Creating a New You

The small steps you can take that build into big changes is to practice what you find in your dreams. As an example, Ryan dreamt he was making repairs in a house he had lived in. He is mending an electric meter. He needed to screw from the bottom. It started to work and he leaned forward to apply more pressure. As he did so he looked down and sees he is balanced on a stool, balanced on two other stools. He starts to fall, but becomes lucid, and realises he cannot fall because in dreams everything is possible and you cannot be hurt unless your fear makes you do stupid things, so suspends there and finishes the job. 

Ryan described the house as one he had renovated with his wife, and related it to satisfying changes he is making in his life. The stools were ones he had known in his first marriage, in which he constantly felt unable to make positive changes. So he saw them as fears that his present positive changes would collapse. But what he found in lucidity shows him that he is not at the mercy of his anxieties anymore. And the meter is his flow of greater energy arising from his new awareness. So Ryan practised his move from anxiety to confidence until it became a part of his everyday outlook. See Programmed; Conditioned Reflexes; Habits

See if you can find in your dreams and lucidity an example of either failing or succeeding in a direction, or running away from or dealing with a threat or problem. If the dream is one of success, practice the stance or feeling quality that enables you to succeed. If it is a dream of failure, try out different attitudes or stances until you find one that makes a difference, then use it in your waking life. Write it down to secure it in your memory. See Summing Up

There is another immense resource in your dreams. If you look through your dream journal or your memory of dreams, you will see a wide variety of characters, animals, and places. The more dreams you have, the greater the variety. Each of these characters, animals and places is an expression of your own resources, your own talent, and your potential.

The fact that they appear as external simply says you have not fully identified with or claimed those parts of you yet. So when you are problem solving, when you are looking for that extra zest in creativity, or courage in dealing with a situation, call on your dream characters to help.

Start by listing your main characters and animals, and put a brief description of what their abilities or talents are, or what they bring you. Delve into them to discover this by imagining yourself as them. Playing a role is immensely important. By role play you can find out who or what the characters and animals in your dream are and what they are. Identify with the character, animal or place and discover its secrets. Whether peaceful or aggressive, wise of energetic, these are all parts of your potential. In our dreams we are all experts at acting in roles, but often we fail to really understand what enormous and varied potential we have because we believe all the characters and animals are not us. Call on them when you need to. Do this by seeking their help in a situation of danger, or if being attacked in a dream, or facing fear use a character or animal who can deal with the attack.

Recently a friend asked for help in facing a difficult change because of loss of employment. She described the image she had of her situation as that of being alone and stuck high up in a cable car. When asked what or who could help change the situation, the only figure that came to mind was Superman. He got the car moving and her mood shifted. It doesn’t matter if this seems like complete fantasy, if it shifts your feelings it has value. Remember that you are much bigger and with more resources than you believe. See Street Wisdom; Techniques for Exploring your Dreams