Once upon a time — which is a deceptive opening because time rarely behaves politely — humans didn’t talk about “stories.”
They talked about knowledge.
Truth.
Threads of meaning woven through memory.
Story didn’t always mean entertainment or plot twist or “oh look, Netflix dropped another limited series.”
It comes from roots tied to knowing: history, meaning to inquire, to witness, to learn.
A story was once a way to understand the world.
A way to say: I was here, and this is what it meant.
And long before Instagram reels and author bios and “about me” pages, ancient rhapsodes stood in marketplaces, stitching together songs from fragments of myth, reciting epics to remind people who they were and where they came from.
Yes, rhapsody means exactly that:
A stitched-together song.
A patchwork of meaning.
A quilt of memory and imagination.
Which, frankly, sounds a lot like being human.
Our Personal Stories
We each carry a private epic under our skin.
A story of I am, I survived, I learned, I want, I remember, I hope.
Sometimes these stories are empowering… and sometimes they are ancient scripts we never auditioned for but still perform perfectly every Tuesday when life pokes our tender spots.
Who did you become because someone else told you who you were supposed to be?
The Cultural Stories
Then there are the stories the world whispers about us:
Be a good girl.
Be productive.
Be nice.
Be small.
Be pretty.
Be grateful, but not too grateful, darling, it’s weird.
Society hands us myths like hand-me-down coats… And we wear them until we realize they itch.
We inherit legends of goddesses and witches, mothers and maidens, rebels and saints.
We inherit fairy tales and advertisements and school textbooks and sacred texts.
And whether they liberate us or limit us, these cultural stories shape what we believe is possible.
5 Quick Cultural Stories We Just… Believe (and maybe shouldn't!)
Stories aren’t just in myths or novels. Sometimes they live in what we eat, drink or consume. Take milk: by the mid-20th century, nutrition science, government policy, and industry advertising stitched together the narrative that ‘milk is healthy.’ Today we accept it as truth… but it’s a story carefully woven, showing how culture can shape what we believe to be essential.
And there’s more...
Spinach gives super strength – Popeye’s cartoon fame, a decimal error on iron content, and clever marketing turned leafy greens into instant muscle fuel. Myth + science + media = power salad.
Breakfast cereals are healthy – Sugary flakes once marketed as “doctor-approved” morning fuel. The line between nutrition and branding has always been deliciously blurry.
Soap = virtue – Early 20th-century ads sold more than cleanliness: they sold morality, social grace, and a whiff of superiority. Bubble baths became morally righteous.
Slim = success – Beauty brands, Hollywood, and diet fads stitched together the idea that thinness = happiness, influence, and desirability. A story millions still live by every day.
Technology makes life better – New gadgets are sold as “essential” for efficiency, happiness, or status. Sometimes they do, sometimes they just create new stories we feel compelled to chase.
The Meta-Stories
And then there’s the story about the story.
The narrative of how narratives shape reality.
The myth of myth-making.
The sacred craft of choosing which threads to stitch into the tapestry and which to gently set down.
Brands have discovered this, of course.
Suddenly yoghurt has a “soul journey.”
The soap bottle in your shower whispers empowerment.
Everything has a story… And we lap it up, because we are wired for myth.
Hollywood loves a meta-story: films about filmmaking, books about books, stories about the story.
We can’t help it: we are creatures obsessed with how we tell meaning to itself.
Why This Matters
Because if we don’t know the story behind the story, we think we are just reading when really we are being written.
Politics knows this. Campaigns are built not just on policies but on narratives about who is "us", who is "them", and what story will make us feel compelled to care, fear, or act.
Marketing knows this. Toothpaste does not just clean teeth it makes us believe we are virtuous, disciplined, and worthy. Smartphones do not just connect us they tell us what connection should feel like.
Religion knows this. Rituals, parables, and sacred texts are not only instructions they are stories that shape how we live, how we see ourselves, and what we believe is possible.
Families know this. The stories passed down about who was brave, who was a troublemaker, who was sensitive influence the roles we play, the scripts we inherit, and the ways we love and fail to love.
Even ancient civilizations whispered it in firelight. The myths, the epic songs, the carved symbols were all tools to teach, to guide, and to shape a shared reality long before books, billboards, or blogs existed.
And now we are remembering it again. We are learning to notice the stories that surround us, to question which ones we absorb, and to reclaim the pen for the ones we choose to write ourselves.
Because once you see the invisible rhapsody of stories stitching reality together, you realize you are not just a character. You are the storyteller. Or at least you can become it!
So I Ask You:
Right here, in this strange, sacred corner of the internet where we gather like modern-day rhapsodes…
What story are you stitching together?
Where did its threads come from?
And more importantly...
Which threads will you choose next?
Because you are not only the character.
You are not only the narrator.
You are the weaver.
And Goddesses love a weaver.
In need of inspiration?
Stories connect us. Stories remind us that we are not alone. And this December, you have the chance to step into a circle of women sharing their stories, their light, their truth. If you want to experience the magic of stories in real time, to witness women lifting each other up and lighting paths forward, I have an invitation for you.
FromDecember 12th to 14th, join the Women Lighting the Way Summit, a free, online gathering of stories, sisterhood, and inspiration.
Listen, witness, and be reminded of your own story. Together, we weave a tapestry of wisdom, laughter, tears, and transformation.
✨ Free to attend live
✨ Online
✨ Replay access available
Your story matters. Their stories matter. And together, we light the way.
Join the Women Lighting the Way Summit →
Voilà.
I believe that is all for today.
I would be so happy to hear from you.
If this spoke to your heart, I’d love for you to share it with a sister, a friend, a fellow Goddess on the path.
I send, as always, love, light and gratitude.
Isaya