07 Dec Dreams Point the Way to Risks Our Souls Call Us to Make

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore, Dream, Discover.” ~ Mark Twain

 “Train yourself to let go of everything you fear to lose.” ~ Yoda

 “Active Dreaming is a way of talking and walking our dreams, of bringing energy and guidance from the dream world into everyday life.” ~ Robert Moss.

Recently I attended a Spirit & Place Program in Indianapolis entitled, “The Risk of Pursuing Your Passion.”   The panelists included multi-field entrepreneur Marg Herder, author Diana Ensign, chef Lali Hess, Dance Kaleidoscope Director David Hochoy, and visual artist Stephanie Lewis Robertson.  WFYI radio broadcaster Matthew Socey moderated the discussion.  While listening to the remarkable panelists, enjoying their inspiring stories and entertaining humor, I recorded several remarks. These are just a couple:  “Once you open that door, thousands of doors open behind it,” and “When the artist reveals something about himself, he reveals it about others.” Hearing these inspiring risk-takers talk about the call of their inner voices, and their successful endeavors, I was reminded of the conversations in my dream groups and of the following dream I had recently.

“Sky Dive”
I gaze down at the layer of clouds and jump. I spread my arms, pretending they are wings, trying to feel confident even though I cannot see through the puffy white mist to the anticipated place I hope to land. When my feet touch the ground, and I realize I am still standing and not sprawled across the pavement, I say, “That was easier than I thought.” I wake up feeling encouraged. When I turn on Facebook, I see a post by Jill, a fellow dreamer. “Sometimes your only transportation is a leap of faith.” 

I believe our dreams form images and contain messages that point the way to the risks that our souls are calling us to make. They tell us when it is safe to risk, when we have prepared, studied or trained enough to make a jump.  As we learn to listen to our dreams, we begin the process of waking up to our true gifts. And when we share our dreams with others in the right ways within the safety of a dream circle, we gain understanding, clarity of vision, and support for answering the soul’s call. Perhaps most of all, we gain the courage to surrender to the call itself, even if jumping means we can’t see the ground.

“The best thing about the Lightning Dreamwork Process is the Action Plan.” (Dreamer in “Navigating Your Dreams” Class.)

The women who have participated in my dream groups during the past year are all facing transitions in their lives which require that they risk a leap of faith. In circles using the Lightning Dreamwork Process and Active Dreaming techniques, the dreamer is helped to look through a lens of conscious perception and urged to do more than discuss symbols, themes, and plotlines.

She is encouraged by the other members of the dream circle to create an action plan for a dream, “to bring energy and guidance from the dream world into everyday life.” It may be a simple task, like making a phone call to a friend, changing the route to work that day, researching details and images from the dream or creating a poem, drawing, or song. But there are times when a dream is a compelling invitation from the inner voice, or the soul. Then, the action plan provides the guidance for taking a first step toward a jump the dreamer is ready to make and a torch to hold during the times of risk.

Return to the Meredith’s Mindful Moments archive page.