Cultivate Paying Attention to Your Life

"Don't let what is precious be carried away by the demands of the world."

As I sat outside this morning on my weathered Adirondack rocking chair with my morning coffee I reflected on my latest dreams.

I do not always remember my dreams. The last few nights I have remembered bits and pieces of my most recent dreams.

Dreams come from the deep subconscious and speak to us through symbols.

I have learned to regard them as important messengers--offering clues, insights, and invitations to look more deeply. Like a curious puzzle, each dream asks to be gently pieced back together and understood.

Listening, wondering, and allowing meaning to unfold from my dreams rather than to force interpretation. Sometimes the messages are immediately clear. More often, it reveals itself slowly, like a flower opening one petal at a time.

Two nights ago, I had dreamt my husband and I were thawing out a freezer. There was so much built up ice that it was not working properly. We propped the door open safely so no child could play in it and get locked inside. When I walked back to the freezer a bit later to check on the progress of the thaw, I saw a small black, white, and brown spotted dog curled up in the freezer fast asleep. The dog was not distressed. It was simply curled up and resting deeply. Curious.

Another part of the dream floated back to my awareness. I had given a painting I had done to one of my daughters-in-law. She was disinterested in the painting. She decided to try to sell it on the street at an open air market. She propped the painting up and put a box out next to it and watched as people dropped coins into the box.

This was a strong reminder to me that my family is not my audience. Strangers without any connection to me, out in the open air, were interested and began to drop coins into the box. They were showing value for my creative work.

My interpretation of this dream reminds me of the sanctuary we have created in our garden and in our home. The little dog is a symbol of unconditional love, loyalty, and companionship. This sweet dog found sanctuary too--in an unexpected place. It's tri-colored coat represent light and shadow, earth, purity, potential, and grounded balance.  Much like the wisdom that comes to me--not with a lot of fanfare, but with depth and gentle awareness.

The freezer represents something preserved in the depths of my being, waiting patiently for the right season to thaw. Perhaps there is a part of me that has remained frozen in place, longing for sanctuary, acceptance, and trust. As the ice melts, I am invited to welcome all of myself -- the writer, the painter, the mystic, and creator. The dream reminds me that what has been quietly waiting beneath the surface is not meant to remain hidden. It is ready to emerge, to be shared, and to take its rightful place in the light.

Are there still pockets within me that I have frozen in place? Was I still preserving my artistic gifts -- protecting them from judgement and rejection? The dream invited me to prop open the freezer door and begin thawing the layers -- to allow the melting to take place. To soften the fear of criticism, release the need for approval, and trust what wants to emerge. In essence, let the light shine in and the air around begin to move.

And then, I was walking Rosie at the dog park the next morning and a little black, white, and brown dog just like the one in my dream appears. Pay attention. This is real. He came running up to greet me at the dog park. I spoke with the owner and shared the amazing synchronicity of meeting the dog from my dream. His name was Coco. Cocoa is something you hold in your hands and it brings warmth. The thaw has begun.

Healing and poetry in dreamtime merging effortlessly within my waking life...when I pay attention to the nudges and wisdom of my Soul and unseen network of loved ones-- answers magically unfold and reveal themselves.

My next dream, the following night, found me aboard a ship near Caracas, Venezuela. I have never been there, yet I was navigating the nearby waters of the Caribbean Sea. To me, Caracas represents a place of intensity and complexity--a landscape where protection, vigilance, and survival might be heightened.

In the dream, I was protecting children on the ship from the possibility of being taken. A ship is often associated with a journey, a crossing, or a vessel carrying us through emotional and spiritual waters. Different than on land, a ship asks us to trust as it carries us to the next port.

Caracas is far away which may represent parts of myself that have felt neglected, distant, or exiled. The children may represent the vulnerable aspects of my own inner landscape - sensitivity, creativity, and innocence. Perhaps, I was protecting my precious gifts that are ready to be nurtured, acknowledged, and brought safely home to heart. The ship sailed to an unknown territory where the heart is ready to go, before the mind understands the terrain.

Both of these dreams held profound insights and messages for me to wake up and pay attention to where my energy, attention, and intentions were being directed. In the busyness of daily life, I had been neglecting myself and not honoring my spiritual practice. I had not been writing as much, nor had I been tuning in to my spiritual team as often as I would like.

They showed up in my dreams to call me gently back. When life becomes noisy and full, our Angels, guides, intuition, and inner wisdom often reach us in the quiet hours of the night, when distractions fall away and we are more able to listen.

I love the spring time and I know how busy May in the garden can be. There were a few house projects to finish, flowers to plant, grandchildren to watch, bikes to ride, and memories to be made. But these dreams reminded me that tending to my own inner garden is just as important as tending the one outside my door. The dreams never come as a reprimand, but a gentle tapping on the shoulder.

"Don't forget yourself

in the

beauty of all

you love."

The freezer door is opened. The children were protected. The message was received. As summer approaches, I return to the page, to my practice, and to the quiet conversations with Spirit that have guided me for so many years. The garden is growing, and so am I.