“It’s the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting.”
There is a tradition in my family of making a wish (creating a dream) on your birthday. Maybe you know this ritual too?
Here’s the scene: A group of family and friends gather around the birthday person. The lights go dark. People begin to sing. A delicious treat is presented to the guest of honor. There is a candle (maybe several). You face the candle, close your eyes and hold a vision, a dream, a wish in your mind’s eye. Then you blow the candle out. With your air you set the vision into motion and out to the ether, hoping someone out there is watching and will hook you up.
As a dreamer, I love this ritual. In fact I make a wish every time I blow out any candle.
However, culture and tradition have a different idea for my wish, and here’s the clincher: YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO TELL ANYONE WHAT YOU WISHED FOR BECAUSE THAT WOULD BRING BAD LUCK AND RUIN YOUR WISH AND YOU WILL NEVER GET IT!!!
You mean, I could ruin my dreams by sharing them with others? A doe-eyed toddler version of myself is told. OK, I will keep it all to myself, forever...I promise...
I wonder though, if we never tell people what we are wishing, how will anyone ever know and be able to help us?
Are we betting 100% on a benevolent mysterious something who will grant it out of the blue? Why is it unlucky to tell Uncle on your birthday that your dream is to become an actress?
I think it is imperative that we share our dreams, that we tell people who know us, or even those who don’t because - then they can be on our side! Then they can point energy and opportunity our way. Maybe we don’t tell Uncle because he would laugh and I would feel foolish… But also, maybe Uncle is dating a woman who works in casting for a local theatre? But he never knew you wanted to be an actress so it never dawned on him to hook you up?
Speaking our dreams out loud also gives them the power of our voice, and our mind hearing our voice is reminds us of what is possible each time we do.
Now, I don’t necessarily think we should all go around shouting from the rooftops our deepest desires, but not because it’s a secret, but because dreams do need protection, as much as they need nurturing, especially when they are young and vulnerable.
If a dream feels very tender, very dear and very exquisite, do not hand it over to someone who will bash it in with their negativity or “good intentions” of keeping you safe or avoiding disappointment. Be careful of folks who identify themselves as “realistic” or “practical.”
Some folks can’t help it, they are wired to point out problems, obstacles, reasons not to do pretty much anything. You know who these people are in your life. We love them, we appreciate their concern and they help us to strengthen our belief in ourselves.
What you need to truly nurture your dreams is support in many forms. It is imperative that we find people with whom we can share, discuss, and nurture our dreams. These may be people already in our lives, or perhaps we hire a coach, or find other dreamers to connect with on the internet.
Find safe people. And we need to ask ourselves, am I a safe person? Do I know the dreams of my friends?
Ideally everyone in our circle will know our dreams, and become an ally on the journey. We need to proceed slowly and cautiously as we share. We can ask for specific support, and be that support for others.
This is the element of air, communicating and circulating our dreams. Even a seed in the deep dark soil needs circulation.
Navigating a supportive dream team is a process that takes some time and careful curation, but the one person who must be on our side is US!
We can only care for our dream as well as we care for ourselves. Enter the elements:
Earth - taking care of our bodies
Water - caring for our emotions & spirit
Air - learning new things, watching the mind, communicating
Fire - taking action, trying new things, following your intuition & inspiration
Caring for these four elements will create a strong foundation for our dreams (OUR LIVES) to flourish.
IDEAS FOR ACTION:
Create a support section in your journal/sketchbook/notebook - don’t have one? GET ONE!
-Make a list of who has been, or might be, supportive in your life. List ways to contact them.
-Write a description of what support means to you.
-Describe something or someone that feels supportive to you.
-What improvements might be needed in your support system?
-What kinds of support are you willing to provide for others?
-What kinds of support does your creative dream need?
-Contact me! I’m already on your team, didn’t you know?