said: “Nature, in her unfailing wisdom, unfolds the soul in ever-widening circles.”

Our story is one of those circles, but not the last. There is always more.

Harmony: The Story and the Storyteller

So, how do we find harmony between the story and ourselves as storytellers? Harmony isn’t about choosing one over the other. It’s about embracing their interplay, their dance. It’s about recognizing that the story and we, the storytellers, are sacred.

Rumi, the great mystic poet, offers us this wisdom: “Don’t be satisfied with stories, how things have gone with others. Unfold your own myth.”

Our story isn’t meant to confine us. It’s intended to expand us, to evolve as we navigate the balance between the material and the spiritual, between the seen and the unseen. Spiritualism teaches that every story carries a vibration—a ripple of energy that impacts both the teller and the listener. When told with authenticity and alignment, a story becomes a tool for healing and transformation, a pathway to higher truth.

Emma Hardinge Britten, a pioneer of Spiritualism, wrote: “Every soul carries within it the light of divinity, and every life is a testimony to the eternal journey of that light.”

In this light, our story is not just a reflection of our past. It is a map for our future, both a mirror and a compass guiding us toward the next chapter of our soul’s journey. Consider the Parable of the Seed and the Tree. A tiny seed facing countless challenges realizes that its growth is not just about reaching the heights of the tree but also about the wisdom it gains through struggle and persistence. Growth requires patience, trust, and alignment with the earth’s rhythm. Our story grows in layers and stages, like that tree—both upward and downward. It is nurtured by our roots and guided by the winds of change.

The Invitation

So, I invite you to reflect: In the now, what is our story telling us?

Is it asking to be shared, to become part of something greater, or to be released to make space for something new? Neither path is better than the other. Both are sacred. Both are part of the dance. Let our story be a bridge between who we are and who we are becoming—a bridge between the finite and the infinite, the earthly and the divine. And as we walk that bridge, we may find harmony and transcendence. May we discover that the dance between story and storyteller is, in fact, the rhythm of life itself—a rhythm that connects us all to the infinite web of creation.

This is the power of our story. This is the gift of the storyteller. And this is the dance—the sacred interplay of creation, reflection, and renewal.

What will our next step be?

Joy Sagar is a spiritualist medium, healer, teacher, and psychic.

JOY SAGAR

CASSADAGA

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