The Story Tree

Bashar: This is a permission slip that is kind of an interim neutral gear to something else that we have talked about. It goes hand in hand with it.

You can use it however you wish once we explain how to use it. But the idea that we have talked about before that connects to this is the concept we have called “The 13th Step,” which is the idea that understanding any change is a total change. Literally, if you are a new person in a new universe, you have a new history, and therefore what may have been happening before is not something that actually ever happened to the new person you become.

So the idea is understanding that you really are making that degree of change every single time you change anything. And in order to take conscious advantage of the fact that you really are at zero every moment and completely rewrite who you are, redefine who you are moment to moment utterly and completely… we understand that for many individuals, because you are steeped in the process of change rather than having the concept of instantaneous change, we know that sometimes a process is necessary.

So what we bring you in this transmission is part of the process, an interim step that you can use to practice shifting your energy in such a way so that perhaps one day, at whatever pace is comfortable for you, you can allow yourself to take full advantage of the fact that you’re always changing utterly and completely into new people every moment in a new reality with a completely new history. But this will aid and assist you in creating a kind of neutral gear that allows you to shift a little bit more easily into that concept eventually, and how to take full advantage of the structure of parallel realities.

The “Story Tree” has to be done very precisely, and we will guide you in this precision through the explanation we are about to give. So if you are looking at your handout, the idea to begin with—if such things exist in your reality—is to start with what you might consider to have been in your life one of the more dramatic or profound or impactful negative experiences you have ever had. Whether it be from your childhood or last week doesn’t matter. The point is, if you feel that you are still holding on to belief systems or memories of that experience and you no longer prefer them, then this can help you neutralize that experience.

Because when you have a negative experience, and it may generate within you—especially when you are young—negative belief systems, then you start telling yourself a negative story about yourself. You start buying into the negative beliefs that may be generated from that initial negative experience. And when you create and generate that negative story, you tell yourself that story over and over and over again because that has now been ingrained within you, crystallized within your personality structure. And when you tell yourself that negative story, it reinforces the negative experience, which then reinforces the negative story, which then reinforces the negative experience, and around and around and around you go with seemingly no way out.

But this permission slip offers you a potential way out through a graduated process of shifting the energy from negative to positive in the following way: Whatever it is you choose as that negative experience, whatever you choose to remember, whatever you choose to apply to this particular permission slip technique, this Story Tree structure, let yourself begin with that. And when you then have it in your mind as to what you would like to choose, break it up into the moments that were the most impactful within that experience. Whatever seems connected to that experience, start creating segments, little tableaus, little moments within it. Separate them out.

Now, in the diagram you have before you, there are three just for the sake of convenience and expediency, but you can break it out into as many moments as you wish. Just make sure that they really are representative of some of the most impactful moments of that negative experience: when you were the saddest, when you were in the most pain, when you were the most angry, whatever it is. Pick the ones that are truly the strongest moments of that negative experience.

So allow us to simply use an example as we go along to help illustrate the point a little bit more clearly. Let us just assume for the moment—even though this may have nothing to do with you personally, but again to illustrate—that the negative experience you are calling forth or remembering is that your father beat you. And then that can be one of the elements: the beating itself, that negative experience. But then, whatever is associated with that, break it out into the next moment. Let us say, again to perpetuate the illustration, that from that experience, that initial experience, you then went into your room and spent hours in pain, in anger, crying. That’s another moment; list that as the next moment. And then let’s say, because you were afraid to come out, the next moment is you stayed in your room so long that you didn’t eat and you became very hungry, you were starving. That’s another moment.

So now you have, in this example, these three moments that paint the picture of this negative experience: the beating, the fear, the crying, the release, the sadness, the anger, and staying in the room, and now the physical experience of being very, very hungry and experiencing that pain.

Start with the first, the initial pain. Start with the first, the initial moment. What we will call the negative Scenario A. Beginning with that, allow yourself to take that moment and start to just breathe through it. See it, replay it, breathe through it. Start to neutralize it. Start to step back a little bit from it and start to see that moment replaying as if it’s happening not to you—that it is more like a movie that you really don’t have a strong connection to. You’re watching the scenario play out, but you’re watching it happen to someone else. I understand that can still cause stress, but allow yourself to remove, to breathe, to remove, to breathe a little bit more, a little bit more, to neutralize, neutralize, neutralize all the emotions that went with that particular moment so it just becomes a tableau running like a silent movie. Kill all the sound in it, dampen all the sound in it. Just see the images. Don’t attach any meaning to it. Start to neutralize it.

Now, before we go on, this is crucial. This is very important. This is one of the things we’re talking about regarding how this must be done very precisely. Understand that while you are doing this, this in no way, shape, or form is meant to be a denial of what happened. So don’t think that this is just a glossing over so that you simply get to the point where you say, “Oh yes, that didn’t happen to me.” Acknowledge that it did. You’re not letting that go for the moment. This is not the 13th Step right now where you shift so abruptly that you know you have such a different history that this never happened to the new person that you are. That’s not where we are at right now. This is an interim gear. This is a shifting process. So for the moment, understand this is not a denial of what happened.

But as you begin to neutralize and breathe through this, get to a point where you can settle with it a little bit. And then allow yourself to use your imagination and call upon the higher mind connection and start painting a picture that you would prefer instead of the one that originally happened. Maybe, again to continue this illustration, the image goes from the beating to having your father hug you in a loving way, very proud of you, hugging you, loving you, and you feeling the embrace, the support, the love.

Now again, here’s another very precise energy that needs to happen in this, because it’s not about saying, “This is what you would have preferred” (past tense), because that can lead to the experience or the state of being you would call regret. Keep it present. “This is what you prefer now,” as a tableau, as a scenario to replace the other one with. So keep it present, not past tense. And as you paint this picture, this replacement picture, feel that energy. Feel what that is like—not what it would have been like, but what it is like to experience that hug, that love, that support from that individual—until it feels like it’s starting to sink in. Even just a little bit. It doesn’t have to be all the way. Just change the energy to something more positive by using that tableau, that scenario, that visualization as a guide.

And once you feel that you have that present in you as an energy, as a state of being, then allow yourself to go back to the negative Scenario B (being in your room crying, so on and so forth). Bring that up into neutralization just as you did with Scenario A. Breathe through it. Start to see it. Start to dissociate from it again—not a denial, just an energetic dissociation. Neutralize it. Let the sound go away. Just see it like a silent movie. Bring it to neutralization.

But now, instead of doing exactly the same thing that you did with Scenario A, go back to Scenario A while that’s in neutral, while B is in neutral, and look at Scenario A and say, “All right, I’m seeing this now. It’s very different than the negative scenario. I’m experiencing this now in the present: the love, the support, the hug.” Now ask this question and do this projection: Now that you have the new scenario, the positive Scenario A, how does Scenario A actually change Scenario B? Because now you have a completely new scenario that would lead to something else entirely than what it led to before, where you wound up in the room crying, feeling alone, feeling hurt, feeling angry, feeling sad, whatever it was. Now you have a new scenario. So what, in your imagination, would be the logical extrapolation from that? Create a whole new Scenario B. Not going up from the negative one, but going across from A as to what might be the next logical expression, the next logical scenario from what is going on in Scenario A.

Once you have that—a new Scenario B that is positive, uplifting, loving, creative, whatever it is, whatever it needs to be, whatever it logically seems to be from what you created in Scenario A—now do the same for Scenario C. Go up with Scenario C from the negative to the neutralization place. Breathe through it, dissociate, neutralize, neutralize, neutralize. But again, instead of just continuing up this way, now go from what you created in Scenario B (in the positive level) and go across and say, “Well now, what would be the next logical thing in Scenario C that goes from that?” And start going across to as many scenarios as you created until they are all a logical extension and extrapolation from Scenario A, all in the positive vein.

Once you have done that, then let the energy of all of those new scenarios—the positive ones—go up to a point to create and see that they are a new positive story that you are now telling yourself with different energy. And allow that to now emerge into a positive experience in life that will now reinforce the positive story, which will reinforce positive experiences, which will reinforce the positive story, and on and on. And now you’re creating a new cycle, telling yourself a positive story.

Again, understand very precisely: This is not a denial of what you believe may have happened in the negative context. It’s not a glossing over. It is, however, a dissociation from the effect, the energetic effect of what happened, so that you can still be aware of that as part of your history, but you can dissociate from the negative effect to such a degree by practicing this over and over again and creating a positive version of this idea, and a positive energy, and a positive effect, so that you start really telling yourself a positive story about yourself. So that you disconnect from the negative story you were given. It doesn’t take away the scenario, but you start no longer feeling the negative effect of the negative story. You start feeling the effect of the positive story.

And this creates a conundrum, a paradox within you at that moment, because while you can still see the negative tableau, you start actually feeling the positive energy. And again, very precisely, don’t assume that this means that you’re supposed to feel that you prefer the negative—that the positive feelings you’re feeling while you’re still viewing the negative doesn’t mean that you’re supposed to say, “Yes, that was okay for that to have happened.” That’s not what we’re saying. But it is a technique that, over time, by doing it again and again, will start to build up a positive energy within you where you will start automatically telling yourself a more positive story about yourself. And perhaps eventually, you will allow yourself to do this strongly enough that this can function as a neutralized shifting of gears to allow you to begin to experience truly more and more of the effect of consciously shifting to parallel realities, where you now know you are telling yourself such a positive story and guiding yourself through these parallel reality changes so naturally that you now can begin to consciously feel that you really are a different person, really in a different reality, with really a different history, to whom the negative scenario never occurred.

But this particular technique is the middle point of that, and it doesn’t have to happen right away. You can practice it as long as you need to, at whatever pace you need to, at whatever rate you need to, to create that shifting of that effect in your energy. Because that’s really all it’s all about: just create that energy shift so you start knowing how to automatically start feeding yourself positive stories about who and what you are, and can more and more and more detach from the idea that it really doesn’t matter what has happened in the past. It’s not a disavowing of it, but it’s a way to start using it to build a positive energy in your life, a positive direction, a positive path, knowing that that scenario, as negative as it may have been, is still capable of delivering a positive and beneficial effect and energy in your lives because you are capable of making this transformation.

Is this transformation clear? All right. So allow yourself to take this permission slip, make it your own, use it however, whenever you wish. If your imagination and your higher mind wishes to alter it a little bit to fit you, then by all means, let it do so. Go with the flow. This isn’t rigid, it isn’t strict, but it is precise in the ways that we have outlined it. So remember, it’s not a denial of what happened in any way, shape, or form. Keep it present in the new scenario. It’s not “this is what I would have preferred,” but “this is what I prefer now.” And allow yourself to move forward knowing that it’s not in any way, shape, or form an endorsement or a condoning of the negative, but it is an opportunity to release yourself from the effects of the negative by shifting the energy in your life and telling yourself the story of who you truly prefer to be.

You all contain—you all contain that probability, that ability, that awareness—to know your true selves, who you really are, your fundamental frequency, your essence. And the idea is to also remember throughout this entire permission slip, when you are doing it, that any negative belief you may have about yourself—and this again doesn’t mean that you can’t have an honest assessment of where you may be going negative in life—but any negative belief is not really fundamentally capable of being true about you. You are an aspect of creation. You have the ability to create negative scenarios and experience them, but these are just projections. These are scenarios and have nothing to do with the actual representation of your core true self being an infinite, indestructible, eternal creator that can never go away, that can never change. No matter what you may have been told, no matter what story you may have painted for yourself, those things can never change because they are a part of the structure and nature of existence, and so are you. And that will never go away.

Q&A Session

Topic: Scary Movies and Story Structure

Audience Member: I am an animator and a storyteller, and one of my passions is creating scary monster movies for children. my goal is to create stories to help children identify their own fears, allowing them to understand what fear is, how it can serve them. Do you have any additional advice as to how fear can be used as a storytelling tool and what some of the most effective approaches can be?

Bashar: Well, it is cathartic when used appropriately, right? The idea is that when someone is simply exposed to the idea of fear over and over and over again, or violence over and over and over again, it can allow them to feel that the violence and the fears are embedded within them. But if you structure the story correctly, using the story structure methodology that’s ingrained in all of your psychologies, then it can actually be presented in a way that allows for the experience of fear but then creates a catharsis that allows them to let go of that fear. So as long as it follows the story structure that’s embedded in your psychology, it can, in very strong and powerful ways, create that catharsis.

Audience Member: That’s very good. Um, because I’ve wanted to create films that have that… we call it a story arc, in a sense, where the children at least can regain their own power.

Bashar: Yes, and you understand the elements of story structure, yes? Right. But the idea that many people on your planet don’t understand about it is it’s not an artificial construct. It’s actually built into your psychology. It’s part of your personality. And that’s why when you hit the right chords, the stories resonate with all of you and they last a long time. When you miss some of the components of story structure and you don’t strike all the right chords that are embedded in your psychology, then most of you tend to feel, “Ah, that was a so-so story. It didn’t really stick with me.” Story structure is one of the strongest ways to impart information and communicate information to people. So it’s important to hit all the right chords, and then the story will resonate. And that’s why so many stories last for eons and are passed down and remembered, because they hit all the points that are embedded within your psychology. That’s what story structure actually is.

Topic: Eye Blinking and Animation Frame Rates

Audience Member: I’ve been having this experience with my eyes. They’ve been… I’ve had an uncontrollable blinking in my eyes, and I’ve been to doctors and all that stuff and it hasn’t worked out. I was wondering if there might be a significant… Bashar: Did you say you were an animator? Audience Member: Yes, I did. Bashar: Are you attempting to see things at the frame rate of animation? Audience Member: Oh, okay. Maybe you are allowing that to rub off on you a little bit so that you can perceive things in the way that you need to, to freeze the frame for a moment or to let it flow, is up to you. But that simply may be a side effect of focusing strongly on the idea of the animation process. Okay? Does that make sense? Audience Member: Yeah. Is there a way that I can maybe make it so it doesn’t have such an… Bashar: Look at a frozen frame for a longer period of time, okay? So that you are only focused on one image instead of a series of them all, right? You understand? Audience Member: Yes. Bashar: Pick an image that to you resonates in a way that allows you to feel very relaxed. You follow me? Audience Member: Yes, I do. Bashar: But just a still picture, okay? Not a moving picture. Not at first, right? Over time, when you start to feel the relaxation and the blinking starts to diminish, you can start moving the picture again if you wish, creating a series to create motion if you wish. But allow yourself to do that slowly as an exercise over time so that you can find the proper frame rate that works for you, because it may not be the standard rate for you. Okay? Does that make sense? Audience Member: Yes, it does. Bashar: So you can use that as an exercise and see what happens. So it’s basically a self-reinforcing mechanism. Audience Member: It is, yes. Bashar: But it will take you to a different frame rate within your consciousness, because the frame rate of your consciousness is a little bit different than the frame rate of reality and the frame rate of your animation. And you’re looking to find a consensus between them, in a sense. Yes. And therefore, you can find it perhaps this way with this exercise and find your natural frame rate that will allow you then to not necessarily experience it physically in the way that you are as a reaction that way. Does this make sense to you? Audience Member: Yes, I think so. I think when I re-listen to the recording over again, it’ll start making more sense. Bashar: Oh, all right. I mean, what you said, but it is starting to resonate with me, though. All right. Yeah. Is there a particular image that you find more relaxing than any others? Audience Member: Um, do you remember a place that you’ve been that made you feel really relaxed? There’s a place I went to when I was in the Boy Scouts. It was called Havasupai Indian Reservation. It was a waterfall. It was a beautiful waterfall, very clear blue water. It was like it was in the Grand Canyon, but it was like stepping into Hawaii. It was that beautiful. Bashar: Can you go there again? Audience Member: I can. Bashar: All right. Now, if you actually go to the real place, then things can be moving. But if it’s just a picture, it should be a still picture at first, okay? You follow me? Audience Member: Yes. Bashar: But if you go to the real place, then just staring at the tableau in nature can also serve the same function as staring at the still in this exercise. You can replace one with the other if you wish.

Driving Phobia and Parallel Realities

Audience Member: This Story Tree process is really powerful for me. I was doing mine on a driving phobia that I somehow got probably about 13 years ago.

Audience Member: And it’s mostly when I’m on a freeway by myself or if I’m out on a road that I’m not familiar with.

Bashar: All right. And so, what is the phobia about?

Audience Member: I feel like I’m going to die, and so I get really dizzy and I have to pull over and I can’t drive.

Bashar: Yeah. We understand. The reason that that’s happening is because you actually already did die. Audience Member: Ah, yeah. In a… in an accident. Bashar: Yes, yeah. Audience Member: I have slight recollection of a past death in that way, but I haven’t been able to process it out of… Bashar: Well, you can understand that you don’t need to do it again. Or even if you do, you can do what you did before and choose to keep going in a parallel reality where you can’t tell the difference that you died. So what difference does it make if you do die? Audience Member: Awesome. Bashar: That’s awesome. I’m not saying to drive recklessly, of course. Audience Member: Yeah. Bashar: There is, at least to some degree, obviously, a need to be alert. But you don’t have to be fearful because you’ve already done it. Been there, done that, already died. So what came back? Here I am. Yeah. You understand? Yeah. So if you can wrap your mind around that, feel that a little bit more strongly, that you’ve already been through the process. And like anything, given the choice to continue without necessarily knowing that you did die, you could always choose to do that again. Therefore, knowing that and imbuing that within yourself can lessen the phobia over time, or even right away. Audience Member: Did I die in this lifetime in that instance? Bashar: Yes. Beautiful. That’s what I’m saying. But even upon death, at that moment, many of you are given a choice because you’ve been open to having that choice to continue in a parallel reality where you can’t tell the difference that you’re no longer in the same reality.

Fear of Sharing Music and Back Pain

Audience Member: I’m a singer and a songwriter, and I’ve written a lot of songs. I can’t get any of them out ‘cause I’m so afraid. Afraid of what… of people.

Bashar: First of all, do you understand that what you’re doing right now by crying is you’re in a state where you’re willing to let go of your negative beliefs and your fears? That’s what this crying is all about right now. You have decided to start letting go of them. When you have negative beliefs, when you hold on to those fears, you actually allow them to generate a chemical component that’s reflective of those negative beliefs in your body. When you are finally willing to let them go, you need to wash those chemical constituents out of your body, and that usually happens through tears. Therefore, you are releasing those negative beliefs to some degree right now. So congratulations, first of all, on that.

Bashar: Now, what were you afraid of in terms of putting your songs out to the public? What are you afraid might happen?

Audience Member: I don’t know. I’m just…

Bashar: Sure you do. Come on, be honest. Audience Member: I… I don’t… Bashar: What are you afraid might happen? Audience Member: They won’t like my voice, and then I don’t get to sing. Bashar: Now, may I ask you a question? If they didn’t like your voice, what has that got to do with your ability to sing? Audience Member: Well, I can sing for myself, but that’s not going to be my life. Bashar: How do you know? Audience Member: ‘Cause that’s not going to pay the bills. Bashar: How do you know? You think you’re so smart. You think you know the answers to everything. That can’t possibly support me in life. How do you know you don’t? The beginning of wisdom is to understand that you don’t know what will happen. However, I will remind you of this, but I’ll do it in a way that is asking you another question, if I may. Audience Member: Yes. Bashar: Do you believe that creation makes mistakes? Audience Member: No. Bashar: Are you sure? Audience Member: Yes. Bashar: All right. Do you understand that if it is truly your passion to sing, that must mean that there must be someone in the reality that you’re in that actually wants to hear it? Audience Member: Yes. Bashar: Do you understand that? Audience Member: Yes. Bashar: So then, if you understand that, how can you be afraid that no one will listen? Those two things are contradictory, are they not? Right? Are you listening to the song that’s coming in now? It’s the Panic Song. Audience Member: Yes, yes. Bashar: All right. Synchronicity. Got to love it. So if you understand, as we often say, that there is no such thing as a one-sided coin. If you have the head—if you have a gift to give—there must be the tail, or there is no coin. Therefore, you wouldn’t even have the urge to sing if somebody wasn’t willing to receive the gift you have. And most importantly, most importantly, by holding yourself back from singing, you are depriving those people of what they’re waiting for from you. That’s mean. You’re a big meanie. Holding back the gift. Now I have this beautiful gift, it’s all wrapped in a lovely bow and lovely paper, but I’m not going to give it to you. I’m going to hold on to it here.

Bashar: You’re holding back a gift they’re actually waiting to receive. Why would you do that to them? Okay? Do you understand what we’re saying? Is it sinking in a little bit?

Audience Member: A lot. A lot.

Bashar: All right. Very good. Thank you. You can use that in one of your lyrics. Does this help you?

Audience Member: Yep. A lot.

Audience Member: Yes. Um, I have back issues, and the doctors don’t know why it’s as painful as it is.

Bashar: Gee, really? When you don’t feel that you’re supported, you have back issues. What a strange thing. Do you get what we’re saying? It’s all connected. Thank you. Take the stress off yourself. Understand that you will be supported. Did you ever hear us tell the story of the woman that told stories?

Audience Member: No.

Bashar: There was a mother that told stories to her children because that was her driving passion, just telling stories to her children. Now, the more practical and logical among you would say, “Well, you can’t make a living at that, because everyone knows that… you know everything you need to know and you know so much and you’re so smart.” So you say, “Well, you can’t make a living at that, just telling stories to her children. Pffft. She can’t make a living at that. That’s ridiculous.” But that was her passion. But she told the stories with such passion that her children began to tell their own friends to come and listen to the stories, and they did. And then the friends told their friends, and they came. And then the friends told their parents, and the parents came. And pretty soon they were paying her to tell stories because she told them so well. So she started making a living telling stories, which started out as nothing more than telling stories passionately to her children because that was her highest passion. If that can happen to her, it can happen to you.