This is how dreams begin:
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.
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 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:
- Dream Work
- Inner Work
- Outer Work
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.
