Day 24: Dream Catcher

When Kiki was about five years old she was afraid of going to sleep because of recurring bad dreams. Frequently, I would roll over in the middle of the night and run into little Kiki. She would have crawled in bed next to me for comfort. One night, after reading Kiki stories I tucked her covers in tight and told her to be very still because I was going to create a protective shield to keep the bad dreams out.

If we could all believe like small children. Kiki pulled her covers up even higher against her neck, closed her eyes, and said, "I'm ready." I made "zip" noises as I went from the foot to the head of the bed and announced that the shield was in place. I made sure to tell her it was a magic shield and would automatically reengage if she got up to go to the bathroom. She seemed relieved and drifted off to sleep.

The next morning Kiki came running down to the kitchen in her flannel pj's. "It worked, I didn't wake up. I didn't have one bad dream." And so a new ritual ensued. Each night we would read stories, kiss goodnight, and zip the shield in place. I also bought a Native American dream catcher and hung it over her bed for good measure. For the most part, this simple remedy worked. Somehow, Kiki's trust in the shield made it powerful.

A few years later when I was discerning important decisions, a therapist suggested I keep a dream journal. I loved to journal, and sporadically would transcribe a memorable dream, but I never had made it a routine.

The instructions I received were simple:

• Keep a journal and a pen next to your bed.
• Before going to sleep ask for your dreams to reveal to you wisdom regarding your life. You can make this general, or quite specific.
  
• Give thanks for the Spirit's guidance.
• Upon waking, immediately right down all that you can remember from the previous night. At first, it may be very little if anything at all. Most people find the more they do this exercise, the better their dream memory becomes.
• Over time, review your dreams and look for significant details or themes that might be helpful.

I was struck how it seemed important for me to believe that my dreams held unearthed truths for me, similar to Kiki's belief that the shield could work. The dream journal exercise was fruitful. Some days it seemed as if the words I wrote down were unimportant. Many days I did not have time to read what I wrote. Yet, over time I found my dreams in my dreams...a direction became clear. One morning I even wrote down the floor plan for a home I had dreamed about. A year later I bought a home that significantly resembled my "dream" home...right down to the wrap around porch and the bonus room on the second floor.

If you are interested in getting to know a part of yourself yet unreaveled, zip into your dream catcher mode and start a dream journal. May the good ones come true! Namaste
PS-I would like to give a "thanks" and a "shout out" to Kevin DeWitt, editor for "Make the Days Count." This is a beautiful site that compiles writing on a number of subjects from spirituality, parenting, motivational topics, etc...They picked up a recent post of mine and featured it on their site.