How to Follow Your Dreams
The Seven of Cups is one of my favorite tarot cards. It represents dreams flowing to us. Not just those we actively pursue but those set within our destiny with no effort or exertion required.
As children we follow these passionate impulses without fear or hesitation. The world, our parents and society slowly dismiss these destinies as fanciful and set us on more productive pursuits, thus squashing that which is most innate within our hearts.
To follow your dreams is not the stuff of legend but the very purpose of life. However, you can recapture that destiny which allows you to fulfill the illustrious nature of your true being.
AN INVITATION TO REMEMBER
How do we begin to find our dreams if they have slipped from us? While some blessed souls may have it charted out with great focus, others may find dreams to be a bit elusive slowly fading from our view. Rarely do we have parents actively championing our dreams, inserting instead their own morals and issues to help us avoid their missteps. Yes, this is done from love, but rarely from awareness.
The “why,” the logic, often obfuscates the seed of the dream. “How will I get there?” or “Who will be interested in hearing what I have to say?” shades the passion. Vulnerability, fear and doubt set in.
To recapture that which has always been with us may require creative exercises of daydreaming. What was it that excited you as child? What were the longings of the innocent heart before practicality was interjected? Passion and curiosity are the surest ways to find your abandoned dreams.
We are drawn to those things that match our destiny. Like some phantom limb, we can always feel them when we seek them. Find the whisperings and this is the key to find the dreams long forgotten. Regardless of the sensibility, seize the dream and breathe life into it. Even if this is not the ultimate path, these curiosities will bring you home.
GENTLER THAN YOU EXPECT
Expectations will likely pulverize the dream. Fearless pursuit and relentless determination are no way to chase your dreams. Inherent in the chase, is the disappointment or the exhilaration, both addictive. Chasing is not the way.
Dreams do not like to be quantified and work outside of the realm of logic. Treat it with curious devotion and the nature of dreams has its own magic which will find you. Your destiny is already set, my love.
Like the blueprint of the oak within the acorn, you are sure to succeed in those pursuits you most desire.
Feed your dreams through gentle nurturing and quiet attention. It is faith – not discipline – that will bring your dreams to you. Follow the dreams; don’t set course for them with careful planning and detailed attention, for then it becomes a task. It is the process of discovery that fills us with such joy we cannot bear to let it be forgotten.
ABUNDANCE OF BLESSINGS
Once the dream has been pinpointed, the universe quickly confirms you are on the right track by sending blessings your way. Synchronictites begin appearing that confirm your path. You find things come to you easily. It is a matter of alignment after all. When we match the frequency of our destiny and follow our dreams with loving gentleness, the world conspires to help us achieve that which has been ordained for us.
You could call this fate. But fate feels firm to me – fatal – lacking in free will and with plodded course. Destiny is the blueprint. How we arrive there is the journey of each soul and the delight of being.
The energies that find us when we follow our dreams feel good. This sense of peace, contentment and excitement are sure signs we are in alignment with our dreams. When we are in rhythm with the truth of our hearts, we cannot be but lifted by the path ahead. Even if we are unable to see the outcome, the process of creation feels too fulfilling to abandon.
Following our dreams gives us life, vitality, passion and becomes the purpose of our lives. We will feel more joyful and attract more of the same to us. Without effort, with loving attention, when we find the vibration of our destiny, and tend it well, everything unfolds just as planned. It is faith, not a detailed plan, that will feed our dreams and bring us to our destiny.
PRINCIPLE OF PRIORITY
We have many demands on us on any given day. Bills, self care, family and professional obligations at times seem to fill our to do list. If we feed these necessities only, the dreams will begin to wither. The trick is that the dream is always near, waiting patiently to be nurtured. Paying attention to that which gives us passion daily is the most certain path to following our dreams.
Like a muse, the dream is always faithful to us and expression its only purpose. To come into being is its destiny and it has chosen to become through us. Our obligation is to make it a priority. Want to write a book? Commit to writing every day even if only a sentence at a time. Want to be a great artist? Buy the canvas and have the tools at the ready when inspiration does strike.
Without our due diligence we are poor stewards for dreams. Be ready, be receptive and welcome the dream to move through you. This is the path of defiant self love which emboldens us to rise to our destiny.
FOLLOW YOUR DREAM AS AN ACT OF CREATION
No great work happens overnight. The Sistine chapel did not just appear. It took devotion, love and consistent attention to complete. We are often dissuaded from our dreams because we cannot see the veracity of its final product. We look for confirmation that we are doing it “right” when the only validation is the joy it brings.
Creation is a tricky process. Sometimes it is pulsating with life ready to burst forth from us. Other times a quiet murmur that awaits breath to come back.
SET AN ALTAR FOR YOUR DREAMS
A vision board may be one expression but I like a bit more deep ritual. In my home, I have an altar to my business and my book. Both receive attention and are tended. I thank them when the muse is loud and honor them when the dream feels far off.
Faith fills me knowing the fulfillment of my dreams is coming even when I cannot possibly see how it comes into reality. Following the dream brings such delight I have no desire to stop even if I cannot grasp how the final product will reach the world.
ALL IS ATTRACTED TO YOU
When I began this path as shaman, I could not imagine where it would lead. I only knew it was the only pursuit that brought me joy. As a child, I would become excited talking about ghosts and aliens. With each step I’ve taken to honor this dream, more reveals itself. The destiny is set and my only job is to follow the clues and remain devoted. I could not have hoped to sit here now writing about such esoteric matters, moreover, that you would even read them. And yet with each unfolding, I find there is little for me to question. It seems the only “logical” next step. Follow the dreams, breathe life into the passion and all will come to you.
The converse of this is also true. In following your dreams, the fears, doubts and challenges will arise. With courage, we face these with the same gentle loving presence and the illusions which seem to block us begin to dissolve.
Rather than feeling discouraged, see the obstacles as exactly the trigger than will help us heal and overcome the doubts deep within. When these “icky” energies arise, it is only asking to be loved, acknowledged and brought back into the fold of your total whole self.
YOUR DREAMS ARE SACRED
When you treat your dreams as a holy quest, a path of sacred devotion, interesting things begin to occur. As if by magic, everything appears for you. Destiny unfolds before you requiring no stress, no effort. This is the way and is ready to remind you of your brilliance.
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About the Author
How to Catch Your Dreams
Dreams are the easiest portal to the otherworld which we are granted in this human landscape. It is in these nighttime sojourns that we connect with Angels and Guides, converse with our Highest Self and are afforded the luxury to work out that which cannot be readily digested in our waking hours.
I’m always fascinated by this in between space, yet am heartily disappointed by traditional dream meanings. I prefer to dive into the shadowy depths of my own psyche without such pedestrian notions spelled out. Carl Jung perhaps posits the best path to decipher the meaning of our dreams. It is the archetypes – the rich characters whom we encounter – who can lead us best to extract the meaning of our dreams. As they each represent an aspect of self, unravel the archetype to see how this underlying energy or persona plays out for you presently.
Beyond the gentle soothing of rest and restoration, others have skillfully navigated psychic landscapes through this dark revery. David Wilcock, in his extensive dream work, has been able to predict many global events. Over the course of many years he meticulously journaled his dreams upon waking and was able to accurately extract their greater significance. Edgar Cayce, the sleeping prophet, was so skilled in these realms he was able to carry out precise and highly personalized readings for people. Unable to access such knowledge in his waking state, his dreams presented a doorway to far-reaching knowledge which helped thousands of individuals and still has lasting relevance today.
Here are some ways you can begin to tap into the powerful portals of the divine through your nighttime escapades.
Set an Intention
The universe, in its respect of free will, can only act in accordance with what we directly command. State an intention to easily and readily recall your dreams upon waking. I proclaim this aloud. Speaking things into being and giving vibrational frequency to your desires magnifies the likelihood of success.
Keep a Dream Journal
To best utilize this nighttime landscape for yourself, record your dreams as soon as you wake. Keep a journal by the bed and make a habit to jot some notes in the morning. More than the specific encounters and details, I find the feelings evoked are more telling.
Personal Dream Interpretation
It is helpful to go back over these jottings from time to time to see what has transpired. Don’t grab a dream interpretation book, instead seek to decipher your own meaning in hindsight. Can you see your own archetypes and patterns at play? Once you identify themes and key players you can more readily understand your dreams as they occur. This is a refined process that takes time to develop well.
Once you can navigate your own internal landscape, you can more readily make use of the profound insight being shared.
Crystals for Dreaming
Crystals are allies for all occasions but potently paired with dream work. A crystal under your pillow will aid in the retention and recall of your dreams. You can easily program a crystal to support any intention you wish but it is especially helpful to store, or encode, dreams. Upon waking pick up the crystal and hold it while you capture your escapades.
Beyond recall, other benefits of crystals for dreams are:
- Amethyst – a gentle crystal which aids in restful sleep; psychic stone of the crown chakra helpful for deepening dream states
- Ametrine – connection with highest self, it creates a portal for this wisdom to be transmitted to you
- Azurite – 3rd eye opener, can bring through spirit guides, past life memories and the connection with psychic gifts
- Quartz – best for programming to act as an ally for dream recall
- Modlavite – a powerful generator which illuminates personal issues and brings them to the surface, aids in lucid dreaming
Dream Guide Meditation
Allow yourself the space to delve into this guided meditation to meet with a Spirit Guide offering assistance for you in your dream work. Gently and easily meet with a guide that is personally devoted to you.
- Close your eyes and breathe deeply into your belly
- See yourself in the night sky, held by a blanket of velvety stars
- You will see in the distance a platform of pure white crystal
- Stand atop this stage and request that a Dream Guide join you
- Spend time getting to know this guide. Feel their vibration, request a name and ask how this partnership may best unfold
- When you are complete, thank your ally and commit to accepting the assistance
- Stand alone atop the platform to receive restorative cosmic blessings of the universe
- Slowly bring yourself back to your physical body feeling these offerings of abundance
- Commit to invoking this guide nightly and connecting again upon waking to best utilize the support offered
Dream Catcher
You may have seen these beauteous decorations hanging from walls and rear view mirrors. The dream catcher looks much like a spider’s web and is said to catch the nightmares. Peaceful, blissful and supportive dreams are able to pass through with ease and support you.
The ritual use of these sacred objects is well documented. Beyond ornamental, they are handmade with great care and created for a specific individual in mind.
The tradition began with the Obijway Native Americans. Made from sinews, or plant fibers, and hung over sleeping children, the web would catch the bad dreams and allow the good dreams to pass easily through the hole in the center. When the morning sun illuminates the dream catcher the bad dreams would be vanquished.
How to Make Your Own Dream Catcher
Used as a scared object the dream catcher can have a beneficial effect on sleeping and dream recall. Whether literal or a placebo effect, crafting your own object of power for your nighttime journeys can be a space of deep connection and healing.
1. Gather Sacred Items
Traditional dream catchers include bone, feathers, crystals and beads. Find your own items that convey special meaning. Remember that the final design will be rather delicate so avoid heavy objects.
2. Choose the Frame
You’ll need a 2-6 foot length of pliable material. Red willow or soaked grapevine are easy to obtain from a craft store. Remember, this is a sacred quest and gathered items should feel important to you. Invoke Spirit to lead you to the best suited materials for you.
3. Weave the Hoop
Perhaps the most ritualistic step of creating a dream catcher is in weaving the sinew through the hoop. Take this on as a sacred task. All myths carry stories of weavers – to the Nordics it was the Norns, or Sisters of Wyrd, to the Native Americans it was Spider Woman. Weaving is the act of creating the web of time, the very fabric of reality, and is a channel for all manifestation, spiritual work and healing. While you weave your hoop, hold your intention close to your heart and chant your selected mantra(s).
Many tutorials are available on how to create this sacred art yourself. Intention is key and the finished project will carry your intentions.
Your dreams are a most personal gift and direct link with the divine. Making conscious use of this nighttime travel will aid spiritual development and support your path of Ascension. Use it well lovey and know there is no more powerful way to access your Highest Self!
