I didn't do much in my practice today, a quick check-in with my Dream Book (which I am still LOVING having it together with my planner, so I checked in with both to see how I'm doing with my plans for the week) and then I felt ready to GET TO WORK on the guided journal project.
I see the end in sight and really want to get there ASAP.
But I did keep thinking about our Co-Dreaming call on Monday and how hopeful I felt at the end, and what we can do to feel optimistic about our future - like the future of humanity.
It takes a lot of work to feel optimistic about ourselves and our own lives, but that work is necessary for any dream work to happen. So how do we translate that to the world? I did a bunch of writing about it, which is not ready to share, but it's coming 🙂
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.
Go the Library of Creative Dream Alchemy to find a practice that fits for where you are or use the Dream Lab if you're not sure where to start.
Check out the calendar of upcoming calls. Make a plan to join us live or catch a replay.
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 wanted to draw the Marketing as a Creative + Spiritual Practice practice. The ball of light and all the things it radiates out into the world.
And I wanted to leave space to keep adding things, keep sitting with this idea/question: what is it that I am offering?
I am in LOVE with all the ways this practices has changed how I do things in my business. That I now share my daily posts openly on my blog. That I now do a free call on Mondays. I feel like I am inviting people in to the world of the Creative Dream Incubator and giving them enough so they can know if they want to come in further, I don't have to promote things.
Not that promoting, or selling, are wrong! This just feels more aligned and sustainable for me right now. And that's what approaching marketing as a creative and spiritual practice will lead you to - what is aligned and right and doable for YOU as well as what delights your people.
Can't wait for next week's Marketing as a Creative + Spiritual Practice call to keep exploring!
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.
Go the Library of Creative Dream Alchemy to find a practice that fits for where you are or use the Dream Lab if you're not sure where to start.
Check out the calendar of upcoming calls. Make a plan to join us live or catch a replay.
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've been working on the artwork for the guided journal project and it's such a BIG project.
I'm at a point of feeling disconnected from it, like I am focused on small details, and I lost sight of the big picture.
So I am using the Dream Lab practice to invite in the soul of my guided journal.
The field of Creative Dream Alchemy is BUZZING with energy. It feels like being in a disco ball. Healing, transformation and creativity are all turned all the way up.
I can't quite relax into it, it does feel like a disco, so I dance with it. Sitting in my meditation, I am swaying my whole body and it feels like movement is allowing new possibilities in.
Then the guided journal dances in. It's glowing and it wants to be known as the Creative Dream Playbook.
It's thick and colourful.
It's grateful for all of the explorations I have done around the artwork, for the ways it's all coming together.
It puts it's hand on my head and says "I'm fine. You need to take care of you. You feel doubt about if you're doing good enough. I promise you are."
So... into the Un-Sticking Station with the doubt.
It feels like we're connected to the disco from the Field of Creative Dream Alchemy, but we're in some kind of chill room.
Doubt is a dot on the floor. Like, it has arms and legs but it's body is a dot.
I sit down beside it.
"Ooooofff! I worked so hard on this and maybe it's all crap!"
Why do you say that?
"Because of how I feel when I look at it"
OK, I'm going to go get my tablet, let's take a look at it together.
OK yeah, a few things feel "meh" but THIS IS A DRAFT. My plan was to do all of the hand lettering with artwork, AND THEN go through it all. The "meh" stuff is all style choices that can change! But the bulk of the work - this is gorgeous.
The dot is now.. like a ball. Like the dot was deflected and now it's inflated. It's happy. It's leaving the chill room and going to the disco.
And I am getting to work on this artwork!
Update: Turns out the doubt I was feeling was ambivalence around some of the artwork part - and once I simplified my ideas for that, everything flowed again!
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.
Go the Library of Creative Dream Alchemy to find a practice that fits for where you are or use the Dream Lab if you're not sure where to start.
Check out the calendar of upcoming calls. Make a plan to join us live or catch a replay.
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'm offering these live Co-Dreaming (Meditation + Journaling) calls every Monday.
I started doing these calls to help us all keep showing up no matter how messy things get because have you noticed how messy the world is right now?
I'm so grateful for everyone who is showing up and Co-Dreaming with me. This is so special.
This week's theme: Hope and Transcendence
Soooo interesting how so many of us had HUGE flower themes this week, and how overall our stories lead to hope and the possibility of transcendence. It didn't feel like the "spiritual by-passy" kind of transcendence, it felt more like digging deeper into the real and deep magic that we all have inside 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.
Go the Library of Creative Dream Alchemy to find a practice that fits for where you are.
Check out the calendar of upcoming calls.
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 know doing the same prompts every week can be annoying sometimes but this is magically clarifying. The repetition helps you go deeper into the process and makes it easier to LEARN from your process as you go, and the apply those learnings right away.
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. Feeling really alive. I already have it AND it's an always-work-in-process like a touchstone.
I want it because: This is hard to answer. I just want it.
When I have it I will feel: The same as now - ALL the feelings 🙂
My new moon intention: Give myself quality time and attention.
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 me - just a little bigger and she's sparkly. She says "You've got this"
PART THREE:
Last week’s focus was: Feeling full of possibility, power and magic as a practice. Meditate on it. Journal on it. Make art on it.
What happened in the last week?
I did start with possibility, power and magic as a practice but this lead to much deeper Inner Work.
I am SO HAPPY to be busing a planner consistently again, to have my Dream Book and planner all in one - it feels like my life is more cohesive! I kept on top of things, and FELT on top of things AND gave my inner work exploration the space it needed, as it kept demanding MORE.
What am I learning/How do I feel about this?
I am in an extremely generative time. All the things that fell apart in the last three years and being re-built and I am coming back to life - not as I was but in this new way. I AM feeling full of possibility, magic and power.
What do I need now?
My dream holds my hands and says "You already have it"
What does my dream need now?
Same as last week - I just feel it pouring into me, not asking for anything from me.
Taking all of this into account, my focus for the next week is:
Remember that I already have it. And this week had a lot of STUFF in it, I want next week to have less stuff, more space for creativity.
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.
Last weekend I was in an Un-Sticking Station meditation and couldn’t find the thing to focus on/invite in.
There was too much happening inside me to be able to focus on any one thing.
So I did my best to just stay with all of the sensations in my mind and body and then I felt it:
There is a tidal wave of healing coming at me.
This last month it feels like SO MANY PIECES fell into place. The ways I’ve been healing and recovering from how the early pandemic experience flattened me, and all the ways I have explored all the things that got stirred up in that process…
All of that somehow came together and I’ve been feeling renewed. So excited about my life. Like things are opening up. My creative, work and self care routines feel so solid and nourishing.
It’s like I stepped up, and this stepping up unleashed a tidal wave.
I don’t understand it.
I’m just trying to be with it.
So today I am meeting the tidal wave in the Un-Sticking Station.
It’s huge. It could absolutely destroy me.
I’m just standing here, looking up at it, undefended. Kind of curious about how “undefended” is how I feel.
The total wave speaks: “There is no way to defend yourself from me. I’m here. I’m unimaginably huge. There is no where to escape.”
And yet, right here in this moment, I don’t feel in immediate danger from the wave. It’s frozen in front of me.
So I sit down. Spread out a picnic. Offer it a cup of tea. It accepts, and these little arms come out of the wave, to pour little sips of tea into it.
“Oh that’s nice, Earl Grey?”
“Yes, I’ve been putting a bit of my homemade lavender syrup in it.”
“So good”
“So, is this the practice? To practice being undefended in the face of you? To offer you tea?”
“I”m still coming for you. It’s not an attack, it’s just a happening.”
“But as I sit here, you don’t seem as ominous or scary. It seems almost purposeful? And I remember how UNDEFENDED is the term that came to mind about how I feel and that seems like it’s about how there is nowhere to hide, and no way to impact what is coming…”
Which makes me think of the ways I (and all of us!) can avoid inner work even while doing inner work. The places where we won’t go. The parts we don’t see.
A tidal wave implies the loss of the ability to do that. Scary but also - "next level" in a good way.
I offer the wave the rest of my cookies and let it know I’ll be back to visit tomorrow, if it’s still here.
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.
Go the Library of Creative Dream Alchemy to find a practice that fits for where you are or use the Dream Lab if you're not sure where to start.
Check out the calendar of upcoming calls. Make a plan to join us live or catch a replay.
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 trying to show up and practice creative dreaming but today is just MESSY.
I am doing the Being Filled with Possibility, Magic and Power practice. And the Dream Lab. And the Marketing as a Creative + Spiritual Practice.
Nothing feels like anything I want to share about - like it's just messy and off. And that's ok! Some days are messy and off. These are important and valid days too.
So instead I want to tell you about my new Art Therapy Box.
I got a wooden "toolbox" from Ikea. I already had a little wooden box that fit my oil and water soluble pastels, watercolour paints and paint pens, which is smaller and sits on top of the toolbox.
The toolbox opens up with 4 compartments that I filled with tools (scissors, glue, brushes, etc) and then the big box section is full of acrylic paints.
I keep it all on my floor with my big Un-Sticking StationJournal (a big purple hardcover sketchbook).
All the feelings I don't know what to do with go in there. I do the Un-Sticking Station practice as best I can with them AND have permission to not do it, to just use this journal as a place to express whatever I am feeling.
It's a big mess of contradictions.
This is a practice I started last summer (having the separate journal just for Un-Sticking because there is Just So Much right now) and I just realized today maybe I have never shared about that here. I've been so happy since setting up the little art supply station for it, and using it much more.
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.
Go the Library of Creative Dream Alchemy to find a practice that fits for where you are or use the Dream Lab if you're not sure where to start.
Check out the calendar of upcoming calls. Make a plan to join us live or catch a replay.
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’m practicing feeling full of possibility, magic and power this week.
I was practicing over the weekend and have had some AMAZING experiences with it.
I shared it in the Co-Dreaming Call this week - check it out on the replay!
But I’m not feeling it today. I had a frustrating conversation with my husband and I'm a bit crabby.
What do I do from here?
I could blame my husband for “making me” feel the way I feel right now and spiral into resentment and then get really mad that I don’t feel the way I feel.
And I do take this option sometimes, but that's not what I want to do today.
How do I get back to where I want to be?
There are so many techniques for forcing yourself into a specific thought. I’m not into any of that - though at one time I found that work helpful.
What I want today is to have the space and grace to be where I am.
I WAS feeling full of possibility, magic and power. I’m dreaming of feeling that way again. What I AM feeling now is:
Cold
Tired
Fuzzy
Hmmmm. I mean I knew I was cold, but now, really being with my feelings, I realize I am too cold.
It was cool overnight and it’s heating up so I am dressed for warmer weather than I am in. Then the tables at the park all got power washed and are still wet so I came inside for a bit and I think they have air conditioning on?
I'm actually really uncomfortable. I should go outside and sit in the sun.
Then I just have: tired and fuzzy. How do I take care of these?
I think both would be best taken care of with some journaling… I have a bunch of paint pens with me I can write this new practice in my weekly planner and see if that helps me get into the creative flow, which is not far away from possibility, magic and power.
Update: YES this all worked. I didn't feel SUPER CHARGED EXTRA FULL of possibility, magic and power but I took a baby step towards it and that's enough.
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.
Go the Library of Creative Dream Alchemy to find a practice that fits for where you are or use the Dream Lab if you're not sure where to start.
Check out the calendar of upcoming calls. Make a plan to join us live or catch a replay.
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.
Our theme this week is: feeling full of possibility, magic + power.
I'm offering these live Co-Dreaming (Meditation + Journaling) calls every Monday.
I started doing these calls to help us all keep showing up no matter how messy things get because have you noticed how messy the world is right now?
I'm so grateful for everyone who is showing up and Co-Dreaming with me. This is so special.
I will keep posting the replays here on my blog. If you want to attend live, register here to get the Zoom details emailed to you.
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.
Go the Library of Creative Dream Alchemy to find a practice that fits for where you are.
Check out the calendar of upcoming calls.
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 know doing the same prompts every week can be annoying sometimes but this is magically clarifying. The repetition helps you go deeper into the process and makes it easier to LEARN from your process as you go, and the apply those learnings right away.
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: I am re-doing all of this and still in the process of figuring it out. It feels SO VULNERABLE and WEIRD to not have any answers right now, but if we always know where we're going, we can't get anywhere new.
This week I did start to write about this in my new Dream Book (!) and I have:
Being the artist + writer I want to be. Feeling really alive. Creative. Engaged. Expansive. Spacious.
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.
My dream comes in with a big hug and I start crying. My husband and I are in a rough patch this week, and my dream is reassuring me that my dreams live independent of my marriage. This can be rough, and it can even end, and I will still have me and my dreams.
PART THREE:
Last week’s focus was:To treat myself and my life as precious.
What happened in the last week?
I really did do that. When things felt hard, I gave myself space, I honoured my feelings and needs. This is treating myself as precious.
A lot of thing felt hard AND a lot of things felt good. In the New Moon intention setting call, I saw my life with a lightning bolt in the middle. My work life, my creativity, my self care - this felt so alive and expansive. My home life, the struggles we are in, felt heavy and depressing.
I love how all the good stuff existed just as firmly as the hard stuff. Like not compartmentalizing, but not letting a hard thing take over everything good.
What am I learning/How do I feel about this?
So much! When things are rough in my current relationship, I see the patterns. All the ways I've felt this way before. All the ways I've created these same patterns before. It's like - here is your next level of healing. How can you interrupt this pattern in a new way?
I remember the slogan from the spiritual centre I used to go to "change your thoughts, change your life" and that feels so ridiculously shallow compared to where I am now. Thoughts have no real power here and there are SO MANY MORE ways to create change that don't involve my ego choosing what I "should" want and how I "should" feel and then forcing my mind to go along with it in the hopes that my feelings and whole living body follow suit.
I feel full of possibility, power and magic. Hard times are transformative and I am holding onto that.
What do I need now?
Feeling full of possibility, power and magic as a practice. Meditate on it. Journal on it. Make art on it.
What does my dream need now?
I just feel it pouring into me, not asking for anything from me.
Taking all of this into account, my focus for the next week is:
Feeling full of possibility, power and magic as a practice. Meditate on it. Journal on it. Make art on it.
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.