Visioning: Celebrating the Journey

While the phrase, “enjoy the journey” trips off the tongue quite nicely, the enjoyment can quickly turn into a traffic jam if you feel that your unmanifested dream is taunting you from the collage. Big dreams mean big-time investment in releasing internal road blocks. Gratefully, if you are following your vision, the answers are a journal entry away.

I live in a safe and sacred home in Ventura. 5/26/2012

 

Last week I found myself beginning Chapter 10 of Lucia's book, Visioning: Ten Steps to Designing the Life of Your Dreams. Chapter 10 is celebrating the dream coming true. Oops. I'm still in Morro Bay, dutifully applying for full-time work in Ventura and the surrounding areas. I looked at the journal exercises which all had to do with acknowledging myself for going for my dream. I toyed with journaling anyway, imagining that the dream came true, but that is actually discussed in Chapter 8, in the Writing by Heart exercise. This brings up an important point: reviewing our work.

Reviewing our work is the same as appreciating how far we have come. Looking back at my 6/5/12 journal, I found this entry prompted by Writing by Heart, #2, page 135. DH stands for the dominant hand; NDH, the non-dominant hand.

DH: Dear Patio Table and Chairs, who are you?

NDH: I am the seed of laughter and enjoyment.

DH: Why are you in my collage?

NDH: A strong, fenced, nurturing outside space is vital for your inner life.

DH: What qualities do you have that I need to realize my dream?

NDH: Strong frame to set your tools on, to rest, to meet with friends and to work.

DH: What do you want to tell me about realizing my dream?

NDH: Light filled intention is the way to your dream. Let go of each minute and flow with the good feeling stream.

DH: Thank you so much. I really, really appreciate you being here. Please write me a poem or prose from your lovely, lovely self.

NDH: The Patio Prayer

Come close my child, come sit in my heart.

Would you not find comfort and peace here?

Be with me, be with me even if you are weary and lost.

Be with me in the sun to quench your thirst.

I am always here, my love.

DH: Thank you. I need and love you.

This entry actually did turn into a song entitled The Patio Prayer.

During this review, I realized that good dreams take time. It took 10 years to move to Morro Bay permanently in 1994, after I discovered this area in the early '80s. The surprise was that I arrived in town as a beginning songwriter.

While I am hoping that Ventura won't take that long, my work is to enjoy packing, gassing up the car, smiling at the other driver's and to remember to take snapshots of the scenic views. If I'm being prodded to “hurry up and move already,” then I know the Critic is trying to hitch a ride. Review page 109 in Lucia's book to ditch this naysayer, pronto!

One last thing. I realized this week that there are two smiling women on my collage. One is seated inside. One is sitting outside with her eyes closed, facing the sun. (That image's non-dominant hand voice yielded a different song.) Both women are smiling—happy to be where they are.

Guest blogger Dorothy Segovia, is a certified Visioning® Coach and author of My Body, My Car: How to Coach Yourself Through Life's little Accidents, featuring an original music CD. www.writeinside.com

Come hear Dorothy sing The Patio Prayer at the free concert and book signing on
Sunday, November 18, from 1-3pm at Coalesce Bookstore and Garden Chapel in Morro Bay, CA. 

Native American Healing with Visioning(R)

This months post is a letter from Vicki L. Muir to Lucia, thanking her for the healing she experienced in a Voice Dialogue session with Lucia.

Vicki is a certified Visioning(R) Coach and Creative Journal Expressive Arts facilitator working in Edmond, Oklahoma. 

Vicki L. Muir

Business Inner Circle

Email: Innercircle@Cox.net

Edmond, OK

Hi Lucia,


I wanted to thank you for the voice dialogue work we did prior to my surgery. I believe we summoned up some powerful energies that have continued to assist me in my healing journey. The images that especially speak to me are the grandmothers and the buffalo. I am still receiving energy from them. I wanted to share the experience with the CJEA group.

Prior to my surgery July 24th for a biopsy of the left lung with possible diagnosis of lung cancer or metastatic cancer, I did a collage. The collage was filled with Native American images. The images were of grandmothers singing, dancing and praying; the buffalo, a doe with her fawn; a warrior, and a central figure with spirals, animals and healing hands in a mandala. You facilitated a voice dialogue with the images, which spoke of ancient wisdom, Native practices, prayer and ceremony.

The buffalo spoke to me of power and healing as well as endurance. There were messages of connectedness, nature, and wholeness being in rhythm with the natural and universal energies. One statement said ,"journey of profound healing." This truly speaks to my experience. I believe that I summoned these energies to aid me in my journey. I was overwhelmed when the surgeon told me there was no cancer. My recovery has been remarkable with no complications. I am still feeling the energies of the images with further journaling to move me forward. Thank you again Lucia for this moving experience. I believe that the images are prophetic and hold energies of their own that come to life as we work with them.

Blessings, Vicki

PS: I would like to reiterate that this experience brought forth the importance of connection to others, spirit and the universal energies, which are always available to us. This places the emphasis on my inner connection and accessing my own power. My ancestral communication was significant because my Great Grandmother was a Native American and known as a healer.

Note: Voice Dialogue is facilitated way to interact with the collage images with the guidance of a trained coach or therapist. Using the Creative Journal method outlined in Visioning: Ten Steps to Designing the Life of Your Dreams is another way to allow the images to speak, for those who work with their collages on their own.

If anyone else has used Visioning(R) as part of your healing process, please share your story in our Comments section!

Dream Visioning®

Dream Visioning


By guest blogger Claire Perkins, 2005 CJEA graduate, dream guide and award-winning author of The Deep Water Leaf Society: Harnessing the Transformative Power of Grief.
www.ClairePerkins.com

Visioning® is great for manifesting your waking-life dreams. But did you know it works equally well for exploring and discovering the meaning of your nighttime dreams, too? Every night your dreams are bringing you guidance and wisdom, but discovering the meaning can sometimes be challenging. Collage is a perfect way to bring your night visions to life so that you can discover the wisdom they contain and apply it to transform your waking life.

Here are 10 easy steps to Dream Visioning

1.Get your dream journal and gather your collage materials together (paper, magazines, scissors, glue) in a quiet place where you can work undisturbed for 30 minutes to an hour or more.

2.If you have a written record of your dream (I strongly encourage keeping a dream journal and writing your dreams down regularly), read it to yourself. If you didn’t write it down, play the dream over in your mind—or, better yet, take the time to write it down now.

3.Close your eyes and place yourself back into the dream, as if you were reliving it. Pay attention to the main characters, the setting, and any emotions you are feeling within the dream.

4.Give the dream a title. Write it down. This is your focus phrase and will help to guide you as you create your Dream Vision. Invite your Dream Self to help you explore your dream more deeply.

5.As you begin to gather images and phrases from your magazines, stay in a meditative state. Don’t overthink it and don’t try to be too literal. Think of this as a continuation of the dream state (which is not logical, literal or linear) and allow the dream to unfold through the images you are drawn to. You may not find the “perfect” image to represent every aspect of your dream, and that’s okay. You can always enhance your collage by drawing in anything that feels missing. You may also find images that seem to have nothing to do with your dream yet “want” to be a part of your collage, and that’s okay, too. Remember to select at least one image to represent you—you as you were within the dream, or you receiving the wisdom of the dream, or both.

6.Arrange your images and phrases on your paper. Keep what resonates with the dream and release what doesn’t. Do certain images and phrases belong together? Do the words you’ve gathered create a message, story or poem? Is there anything missing that you want to add?

7.When you are pleased with the arrangement, glue it down.

8.Sit with the finished collage for a few minutes and then journal (dominant hand) about what you see. How does the collage make you feel? Does it remind you of any current situation in your waking life? Does it tell a story?

9.Which image(s) do you find most intriguing or want to know more about? Dialogue with the image(s), asking them questions with your dominant hand, and allowing the image(s) to answer through your non-dominant hand. Ask these key questions: Who are you? How do you feel? Why do you feel that way? What are you doing in my dream? What gift or challenge do you bring me? What can I do for you? Feel free to follow your own curiosity and ask any other questions you choose.

10.Journal again with your dominant hand. What is the message of this dream? What situation in your life does it seem to be speaking to? Were there any big “Ahas!” from the dialogue(s)? List three actions you will take to honor this dream – and then go out and DO them! It’s one thing to decipher what your dream is telling you, but the real power for change comes from acting on what you learned.

Example Dream Visions

 

The Big Wave    

  I am watching a huge wave break. The water comes all the way up into city streets. In a room, a small boy has peed himself. I think he must have seen or heard the wave crash and been frightened. He is holding a small fish in a baggie of water. There's a tiny eyeball floating in the water, too. I believe it is food for the fish.
~~    

Hungry Lions    

  I am exploring ancient grounds – an abandoned estate of some kind. It is not in ruins, but is overgrown and neglected as well as deserted. I discover there are feeding stations in some locations. There are monkeys and there are lions. I go to one feeding station near the front of the house (it looks a bit like a metal water pump). I can read a label on it that indicates it’s for the lions. I give it a pump, out of curiosity, and a few old cheese puffs come out. The monkeys stay back and a lion comes and sniffs at the cheese puffs. I feel sad for the lions—they can’t eat food like this. It reminds me of a zoo where people come to gawk and make caged pets of these glorious animals. I’m a bit frightened to be so close to the lions, but feel it is up to me to feed them.

~~    

Recurring Nightmare: I’ve Missed the Whole Semester!

It’s the last day of the semester and time for final exams or that major term paper is due. Except I realize that I haven’t been to class all semester long! It’s too late to withdraw and a failing grade, which I’m certain to get, will ruin my GPA and prevent me from graduating. I feel totally panicked and frantic.

~~

You can visit Claire’s digital dream journal at http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/collection?id=389795

for additional examples of Dream Visioning.

Visioning® 101 Q & A continued...

Lucia continues to answer questions from the Visioning® community.


Can I collage past lives?

I used to be a past life counselor. If one believes in them, the only reason to delve into past lives – as far as I can see -- is to see where we are blocked from a past life and how to remove the block. This takes some training and experience in past life work. Personally, I focus on blocks from this life which are usually the Inner Critic and outworn belief systems. There are plenty of those.

“As we move toward our dreams, old well-worn thoughts and beliefs are likely to come floating to the surface of the mind like so much debris. As you find wonderful images of your heart's desire, a little voice may come in and start editing. It usually says things like: 'You can't afford that.' 'This is totally impossible.' 'Who do you think you are wishing for something that outrageous?' 'That's completely impractical. It'll never happen.' 'Don't choose that picture. You'll just be disappointed when it doesn't materialize.' I speak from experience, for I've heard this voice a million times during my own personal Visioning sessions. Never mind that most of my dreams have actually come true...Before you've even had a chance to research the possibilities, get some training, find a mentor or a support system, the inner critic will try to shut you down.”
(Visioning: Ten Steps to Designing the Life of Your Dreams, page 75.)

“I am Safe from the Inner Critic” collage by Dorothy Segovia.

Can I collage an emotion or physical symptom I want to heal?

Yes, I did that before having a hip replacement. I put a thigh bone in my collage and also photos of women doing exercise (I did physical therapy after surgery and that was extremely healing.)

“Doing collages of our current self-image (and physicality) can help to heal the split between our head and our body. As long as our self-image is hidden from our own eyes, we have no choice. With greater awareness comes a wider range of options. In reflecting back to us the way in which we see ourselves, the collage acts as a mirror of our inner attitudes and beliefs. Once we see our self-image projected out onto the paper, we are free to move toward more conscious choices.”
(Visioning: Ten Steps to Designing the Life of Your Dreams, page 238.)


Will the collage still work if I stop doing reflective work over the summer, and then come back to it?

Not likely. One must honor the dream by looking at the collage and following the Visioning® process with journaling, etc. Why wait? Either you are serious or not. If not, then it won't manifest. Visioning® is not for the uncommitted. Commit to your dream and watch it unfold. If you don't feed it, it won't reward you.

Can I still use the exercises from your book with a collage I did from before using a different method?

I believe collages need to be current and reflect the state of your soul wishes at this time. An old collage reflects the past. Do another one. Even if the images are similar and the theme is familiar, or the focus phrase is the same, the process needs to be fresh and current.

Next month: Visioning® and dream work!

Lucia will continue to answer questions throughout her blog. If you have any to submit, please post in Comments. To purchase Visioning: Ten Steps to Designing the Life of Your Dreams, visit: www.visioningcoach.org

Visioning 101: Q & A

Visioning® is more than just gluing images and words to a poster board and hanging it up in a room. It is about identifying, committing to and taking responsibility for your heart's desire. This month, Lucia answers questions from the Visioning® graduates about the process.


Why don't all of the images on my collage manifest?
That is not the goal. The goal is to manifest the heart's desire. Some things may lose relevance as time goes by or manifest in different forms.

We know from the work of C.G. Jung, Joseph Campbell, and countless others that the unconscious mind, feelings, intuitions, wishes, and dreams speak most truthfully in the language of images and symbols. This is the domain of the right brain, which specializes in visual-spatial perception, metaphoric thinking, emotional expression, and intuitive knowing. It is the realm of dreams and the arts. By first approaching our deepest feelings and wishes through right-brain visual imagery in pictures, we gain direct access to the unvarnished truth of our heart's true desires. Then we verbalize our insights and our creative process. (Visioning: Ten Steps to Designing the Life of Your Dreams, page 41.)

Focus Phrase Affirmation Card: I live my own safe and beautiful place.

Why do we need to put a Creative Self first?
We need to remember that our creative self (or divine spark) communicates with the creator through our soul. We receive our heart's desire from this divine source and that same source brings about the manifestation of our heart's desire. We become a channel for divine grace.
The creative symbol is very important. It puts us in touch with the spiritual dimensions of Visioning®. It reminds us that what we do and what we have are simply the means for arriving at a state of being, not doing. What we really seek is an inner experience, not an external acquisition. The creative self symbol keeps us focused on our soul needs. For if we get off the rack, we're likely to be headed for disappointment. We may get what we want, but feel empty when we finally possess it. That's because we were going for the thing, and not the experience. People who do this end up asking the question, “Is that all there is? I achieved my goals, but I'm still unhappy. I'm depressed all the time (or tired or sick or my relationships don't work.) What happened?” Contemplating the creative self logo at the center of your collage reconnects you with your own heart and with the source of all abundance and fulfillment. (Visioning: Ten Steps to Designing the Life of Your Dreams, page 55.)

Will a collage still work without a focus phrase?
It might, but how do you know you reached your goal? It's important to have the courage to ask for what we want, in no uncertain terms. Many people are not bold enough to ask for their heart's desire because they don't think they deserve to get it. Cultivating a sense of deserving is part of Visioning® and needs to be honored. I use the metaphor of going to a restaurant and ordering what you want. If you don't ask, the server cannot fill your order. The universe works in the same way. After ordering, we don't go into the kitchen and fuss about how the chef is preparing the food. We trust that we will receive what we ordered. That's also part of the Visioning® process. Trust that if you can dream it, it will happen.

Focus Phrase Affirmation Card: It is safe to be me.

I can't seem to get a focus phrase I'd just like to go through the magazines and see where they lead me. Is this okay?

This can work. Another thing to do if you don't have a focus phrase is ask to be shown what your soul wants for you at this time. Or the focus phrase can be, “What is my heart's true desire at this time?" Then let the selection of images and words answer the question. It takes the left brain and old, stale beliefs out of it and allows possibility thinking.

Having your dreams come true brings a new kind of freedom and fulfillment. It also brings new responsibilities. There will be surprises when you realize your true desires. From each risk you take, you become stronger and learn more about yourself. From every encounter with your creative conscience, you learn more about who you could be. If you dare to dream and act on your dreams, you have everything to gain: your true creative self. (Visioning: Ten Steps to Designing the Life of Your Dreams, page 61.)

Lucia will be answering more questions again next month. If you have any to submit, please post in Comments . To purchase Visioning: Ten Steps to Designing the Life of Your Dreams, visit: www.visioningcoach.org

Visioning Choices

Dorothy Segovia is a certified Visioning® Coach, writer and singer/songwriter/performer.

www.writeinside.com

This collage was created during the final week of my Visioning® Coach certification in 2008. The theme was how was my vision work going to manifest in the world. As I was working on the collage, I distinctly had an intuition to start a magazine. A magazine??? The idea took hold for less than a minute when I suddenly got a headache. Just then Lucia, who was facilitating our collage workshop, said, “Remember, if you get headaches, stomaches, while working on your collage that means your critic is afoot.”

It's been four years and a book I'd been writing evolved first into a magazine, but then expanded into a series. The first book in the series about a car accident entitled “My Body, My Car,” is being finalized. Each book combines my experience with the Creative Journal and Visioning® processes with a music CD.

My favorite aspect of collage work is seeing the manifestation – even if it is many years later. I was pet-sitting for friends last month when the image in the bottom-left corner came true. My friends have a gorgeous red-haired, teenage daughter. The room I was sleeping in had a a round holder with scissors standing up in each of the many sections. The lake in the background represents Atascadero Lake, which was the town I stayed before and after the house-sit. And one of the animals in the house was a dog similar to the one in the photo.Having these images manifest was hugely comforting. The manifestation showed me that I was still on track. It told me that I can't possibly miss my calling. Even if I am in wandering mode, yet again, I can wander and feel safe.

I need to tell you that the original collage frightened me. It was a 2-sided, pages-added-on, mass of choices. Some images of the men scared me at the time, yet that story unfolded in the form of a musical I wrote, which is the next project in the cue. Collaging has always taken on a life of it's own. I generally collage a feeling of what I want—expansiveness, safety, knowing I am blessed—rather than tangible goals. I think it may have to do with fear of making decisions. Maybe I'm afraid of asking for what I want.
Even if that is the case, Visioning works. I have created affirmation postcards, 81/2 by 11 collages and sparse, large-scale vision boards. I cannot imagine life without my vision boards. I'm excited to find out where my next collage manifestation finds me.

Visioning a New Studio

This Visioning® story is from Ann Beazer of West Sussex, England.

Ann is a graduate of both the Creative Journal Expressive Arts certification training and the Visioning® coach training. Her dream was to have a studio at her home for conducting workshops and working with clients.

1) BEYOND MY WILDEST DREAMS

I must say that the manifestation of my dream has far outweighed my expectations and I am so delighted with the outcome! It's a beautiful space and everyone who has entered has commented on the sense of light and space and the peaceful atmosphere.

2) THE JOURNEY OF A DREAM

I am well aware that the fulfilment of any dream is an 'inside job' and I have had a very real opportunity to 'practice what I preach'.

The focus phase for my vision board in January 2009 was 'Workshops - 'less physical and practical effort' and was accompanied by the BELIEFS 'if only.... but I don't think that could ever happen, I can't see how, it's impossible.'

In August 2010

I made another vision board, this time the theme - 'A Purpose Built Studio'. What had changed? My BELIEFS had moved on to - 'Wow why not build one?

It's crazy but worth considering'.

At times I was very impatient (I envisaged an opening party picnic outdoors in June!) There were also times when I thought the way forward would be blocked (the planning authorities) and then frankly I wouldn't have to take responsibility for MY dream.

However the longer I waited for things to happen the more my BELIEFS were evolving. I found that I could not escape the hunch that this was the right thing to do though apparently crazy from a rational perspective. I really learned again that each vision has it's own rhythm and impulse.

3) YOUR DREAMS

Your dreams also have their own life and energy: they do need nurturing to stay alive. DON"T DESPAIR if your dream hasn't yet arrived, the timing is often not what we would ideally like. It's in waiting that our belief systems are aligned and clarity emerges. Do revisit your past dreams - I am sure that you will be encouraged and you may well be surprised to see what has evolved.

4) COMMUNITY OF ENCOURAGEMENT

Ultimately the new studio is not primarily a building but a centre where people can meet each other, move on, liberate themselves from the status quo (if that's what they need to do), and create a new future. I count it an enormous privilege to have met so many beautiful caring, thoughtful, generous people who have dared to tap into their intuitive wisdom and create their own future. We so need to encourage each other to be who we are.

5) FREE

My Intention for the studio is summed up by the name ELEUTHERA, which is Greek for FREE.

Here is my declared intention:

Eleutherea

A space where we are free to

Be ourselves

Slow down, muse, refresh

Appreciate our gifts and talents.

A space where we are free to

Live and think creatively

Share our enthusiasms

Play and just have fun.

A space where we are free to

Listen to the inner whisper

Acknowledge suffering as life's teacher and

Feed our souls with truth.

A space where we are free to

Welcome new hopes and visions

Make new beginnings

Discover choices often hidden from view.

A space where we are free to

Practice gratitude

Take time for wonder and joy

Encourage one another on life's journey.

GOETHE has the final word

Whatever you can do

Or dream you can do

Begin it....

Boldness has Genius, Magic and Power in it,

Begin it Now

www.annbeazer.com