Change Your Story, Change Your Life: Rewrite the Past and Live an Empowered Now!. Beatrice Elliott

       Other books by Beatrice Elliott Perfect Praying:

      5 Simple Steps That Make Prayers Work (co-authored with Jon William Lopez)

Foreword

      I have always been a lover of stories. I think, if having to choose between food and fable, I would be very hard pressed to pick the obvious. Growing up in an over-populated clan of Irish Gypsies, I was raised on stories, tales and folklore. Of all the characters to ever manifest in the theater of my mind via the words of some wonderful storyteller, the one that I most related to was the little child in the Emperor’s New Clothes who pointed out the simple yet seemingly manipulated truth, that the King was indeed naked. I loved this child and this story for the same reasons that I love Bea Elliott and her wonderful book Change Your Story, Change Your Life.

      Although the whole world was trapped in an illusion, the child stayed fully rooted in the truth and was able to set the whole village free. Yes, “the truth will set you free,” and yet the truth can be so subjective. There is my truth and the parking attendant’s truth, there is our truth and their truth and never the twain shall meet. Until now, that is. Bea Elliott is a truth worker and the path that she has paved for us is a wonderful journey of resurrection that will reveal and heal illusions of separation and dis-ease and lead the reader to understanding, forgiveness and enlightenment.

      Many years ago, I had the fortune of taking a workshop entitled “From Wound to Wisdom.” At the time this student was ready, the teacher appeared, and it was Bea. Under her guidance, I was able bring to light old stories that had kept me in old beliefs, beliefs that no longer served me. I began to see how these unexamined stories of my past kept me running on a hamster wheel. It was bittersweet to acknowledge the fact that I had been wearing the ruby slippers all along.

      The truth is: the past does not have to be set in stone. Through working these simple exercises and examining these questions you can begin to restructure your stories, and thereby redirect your life.

      I think another good title for this book may have been “Bea, Not Afraid.” For it is from Bea Elliott’s courage to examine the many faces of Truth that we all have the opportunity to benefit. She is the child who continues to challenge us to take another look, see a greater possibility and be open to a new actuality. As you begin your journey, I encourage you to “be not afraid,” for greater peace and freedom awaits you.

      Maureen Muldoon, RScP

       Creator/Director “Booby Trap”

       Actress TV and Film

Preface

      Pondering over a warm cup of coffee on a brisk fall morning a few years back, I wondered what I would have been like if my parents had gone through their divorce differently. You know, without the badmouthing and blaming. Divorce has a way of absorbing the two adults in the emotional crisis, often disallowing a space for the children’s feelings. I wondered how I might have experienced my subsequent relationships with friends, lovers and husbands. Perhaps I would have done better in sharing my feelings in those relationships if my parents had asked me from time to time, “What are you feeling about this divorce? What are your needs? Is there something you want to say to us?”

      The idea came to me to rewrite that dismal time and have it play out differently. I wanted to rewrite a particular crisis as a storybook and bring with me an adult point of view and new choices that I didn’t have access to as a 15-year-old girl.

      Being a parent myself and an educator, I loved reading stories to children that had imaginary “do-gooder” characters, real crusaders for the child. I decided to rewrite my history and include two imaginary friends: Jasper the Joybird and Zephyr the Wind. This dynamic duo would time travel back with me to direct and inspire the younger me.

      I put pen to paper to rewrite a specific incident with my father. I recalled how I physically looked, described details of the house I was living in and how I was feeling about my life. I wrote down the questions I asked myself because they seemed to bring me back to the emotional colors of that particular time. As I conjured up all the sensory detail, I found myself not just thinking about the incident from a remote perspective, but actually living through it again. Only this time, I had my “Power Posse” of Jasper and Zephyr to guide me in rewriting my story. Jasper served as my confidante, encouraging me to let loose all my feelings. He was the problem solver, informing me of more empowering choices. I cast Zephyr as the illuminator. He helped me understand my part in the bigger picture, inspired me to release old emotions and move towards understanding and forgiveness.

      I also wanted to address in my rewritten story the mind/body connection to aid in healing. I had suffered from Epstein-Barr Virus in the 1980’s and breast cancer in the 1990’s. I definitely sensed that my mental and emotional state was adversely affecting my physical health. I read Louise Hay’s books, which clearly explained the emotional causes linked to physical disease