Plus Ultra – there’s more beyond

If you want to know how stories truly change the world, read this:

Plus Ultra – “There’s More Beyond”

Plus ultra is Latin for further beyond or more beyond. It is the national motto of Spain, adopted from the personal motto of Charles V of Spain.

The origin of the motto is closely associated with the Pillars of Hercules, which according to Roman mythology were built by Hercules, near the Straits of Gibraltar, which marked the edge of the known world. According to mythology the pillars bore the warning  “Non plus ultra, ” – nothing further beyond, serving as a warning to sailors and navigators to go no further.

It is believed that the young Charles V adopted Plus ultra as his motto at the suggestion of his doctor and personal advisor Luigi Marliano. The idea was to encourage him to ignore the ancient warning and encourage him to take risks and go further beyond.

The motto was used to encourage Spanish explorers to go beyond the Pillars of Hercules and on to the  New World.

Annie’s comments: I love this story because it shows us how stories literally create the ground we stand on.  Often when I say that stories change the world, I imagine that some people are thinking, “Oh there she goes again with her big thinking about the world.”

But it’s true.

Stories literally change our reality and thus change our future.  If the King of Spain hadn’t been advised by his wise Italian doctor (of course he was Italian!), then we might not be here today.  Because the Pillars of Hercules were thought to be the end of the known world, this one statement  that there’s more beyond, literally opened up King Charles thinking and thus opened the gates to the new world.

Before this time, people literally believed and told the story that there was no more beyond.  Lucky for us he took the risk and changed the story! 

How does this play out in our own lives?  Where are we believing in what the world tells us about reality?  Do we believe everything the news tells us for example?

I used this story to inspired a group of business people several months ago and asked them this question – “Do you want to stop yourselves at the edge of the known world (meaning just what the media tells us for example), or do you want to go beyond and create a new reality?

Without this story, it would have been hard, if not impossible to impress upon them the power of our thinking to create our reality.

Is this just positive thinking or is it actually how we shape our future?  You decide.  Try it for yourself.  Take on this motto for a day and see what happens to your reality.

Every time you find something that you think can’t be done, just pretend that you’re at the edge of your known world, at your own personal Pillars of Hercules.  Then say to yourself, “there’s more beyond.”  Or if you like to sound fancy, feel free to bandy about the phrase “Plus Ultra”.  It definitely sounds like you’re in the know.

I’m thankful for all of the stories that have shaped our world, and allow me to sail new seas everyday.

 Who knows what new seas you might sail into.  Let me know what happens.