Your Heart’s Desire

Artwork by my young friend River

To Come Home to Yourself

 May all that is unforgiven in you,
Be released.
May your fears yield
Their deepest tranquilities.
May all that is unlived in you,
Blossom into a future,
Graced with love.

-John O’Donohue from To Bless the Space Between Us: A Book of Blessings, Doubleday

As Valentine’s Day approaches, I’m reflecting on how my Natural Dreamwork process continues to be like a divining rod, calling me home. As a yogini, I’m drawn to the Hindu notion that within each of us lies an actual center of spiritual consciousness called the lotus of the heart, where the Self dwells. Our dreams can lead us there. Natural Dreamwork, like yoga, is a more embodied experience. Rather than interpreting our dreams, we step into them and bring them to life allowing our dreams to reveal our deeply held feelings and desires. They can also elucidate conditioned responses, frustrations, ways we are disempowered to be ourselves which can paradoxically lead us to what we feel and want.

This painting done by my young friend River was explained to me by the artist herself. The colors or feelings are moving up to clear out the debris of the heart. This is apropos as our dreams bring to light any repressed feelings and areas of our life such as guarding, wounding, or obstacles we all have that disconnect us to our true self, our soul.

I’ll share a few recent dreams that encourage this ongoing journey home. I had this recent snippet:

 I am being fingerprinted. 

No other information or context. Snippets can be powerful in and of themselves. As I live into the moment of being fingerprinted, I am aware it’s a pleasant experience. Fingerprints are our signature of uniqueness, like snowflakes, no two are alike. In combination with a second recent dream, more is unearthed: 

I am at a vision board party. I’m looking through magazines that were brought by a friend. I’m not liking the selection of magazines. They aren’t my kind of magazines.

While there are no clear directions in the dreams, I’m invited to pay attention to what I desire, what feels in alignment with myself and what does not, learning to be discerning; the dream magazines don’t have my unique signature. Sometimes the dreams show us what doesn’t feel right, what are not “my kind.” My homework or dream moment to be with is: feel into your knowing of what you want for your visioning board, visioning if it’s true for you. 

What I am noticing in my waking life is an excitement and energy of reconnecting with parts of myself that I’ve left behind, selves that are more adventurous, free spirited, child-like, that were obscured by responsibilities, graduate school demands, etc. and I am making choices to honor this unfolding.

Our dreams are an ongoing, exciting journey. Like breadcrumbs, they offer us a trail home if we are willing to follow them. So, in honor of Valentine’s Day, may you open to your heart’s desire.  Following the prompts in your dreams is a beautiful way to begin this journey home. 

You can learn more about Jan’s work HERE