And then ALL the fears and doubts come out to play

Yesterday I had that gorgeous magical morning where everything came together. I really got INTO my creative flow and got so much done and felt so good!

Today is the exact opposite.

During our New Moon Intention Setting call last week, I was feeling the magic of our alchemy meditation and my inner wisdom came in with this new advice about holding a bigger dream MORE FIRMLY this morning. Like really BEING ALL ABOUT IT.

This felt so good and expansive and like "YEAH I AM READY!"

It can be easy to feel that way during our group calls - I mean that's why I do them!

But then, as you work out what actually needs doing in order to BE ALL ABOUT IT, the shitty little voices start to speak up.

Because yesterday I worked on getting REALLY SPECIFIC about the Inner Work that I need to do, it's like I opened the door to those shitty little voices.

 

This will never work.

You are just not good enough.

No one cares.

This idea is so stupid why did you think you could do it?

OMG this is so COMPLICATED and HARD and I just don't want to!!

 

And then something stressful happened with my condo board and it was like my feelings were already at 100% full capacity but they just kept on coming.

Side note: we are doing the Sitting With Uncomfortable Feelings call this Friday! 

So, I had a lot of uncomfortable feelings to sit with in preparation for Friday, lol.

This is how it works.

When we get that real DETERMINATION to move forward with something often all of our inner stuff gets activated.

Your Creative Dream Practice needs to be able to hold space for this. To not brush it aside and also to not let it take over and make your plans smaller.

The voice/feeling that is most activated for me right now is: this will never work. It comes with a sense of hopelessness with rivers of anger and frustration flowing through it.

For my practice today I'm sitting with it, using the Un-Sticking Station practice and also doing a drawing of this part of me. I mean drawing like a 5 year old to EXPRESS MYSELF (which is so healing!) not trying to "make a pretty picture" (which is great, but it's not inner work).

Come dream with us
Dream Book members:

Come to the forum to share your thoughts or start a conversation about whatever you're working with.

Get your next Dream Book lesson.

Check out the calendar of upcoming calls.

Note: This is a post about my daily practice with my Creative Dreams - in these posts I often link to the tools, courses and processes I use which are only available to Dream Book members. If you're not a member, find out more + join us here.

And then ALL the fears and doubts come out to play Read More »

I am having a downright MAGICAL morning

Let's talk about how hard it is to get into good routines sometimes, and how much they help!

Before the pandemic, I had SUCH sturdy routines. I had spent years fine-tuning what, exactly, I need to feel inspired, creative, motivated and productive. I could reliably and consistently (I mean not EVERY day but much more often than not) get myself into my creative flow with my morning routines.

Then that all came crashing down in March 2020.

And re-building has been.... interesting.

But this morning here we are:

I’m having such a magical morning!

It is STUPID HOT like I wasn’t sure I wanted to go for a bike ride at all, and I definitely didn’t want to go journal in the park (as is my routine lately) because it’s already too hot and humid at 7 am. Plus super windy.

I did want to leave the house though, I knew it would be the best thing for my mood and energy and creativity. Get a coffee, put on noise canceling headphones, do some journaling. Key parts of my morning routine.

But I don't have a consistent "summer coffee shop" right now and every single coffee shop I could think of felt like UGH NO for one reason or another. (My consistent winter coffee shop has a bakery with a wood-fired oven and it's heavenly all winter! Sunny windows, loads of plants and the heat from the oven creates such a beautiful atmosphere. But in the summer it's just too hot for me. These details matter, my creativity doesn't function in the heat.)

Then I remembered a Starbucks that’s a 10 min bike ride away closed in the pandemic and a new place opened. 

I always feel like - you never know what you’re getting with a new place. Will the vibes be off? It’s funny but also it’s real, like I need to FEEL RIGHT in a place to do my journaling. And how can I know how I will feel if I've never been there? So I took a change.

And OMG this is my new coffee shop!

They have EVERYTHING BAGEL flavoured croissants! I had a filling smoothie and wasn’t hungry but just so happy to know this exists here, lol.

Then I noticed - they have lavender syrup for coffee! Heaven!

I got an iced coffee and sat down at the bar, the chair and bar are the exact right height to be comfy for journaling. And the air conditioning is working well on this hot day.

A woman came over to me to compliment my shoes "These are the best Crocs I've ever seen!" (I got these zebra with leopard heel strap Crocs this spring and I am just loving them, so that was nice!)

It just feels so good. It’s like it’s easier to tap into my Dream Self here. 

On our new moon intention-setting call last week I didn’t get time to list the dream work, inner work and outer work practices that will help with my intention this month, so I made lists of those.

It feels so supportive to have that list of specific things that will help me most right now.

Everything feels flowy.

This is what a good morning routine does.

I don't wake up feeling clear-headed enough to just do the things that I want to do. Even after my first-thing-in-the-morning meditation!

Through experimenting I learned that I do need to get out of the house (and in the pandemic lockdowns I really learned how depressing it can get to never do that!) and having my clothes ready and bag packed and location chosen all makes it easier to do that.

If I get up and then have to decide on clothing and what to bring (I do have a lot of journals I am working in in any given moment) and where I am going I can start to risk not doing anything. And I know that staying home, without at least a walk or bike ride, will mean a lower energy and lower mood day, all day.

When I get it all right - like a meditation and then a beautiful bike ride or a walk with just the right music, and then a great shady picnic table in a park or the right kind of feel-good coffee shop for journaling, then it's like I open the doors to my creative flow.

After journaling I feel clear headed enough to get to work. Then on the bike ride or walk home I get my brain focused on what I want to do that day.

Then it's creative flow time.

This is just what works for me, as I said - discovered through much trial and error. But notice how it includes THINGS I LOVE! Meditation, bike rides through parks with beautiful gardens, coffee shops I enjoy, great snacks.

And it includes the things I NEED - I didn't mention these above, but I make a smoothie with loads of protein, fibre and greens. I take supplements for peri-menopause and my post-concussion syndrome, all things I have experimented with to find what works best for me. I have routines around the tasks that must be done in my business.

All the "must do" stuff combined with the "love to do" stuff keeps me engaged.

Come dream with us
Dream Book members:

Come to the forum to share your thoughts (what are your morning routines like?) or start a conversation about whatever you're working with.

Get your next Dream Book lesson.

Check out the calendar of upcoming calls.

Note: This is a post about my daily practice with my Creative Dreams - in these posts I often link to the tools, courses and processes I use which are only available to Dream Book members. If you're not a member, find out more + join us here.

I am having a downright MAGICAL morning Read More »

My “Slow the fuck down” mug broke :(

On the new moon, my husband broke my “Slow the fuck down! BE as powerful, creative + magnetic as you are” mug.

Of course he didn't mean to, I had left it on a dresser and he bumped against it as he walked by. I was already having a frustrating day. And a few hours before I had thought to myself - maybe I should lay down on the floor (I’ve got pillows there, it’s very comfy) and cry. Just release some of this. But then I had decided to just go on with my day…

When the mug broke, I lay down on the floor to cry.

Bear came over, I pulled him in for a hug and he let me bury my face in his silky soft belly while Joseph got out the vacuum and cleaned up the mug shards.

That mug was precious because it was a message from my dream.

It was a message my dream sent repeatedly last summer. It felt so important: Slow the fuck down! BE as powerful, creative and magnetic as you ARE (which is what is written on the other side of the mug)

It was a message full of medicine.

I worked with it on my own. We had three group calls about it in Dream Book. I made the mugs. It was this whole thing… (Dream Book members - those calls are here)

But as I cried it out I realized - maybe it’s done. Maybe the lesson is learned. Maybe it’s time to put it down.

I mean, interestedly, it was just in the last few days that I was speeding back up again. Not to speedy speeds, but finding a pace that feels like progress, it feels interesting and creative without feeling overwhelming or exhausting.

And I do feel all of the gifts of Slow the fuck down! BE we powerful, creative and magnetic as you ARE helped me find this pace.

So, I am going to take this as a sign that this lesson is learned. I can enjoy my new pace now.

AND this feels connected to another question that has been coming to me in my practice... who is my post-pandemic self?

So far I know that my ideal post Pandemic self has processed the upheaval, lessons and grief of the last three years and is using it all to choose WHO and HOW to be next.

She's no longer IN the turmoil and overwhelm of it all. She's on the other side of all of that, with the lessons learned and integrated.

I mean maybe I will spend the rest of my life learning how to be this post-pandemic self. I don't know.

I just know that right now, in my practice, this is the version of me who feels more present, like the part of me I want to lean into next.

So, I am going to make a page about her in my Dream Book - using the Dream Self practice.

Come dream with us
Dream Book members:

Come to the forum to share your Dream Status Report or start a conversation about whatever you're working with.

Get your next Dream Book lesson.

Check out the calendar of upcoming calls.

Note: This is a post about my daily practice with my Creative Dreams - in these posts I often link to the tools, courses and processes I use which are only available to Dream Book members. If you're not a member, find out more + join us here.

My “Slow the fuck down” mug broke :( Read More »

Co-Dreaming Call 1: Introduction to Creative Dreaming As A Practice

We had our first Co-Dreaming call today!

I lead Zoom group calls all the time inside Dream Book, but I hadn't done one in a public way like this in some time. It felt vulnerable, I was nervous and it showed - for the first part of the call. Definitely not my best introduction to a call.

But I did get into it as we got into the meditation.

And then we had a really beautiful and rich discussion about listening to our dreams and getting into a PRACTICE with our dreams.

A Creative Dream Practice is so deep, rich and transformative.

And it's immediately generative. It doesn't TAKE energy, it GIVES energy because it's making space for YOU.

Watching these videos all summer WILL get you seeing, and feeling, your dreams in new ways.

I'll be doing this every Monday until Aug 28.

The replays will all be on my blog. If you want to attend live, register here to get the Zoom details.

Co-Dreaming Call 1: Introduction to Creative Dreaming As A Practice Read More »

Creative Dreaming as a Practice: A Guide

This is how dreams begin:

Drawing: Jumping into the impossible chasm

When you look to where you want to be, there is no path.

Just an impossible chasm and no way to cross it.

When you're not engaging with your dreams, it's easy for them to feel impossible.

Once you are engaged, the magic happens and possibilities begin to emerge.

drawing: The dream is impossible so you don't engage >< You don't engage so the dream is impossible.

It is so difficult to be caught in this cycle!

And it's easy to believe that something outside of you has to change before you'll have any other options.

But there are loads of ways you can engage with your dream, right now. It all begins with seeing creative dreaming as a practice instead of a thing to accomplish.

Approaching creative dreams as things that you accomplish (or try to):

- You believe that you need to know how to do it all before you can start. Which makes it impossible to do anything.
- It feels inspiring and exciting but then it also feels risky, scary and stressful. It's hard to do anything with so many feelings colliding.
- Thinking about it can spark deep fears like "Am I good enough?"

Approaching creative dreaming as a practice:

- You have ways to engage with your dreams no matter what is happening in your life
- You can take little steps even when you can't see the path
- You can be in the process, receiving the medicine and magic of your dream any time you choose to
- Your dream will help you heal and grow right now, before you make any changes in your life
- Magical and restorative, your practice helps you grow into the version of you who can overcome the obstacles and get to where you want to be.

Having a practice:

Means to do something regularly or repeatedly. In the most practical sense, practicing improves skill.

So once you are practicing, anything is possible because you keep improving. You show up, do a thing, make mistakes, get inspired to try new things, learn and grow.

Once you are practicing a thing it will transform you. You get better at the thing, become more confident, and then see new options for what you can do next.

To the people watching it can look like you are making quantum leaps, but you know you're just taking a lot of little steps.

It is a container for: Healing Creativity Transformation Magic

It holds space for new possibilities to emerge.

Your creative dream practice is space to show up for your dreams, practice, ponder, heal, grow, face the obstacles, make mistakes, follow inspiration, try new things and ultimately become the version of you who can do the thing you are dreaming of.

A Creative Dream Practice is a creative practice and a spiritual practice.

Because your creative dreams are calling you towards inner and outer growth, your practice encompasses both.

Every single thing that you will need to make your dream happen will come to you in your practice, because you already have the wisdom, creativity, courage and strength that you need. Your practice is where you access it.

The ideal time to begin your creative dream practice is now!

You don't have to feel ready! (Waiting to feel ready is one of the biggest dream killers out there. We all do it, all the time, pushing of big and small joys to "focus on more important things".)

Your Creative Dream Practice does not depend on you having the ideal circumstances for your dream.

It only depends on you showing up.

You and your dream are so powerful that once you are showing up for this dream, things will change.

Your Creative Dream Practice will make magic in your life.

Your Creative Dream Practice (noun) is filled with different practices (verb).

Generally it includes:visioning practices, meditation practices, creative practices, planning, healing practices, journaling practices, growth practices and transformational practices.

The shape of your Creative Dream Practice can look however you want it to and it will change from day to day.

One of my students described it as: "Touching my dream every day"

She says it doesn't matter how she touches her dream, as long as she does something, she is bringing the magic of it into her life.

The more focus and consistency you can bring to your Creative Dream Practice, the deeper you can go into it, so you can get more out of it. But during the busy times, having a quick and simple way to touch your dream can be a real boost.

What, exactly, you do in your Creative Dream Practice will change from day to day.

Since the goal is to meet yourself where you are and move towards where you want to be - ideally you will have loads of different practices to choose from that make up your larger practice.

Practices for when you’re scared, practices for when you feel brave, practices for when you’re inspired… your Creative Dream Practice needs to hold space for ALL OF IT.

Because this is a LOT of practices, it helps to organize them into three categories:

  1. Dream Work
  2. Inner Work
  3. Outer Work

Triangle Dream Compass

They go in a triangle because each one supports the other two.

I made this "Dream Compass" with arrows pointing from each point to the other two points, because each one of these also leads to the other two.

For example:

Most of the time when "we feel stuck" with our dreams, it's just that we want to do Outer Work and we can't. Often, feeling stuck is a sign that we need Inner Work, and so instead of waiting to not be stuck with the Outer Work, actually doing the Inner Work will lead us to getting un-stuck with the Outer Work.

You can always do Dream Work practices, so they should make up the foundation of your Creative Dream Practice.

From there, it’s about meeting yourself where you are, so in the most general sense:

  • If you feel stuck or you’re procrastinating or something is just not working right: go to Inner Work
  • If you feel inspired, motivated and ready to get to work: go to Outer Work

Let's do this!

You may be wondering "OK but how do I actually DO this?

Because Creative Dreaming as a PRACTICE is the kind of thing that you usually don't understand until you experience it.

So - I am offering free (on zoom) Co-Dreaming calls where we can practice together.

Come to the Co-Dreaming calls (or watch the replays)

There are no “3 simple steps” or quick answers here. This work is deep and expansive.

But once you are IN your creative dream practice - everything becomes possible and I want to share this magic with you.

If you're already registered, check your inbox, I sent you this blog with a link at the bottom to the call details.

if you're not registered, do that here.

Creative Dreaming as a Practice: A Guide Read More »

Rest, Presence + Connection [Weekly Dream Status Report]

Note: This is a post about my daily practice with my Creative Dreams - I often link to the tools, courses and processes I use which are available to Dream Book members. If you're not a member, find out more + join us here.

On Fridays I do my Dream Status Report which is a series of prompts I use every week to help me have more clarity, momentum and groundedness on my path. You can do them with me (Dream Book members: come post yours in the forum!)!

I get a lot of plush-back from people who don't want to do the same prompts every week. I know it's annoying somethings but I promise - this is magically clarifying.

Here are the prompts:

PART ONE: (sometimes these can stay the same for months at time, sometimes they change often)

My dream is:  

I want it because: 

When I have it I will feel:

 

PART TWO:

Invite your dream in (using the Dream Lab practice) to help you with the rest of the prompts.

 

PART THREE:

My goal/wish/intention for this New Moon is:

Last week’s focus was:

What happened in the last week?

What am I learning/How do I feel about this?

What do I need now?

What does my dream need now?

Taking all of this into account, my focus for the next week is:

My Dream Status Report for this week:

PART ONE: 

My dream is: BEING the artist + writer I want to be. This is the "big picture" dream - this includes lots of big + small inner + outer things that I am detailing and exploring in my Dream Book. And how I feel in my life in perimenopuase and beyond.

I want it because: This is what feels most enticing and interesting to me. I'm also noticing how BEING who I feel I AM is important for my mental health. I feel so strongly - a better world is possible and our dreams show us the way there.

When I have it I will feel: Just a little more ME, more energized. More stable/sturdy. Excited about the new work I am doing.

My new moon intention: Focus on the book project - all the practices and routines that support my mental health which supports my creative process. (Dream Book members we have a New Moon intention setting call today! Hope to see you there!)

 

PART TWO: Invite your dream in (using the Dream Lab practice) to help you with the rest of the prompts.

My dream shows up as a GIANT, made of light, standing tall with arms raised at her sides. I feel a little tired in comparison to her, lol.

I sit at her feet and notice that her arms aren't just held up, she is holding open space. Like, tearing the space-time continue and holding open a portal for me. This feels so reassuring and hopeful.

 

PART THREE:

Last week’s focus was: Set up my new dream altar and get this new "free weekly Co-Dreaming calls" thing organized.

What happened in the last week? I did not get my dream altar set up but I did get ready for the new free Co-Dreaming calls! I feel completely ready to do the free calls, but all of the back-end organizing stuff felt daunting because I haven't done anything like it in a while. It's just a lot of details to sort out. And I sorted them out!

I had a fantastic week of SHOWING UP for myself, giving myself lots of time for meditation, journaling and writing every morning. This really helped me sort out the tricky parts and take the steps I wanted to take.

What am I learning/How do I feel about this? Being present, really present with myself and my dreams and wishes and my gifts and creativity and power and also with whatever I am feeling in the moment - this is the magic. I know this, but I keep learning it more.

What do I need now? The answer that comes to me is REST even though I feel like... haven't I rested enough? lol Remembering the magic of the Slow The Fuck Down BE as powerful, creative and magnetic as you ARE calls I think I will just... rest.

What does my dream need now? My dream is holding that portal open for me. It feels patient and loving and like it doesn't need anything from me, I can work out how I move towards it and through the portal in my own time.

Taking all of this into account, my focus for the next week is: Set up my new dream altar. Explore this portal that my dream is holding space for (via daily Dream Meetings)

 

Come dream with us
Dream Book members:

Come to the forum to share your Dream Status Report or start a conversation about whatever you're working with.

Get your next Dream Book lesson.

Check out the calendar of upcoming calls.

Rest, Presence + Connection [Weekly Dream Status Report] Read More »

There is a version of you that already knows how to do all of the things you are dreaming of.

It works this way because your dreams, your inner desires, are your soul calling you towards your true self, your most authentic way of living. 

You are born with the capacity to be your true self. It’s who you’re here to be. But then as life marches on, things get muddled. You retain that capacity, but it goes kind of underground, into your inner world, while other parts of you take over as your external self.

Your dreams, the external things you want, are all pointing you towards that version of you. 

OF COURSE some dreams can get corrupted by the external world. A simple desire to offer your ideas and inspiration in a way that helps others can be transformed into a dream of being the hottest new age guru when insecurities take over. Because our dreams are leading us towards our true selves, they are rarely actually about being “the best” or “the most” because they are not about competing with everyone else! Our true selves understand that we are all connected and our dreams work best PLAYING together not competing with each other.

Fear can also corrupt our dreams to be smaller than they are. There are a million unconscious ways our culture teaches fear and self doubt in the name of conformity.

But none of the many ways our dreams get corrupted really matter. Our souls continue to hold the uncorrupted blueprint for us and we can always come back to it.

The Dream Self is the version of you who helps you do this.

This morning I had a meeting with my Dream Self and she showed me how she trusts her dreams and her self more than I do and then it feels like she send trust my way and now I have that trust too.

It can feel nonsensical and imaginary to play with your inner world in this way.

But it absolutely changes things.

 

Come dream with us!Dream Book members:

Check out the Dream Self practice here.

Come to the forum to share your thoughts about this or start a conversation about whatever is on your mind.

Get your next Dream Book lesson.

Check out the calendar of upcoming calls.

There is a version of you that already knows how to do all of the things you are dreaming of. Read More »

Getting some help from my Dream Self

First, a little housekeeping: I am making some changes! I added a forum to the Dream Book website where members can start their own conversations. The forum replaces the old private blog where we could only have conversations in the comments of my blog posts.

Which means: I am going to use my public blog much more, to share what's happening in my Creative Dream Practice. Though some days I may opt to only post in the forum instead, if I want to keep some things more private.

In these posts, I will link to the practices I use - these links will only work for Dream Book members.

I feel happy about this change AND ALSO like it's a change and so there is an adjustment period where I will still be figuring out how this will all work.

But here is today's post...

Today I added to yesterday’s page

Yesterday I had done the treasure map leading to where I want to be (from fuzzy and distracted to present, creative and focused) and today I added: a drawing of my Dream Self.

This is something that can be fun to do after you’ve done the Dream Self meditation a few times (or more!) and have a good sense of connecting with this part of you. I like to just… draw without thinking and see what comes out.

These are not like the more careful kinds of drawings I do on the Dream Book printables or things like that. This is just expressing in the moment, and it feels so much more satisfying.

She wanted a butterfly behind her neck and her arms up and then I wrote out the things I noticed about how she is different from me:

She trusts her mission (I woke up with a lot of self doubt)
Believes in herself and her ideas
Loooooooves being in the process
Does not judge her dreams or her creative output (I keep having self doubt wonder if the new journals I am making are really any good)

Writing this out I think…. Maybe I need to make a journal about self doubt! Which is one of the things on my list of “journal ideas” but maybe start making notes with my ideas for it.

I think one of the projects - figuring out how my post-pandemic self wants to do marketing consistently in a way that is energizing and not depleting and also is actually effective at making my work visible for the people that it’s for - is taking a lot of mental space, and once this is figured out I will have more space for the journals.

It feels like I have been working at this for so long, I mean it’s really an extension of everything I have been trying to figure out since 2020. A lot of ways I used to do things either don’t work or don’t feel like a fit for me anymore. And then all of my own stuff with peri-menopause has made it harder for me to be consistent about working through it, so it’s like I work through a bunch of things, then drop the thread, then work through different things, then drop that thread, etc.

This is fine!!! I am not judging myself because I was always doing my best to keep showing up. I mean some days eating chips, laying in bed watching Netflix IS our best. That’s fine.

I am just noticing how this resulted in a feeling that I have just moved in circles when really I think I figured out a whole bunch of things and just need to pick up all those threads and weave them together.

And I am noticing that I am ready for a new way of doing things.

And maybe this is just another thread I am picking up that I will eventually drop… but even still, this is progress. As long as I keep showing up it will all come together.

I have that trust. My Dream Self is sending me trust. That feels like enough for today.

Come dream with us!Dream Book members:

Come to the forum to share your thoughts about this or start a conversation about whatever is on your mind.

Get your next Dream Book lesson.

Check out the calendar of upcoming calls.

Getting some help from my Dream Self Read More »

Drawing the path to where I want to be

Get the calendar of upcoming calls here. | Get your next Dream Book lesson here.

After that convo between my impatient self and my slow self, things have felt different.

Like everyone is on board - not rushing but more forward movement.

I also realized - I need more structure. I decided to be more strict about Dream Work - ONE HOUR before I do anything else. The times when I save that first hour of the day for Dream Work things just go better.

(I mean have breakfast, get dressed, bike ride/walk, THEN 1 hour journal/meditation. Right now with the weather as it I can ride to the park to do this, early before a lot of people are around)

This is what I did today:

Like a mini version of the Treasure Mapping Class.

I drew a circle to say where I was and wrote: crabby, no focus, tired, wanting to be lazy + distracted.

I drew a circle to say where I wanted to be: present, creative, focused, energized, inspired.

And I drew the little bricks to draw the map. I could tell right away that PRESENT was the important one, and if I worked on being present with myself the rest would come.

And it did. I journaled out a few more pages - I am just in love with the magic of putting your thoughts down onto paper. Like, obviously I know I love journaling but sometimes it's like I fall in love with it again and I am grateful to be in one of those times.

If you're looking for something to DO today in your own Creative Dream Alchemy Practice, I suggest....

Do the Meeting My Dream practice from the Dream Lab and see what that sparks for you

Want to try something different? Pop into the Library of Creative Dream Alchemy to find something helpful for where you're at today.

Or click here to get a journal prompt to get you started.

Community guidelines

It can be so vulnerable to talk about our dreams!

If it helps, remember that you can let us know EXACTLY what kind of feedback you want. Just put a little note at the bottom of your post to say: What kinds of feedback I am looking for on this post: Then let us know if you would like encouragement, or to hear stories of what we're doing with our dreams, or whatever you'd like. You can also say what kinds of feedback you are NOT in the mood for, or if you don't want ANY feedback.

Drawing the path to where I want to be Read More »

My slow self + my impatient self have a lil convo

Get the calendar of upcoming calls here. | Get your next Dream Book lesson here.

My most impatient self has been particularly impatient with the fact that my slowest self seems to be driving the bus these days.

My slow self wants to enjoy the slow driving but it gets annoying to have my impatient self buzzing in her ear, so they’ve agreed to sit down and see if they can work this out.

Came back later to add this: I just LOVE the way each of these parts of me started really empathizing with the other one! The slow one understanding impatience and the impatient one understanding wanting to be slow! This feels so good!

SS (slow self): Come on! Why so impatient?! Can’t we enjoy the journey?

IS (impatient self): Journey? What journey?! We’re barely moving!

Me, someone between them: Hey guys we have to try to see it from each other’s perspective.

SS: OK, Impatient self, you wish we were already there. You want to be on the next journey already. You feel like we’re moving too slow, and going to miss things? Is that it?

IS: Miss things? I don’t know if I think we will miss things. It’s just so hard for me to move slow. To see what I want to do and not do it. And I guess you really just want to chill out? Enjoy being where we are without really moving forward?

SS: No, I like moving forward. Though yes I also want to chill out. I guess I just don’t want to do stuff I don’t want to do, so I’d rather wait until I feel like it.

IS: Ohhhhh. That’s interesting. Because if we wait until we feel like it then we would enjoy the doing more.

SS: Yeah, but even as I say it I know that like, as a coach, we are always talking about how you can’t just wait until you feel ready you’ve got to do the things you want to do. And I mean - like, see that pile of fabric on the floor there? I do wish it was already cut up into the clothes it’s going to be. I mean, I see how I feel better when I am taking action. Like, not pushing myself. But engaging with things a little more energetically.

IS: Engaging with things a little more energetically, I love that. I know, I can get pushy about getting things done! But yeah, it FEELS GOOD to keep things going, to do the things we feel inspired to do! Like - look at this space, you cleared it out to make a new dream altar, and now it’s just empty.

SS: Yeah, I don’t love the emptiness of it. I don’t love the laundry on the floor over there. I don’t love that the closet is stuffed with all this paint stuff because I am not finishing the mural. It’s like everything is backed up.

IS: It is like everything is backed up.

SS: I mean, I’m tired.

IS: I hear that! But I mean, I think we both know the answer here…

I scroll social media when I am tired - I need to turn off the screens, take more naps, and make a list of all the things I want to do and start doing them, at a reasonable pace - it’ll be easier to do when I see the list written down.

IS: And I would be fine with moving slow on this as long as I see steady progress.

SS: I would love to see progress AND not be rushing myself.

This is great!

If you're looking for something to DO today in your own Creative Dream Alchemy Practice, I suggest....

Do the Meeting My Dream practice from the Dream Lab and see what that sparks for you

Want to try something different? Pop into the Library of Creative Dream Alchemy to find something helpful for where you're at today.

Or click here to get a journal prompt to get you started.

Community guidelines

It can be so vulnerable to talk about our dreams!

If it helps, remember that you can let us know EXACTLY what kind of feedback you want. Just put a little note at the bottom of your post to say: What kinds of feedback I am looking for on this post: Then let us know if you would like encouragement, or to hear stories of what we're doing with our dreams, or whatever you'd like. You can also say what kinds of feedback you are NOT in the mood for, or if you don't want ANY feedback.

My slow self + my impatient self have a lil convo Read More »

Finding a way new through (Weekly Dream Status Report)

Get the calendar of upcoming calls here. | Get your next Dream Book lesson here.

What are you up to today? Let us know in the comments!

Tell us what you're working on, struggling with, ask questions, share your goals, etc, in these daily posts. This is a great way to put stuff "out there" where only people who "get it" are going to see it.

On Fridays I post my Dream Status Report which is a series of prompts I use every week to help me have more clarity, momentum and groundedness on my path. The prompts are here. You can do them with me, or do your own thing.

First: update on the new community forum

I can't believe progress is still stuck! But, progress is still stuck. I am waiting on someone to do a thing that I can't do, and practicing patience, lol. Once this thing is done, I really hope we don't discover a new thing that needs doing.

My Dream Status Report:

PART ONE: (sometimes these can stay the same for months at time, sometimes they change often)

My dream is: BEING the artist + writer I want to be. This is the "big picture" dream - this includes lots of different inner + outer things that I am detailing in my Dream Book. And how I feel in my life in perimenopuase and beyond.

I want it because: This is what feels most enticing and interesting to me. I'm also noticing how BEING who I feel I AM is important for my mental health. I feel so strongly - a better world is possible and our dreams show us the way there.

When I have it I will feel: Just a little more ME, more energized. More stable/sturdy. Excited about the new work I am doing.

My new moon intention: Focus on the book project - all the practices and routines that support my mental health which supports my creative process.

 

PART TWO: Invite your dream in (using the Dream Lab practice) to help you with the rest of the prompts.

A little ball of energy, but it has "arms" that stretch out. This is how it appeared last week too. The stretched out arms feel inviting and also like "stretch your thinking about what is possible here" It feels so warm, loving and encouraging.

 

PART THREE:

Last week’s focus was:Joseph is away at a ceremony, I am going to treat this as creative retreat time.

What happened in the last week? I did treat most of the week as "creative retreat time" we were also in a 6 day heat wave (we don't usually get temps like this until July or August, and rarely for more than 3-4 days in a row). By day 4 I was like "Fuck this! Fuck everything!" and also I don't write here about how grumpy I feel about the weather BUT ALSO this is how I feel and it's a thing that's getting in the way of doing what I want to do. This is how dreams and life collide!!

Creative Retreat time felt... really good and also really disorienting. Just that old "being in the process of change" that is so uncomfortable to be with and necessary if we want to make changes, lol!

I am listening to my dream and my dream self, and listening to myself and what I really want. And I have been in this space of believing/trusting that my intuition knows how to do this AND it's different form how I have been/had been doing things and so.... it's disorienting to map the path.

I've been saying since 2020 I want to show up "different" for the public parts of my work but haven't really known what that means. Marketing as a Creative + Spiritual Practice is really helping me, BUT/AND we've got to sit with things long enough to work through them and that's where I've been.

BUT this week I did come to a big conclusion. As I wrote a few days ago - I realized I had been waiting for my pre-pandemic self to come back and I accepted that that's not happening. The part of me who can do a ton of tasks from a list, who can take care of details around things like Search Engine Optimization and Pinterest marketing... not that those things are wrong, just that I don't seem to have the mental capacity for them anymore.

So instead of waiting to be able to do that again, I want to do things in a way that uses the strengths/desires that my current-self actually has. I just want to do this work in community with people. I've always done some free classes but I also had this sturdy marketing foundation of other things. (At one point, I did lose all of my SEO and other things happened, too, I'm just talking in general)

So I am going to do this work in community with people. Free Co-Dreaming calls, every Monday, for the summer. Focusing on Creative Dreaming As A Practice. They will be recorded, and the recording page will have a password protecting it so it's only for people on my email list (and all of you) and won't be out in public.

I have a lot of questions and unknowns about this but I want to proceed for now, and then make a decision about the fall later.

I feel SO GOOD to have a way to move forward that feels interesting/inspiring to me now.

What am I learning/How do I feel about this? Being present feels POWERFUL. Like, I didn't realize how much I was waiting for my past-self to come back and help. Being fully my present self, with the slower pace and different priorities, feels really good, like new possibilities can find me here.

What do I need now? Yesterday my Dream Meeting led me to re-arrange my work space, which created this new nap/meditation/magic space which used to be kind of a "junk space" with piles of fabric in it. The fabric is now hiding in the storage space where the air conditioner goes when it's not in use, so I have a few months to figure out what to do there, lol. But now - that space is becoming a new dream altar. I feel SO EXCITED to have an altar to ground my dreams and that's what I need now - to make some progress with it.

What does my dream need now? My dream sees me showing up for it and is happy with that.

Taking all of this into account, my focus for the next week is: Set up my new dream altar and get this new "free weekly Co-Dreaming calls" thing organized.

If you're looking for something to DO today in your own Creative Dream Alchemy Practice, I suggest....

Do the Meeting My Dream practice from the Dream Lab and see what that sparks for you

Want to try something different? Pop into the Library of Creative Dream Alchemy to find something helpful for where you're at today.

Or click here to get a journal prompt to get you started.

Community guidelines

It can be so vulnerable to talk about our dreams!

If it helps, remember that you can let us know EXACTLY what kind of feedback you want. Just put a little note at the bottom of your post to say: What kinds of feedback I am looking for on this post: Then let us know if you would like encouragement, or to hear stories of what we're doing with our dreams, or whatever you'd like. You can also say what kinds of feedback you are NOT in the mood for, or if you don't want ANY feedback.

Finding a way new through (Weekly Dream Status Report) Read More »

Making new space

Get the calendar of upcoming calls here. | Get your next Dream Book lesson here.

I started the day with a Dream Meeting.

It felt so peaceful and expansive. And then I received a message from my dream:

Re-arrange my room.

It felt urgent to move my desk to the other wall. And once that was done I saw this new space kind of open up - like an altar space beside my little bed. It gives me a little nap/meditate/relax/magic space that feels separate from the work space.

And I was like "Oh! Yes this is what I need"

So, I'm working on that now.

Forum update: I am so sorry I said I would be ready soon and now it's been weeks! I hope we have encountered the last hiccup, and I have to wait on someone to do a thing before I can see if this was the last hiccup.

If you're looking for something to DO today in your own Creative Dream Alchemy Practice, I suggest....

Do the Meeting My Dream practice from the Dream Lab and see what that sparks for you

Want to try something different? Pop into the Library of Creative Dream Alchemy to find something helpful for where you're at today.

Or click here to get a journal prompt to get you started.

Community guidelines

It can be so vulnerable to talk about our dreams!

If it helps, remember that you can let us know EXACTLY what kind of feedback you want. Just put a little note at the bottom of your post to say: What kinds of feedback I am looking for on this post: Then let us know if you would like encouragement, or to hear stories of what we're doing with our dreams, or whatever you'd like. You can also say what kinds of feedback you are NOT in the mood for, or if you don't want ANY feedback.

Making new space Read More »

Letting go waiting for my pre-pandemic self to come back

Get the calendar of upcoming calls here. | Get your next Dream Book lesson here.

I’m eating my favourite breakfast treat in the park: an everything bagel doughtnut.

I used to talk about these more, lol, but the downtown bakery that makes them has been closed for renovations since spring. Their other location is just kind of far, but also not on a great bike route, so it’s a special treat this morning.

Joseph came back late last night, so my almost-week of alone time is over.

I have been reflecting a lot and this is what has come to me:

I am not going back to my pre-pandemic self.

I mean I already know this but I think maybe I KNOW this now. And the part of me who is waiting for that version of me to come back is ready to give up on that, and look forward.

Of course, I’ve been circling around this for a long time. But pre-pandemic I had more energy and focus. I don’t think things are that different IN Dream Book but outside of it, all of my marketing, is WAY different. I used to be so consistent and there are so many things I was doing that I am not doing now.

And now I think - ok let’s let that all go. (I mean, it’s already gone, lol!!)

What is the SIMPLEST way for me to show up now?

Because I don’t care about all the things I was doing before, even if I still think they would work to bring new people in, like SEO and Pinterest marketing. I just want to do this work. I want to meditate and journal and navigate towards where I want to be and do this all in community.

So I am thinking… what if I just start doing simple, live, free classes, too?

NOT putting a ton of effort into promoting them, just putting the invitation out there more consistently.

I was doing this on Instagram before, but the nature of it being on Instagram meant we weren’t really doing it the same way we do on Zoom. What if I did free Zooms every week or every month or even just randomly?

The thing is, I have so many questions about that. And then I could get caught in those questions for a long time…

Or I could just experiment. Like, not figure out the answer to any of my questions! Just DO. And learn as I go.

Checking in with my body, this feels so good. My heart opens up, I lean forward a bit, I feel energized.

If you're looking for something to DO today in your own Creative Dream Alchemy Practice, I suggest....

Do the Meeting My Dream practice from the Dream Lab and see what that sparks for you

Want to try something different? Pop into the Library of Creative Dream Alchemy to find something helpful for where you're at today.

Or click here to get a journal prompt to get you started.

Community guidelines

It can be so vulnerable to talk about our dreams!

If it helps, remember that you can let us know EXACTLY what kind of feedback you want. Just put a little note at the bottom of your post to say: What kinds of feedback I am looking for on this post: Then let us know if you would like encouragement, or to hear stories of what we're doing with our dreams, or whatever you'd like. You can also say what kinds of feedback you are NOT in the mood for, or if you don't want ANY feedback.

Letting go waiting for my pre-pandemic self to come back Read More »

Making space for Dream Work

Get the calendar of upcoming calls here. | Get your next Dream Book lesson here.

When I CAN, like when I am not getting all stuck, I like to just do the Outer Work. Move things forward. So that's what I've been doing, but I keep getting this feeling like... Dream Work is calling me.

Maybe I don't NEEEEED it right now, but actually, in some way, I do need it?

So I did the Dream Lab and... nothing really happened.

I felt expansive and connected to my dream, and so I just stayed there for a longer meditation after the recording ended.

I think something is shifting with my inner relationship to my dreams and my conscious self doesn't know what is happening yet.

If you're looking for something to DO today in your own Creative Dream Alchemy Practice, I suggest....

Do the Meeting My Dream practice from the Dream Lab and see what that sparks for you

Want to try something different? Pop into the Library of Creative Dream Alchemy to find something helpful for where you're at today.

Or click here to get a journal prompt to get you started.

Community guidelines

It can be so vulnerable to talk about our dreams!

If it helps, remember that you can let us know EXACTLY what kind of feedback you want. Just put a little note at the bottom of your post to say: What kinds of feedback I am looking for on this post: Then let us know if you would like encouragement, or to hear stories of what we're doing with our dreams, or whatever you'd like. You can also say what kinds of feedback you are NOT in the mood for, or if you don't want ANY feedback.

Making space for Dream Work Read More »

On not following through

Get the calendar of upcoming calls here. | Get your next Dream Book lesson here.

Things are pretty smooth sailing for me right now.

I'm focused on this project, and enjoying the process. I'm in one of those magical "drama free creativity" places and just appreciating it... but at the same time it makes for boring updates, lol.

So I am sharing something I wrote a little while back and haven't shared yet:

 

On one of our calls someone said that her dream had been sending her the same message for a few years and she hadn't acted on it. She was feeling uncomfortable about not having acted on it yet...

But I felt like... OF COURSE SHE WASN’T DOING THE THING.

Because I this shit is hard!

We live in a world that pushes us to conform to it. Our dreams are calling us into our own actual truth. There is a real conflict there. No one just skips off happily into their dream.

This is hard work.

If you work at it, you can tap into DEEP intuitive knowing and get the exact right message you need.

Digesting and processing that information to the point where you can act on it is another story.

That’s why we PRACTICE.

And that’s why a Creative Dream Practice is MESSY and nebulous. We’re feeling our feelings, listening to our intuition, noticing where we are too scared to act, making big plans, being in our resistance about following through on those plans, doubting everything, finding new sources of confidence… it’s like being in a ping pong game.

BUT if you keep practicing you do find your way through.

If you're looking for something to DO today in your own Creative Dream Alchemy Practice, I suggest....

Do the Meeting My Dream practice from the Dream Lab and see what that sparks for you

Want to try something different? Pop into the Library of Creative Dream Alchemy to find something helpful for where you're at today.

Or click here to get a journal prompt to get you started.

Community guidelines

It can be so vulnerable to talk about our dreams!

If it helps, remember that you can let us know EXACTLY what kind of feedback you want. Just put a little note at the bottom of your post to say: What kinds of feedback I am looking for on this post: Then let us know if you would like encouragement, or to hear stories of what we're doing with our dreams, or whatever you'd like. You can also say what kinds of feedback you are NOT in the mood for, or if you don't want ANY feedback.

On not following through Read More »

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