Day 20/ 366 days Towards Self- Mastery. Status: contemplative
Your wealth is in your dreams, literally, according to Sarah Ban Breathnach.
"May your dreams come true," a greeting that we commonly extend.
"Follow your dreams," advice we give our children.
What are your dreams? I'm curious. Are you someone who has always had dreams?
Are they there waiting in the recesses of your mind whilst you get on with the business of life?
For me, it's mainly been dreams of figuring things out. Figuring out how to live happily, which eventually I realised was figuring out how to simply live. It's not that I had a horrible upbringing as some have had. It was just that there was no magic, no joy, no levity, no humour. It was something more hidden.
Hidden in between the folds of crisp clean linen, Saturday spring cleaning (every Saturday), regimented meal times, kitchen duty, rows of shoes to polish to a glossy black, hours of ironing and folding clothes, Sunday church, and more duties and responsibilities. Life was hidden in the back cupboard of a childhood lost to cleanliness and tidy, and unrelenting commands.
My dreams were few. There was no time for day dreaming or an imaginative fantasy world. No rhymes or story books nor magic between the pages. Life was lost in the layers of a barren and dry terrain.
From the earliest age I wanted to make people happy. I wanted to put an end to their suffering. Driven by the suffering around me, I'm guessing.
When I escaped my family home, I set out to find my own path to happiness. It's taken a lifetime. And I've arrived. My life is joyful, I'm content, and now I'm beginning to dream.
Today's inspiration:
Your deeply personal dreams are where your wealth is.
You can search the world over for an opportunity to find your fortune, or you can look within and pursue your most passionate dream.
Your dreams are your soul's calling. This is where your wealth is. Let this be your beginning place.
As I slowly piece my joys together I imagine that my dreams will come together as well.
My greatest interest remains learning about and understanding the human condition. My work involves supporting my clients to find their path to joy, to peace of mind, to vibrant physical health, and to a life of ease. It's only recently that I found the course material that matched my own experiences of the world, and I dived right in. Currently I am entering the 4th and last year of a Masters in Gestalt Psychotherapy.
My love of nature is equally inspirational. My desire to live in a flourishing and mostly edible garden has been one dream that I've held onto. And it's one that I'm beginning to realise. Step by step I am turning my urban piece of land into a garden.Currently I have 21 fruiting trees, all juveniles and already showing off with their first fruits.
The impact that the elements of wood, fire, minerals and water have on us and all living beings holds my fascination, and the influence of the seasons intrigues me. My work involves working with energy and consciousness, and the question, "how does a closer relationships with nature support us", and equally, "how does our separation from nature hinder our health and wellbeing?" I'm interested in and work with the consciousness of my clients and the consciousness of those elements and seasons as they impact my clients.
Recently I've became interested in eco-psychotherapy, which possibly could be a marriage of those interests. What else is possible?
If you have dreams, explore them now. Bring them off the shelf, dust them off, sit down with them and see what else is possible.
366 days Towards Self-Mastery
When I considered my New Year's intentions for 2020 I had just one: To allow my heart to love what it loved...and let it lead me. (If not now, then when?)
I've spent months working on integrating my life. To live life more fully with my home life, my interests, my work, my responsibilities, all coming together, all connected. I want to give each the attention that they desire and need, and still have time and energy for the others. That means living and working from the heart.
As I was clearing out my bookshelf over the Christmas break I discovered Simple Abundance. I set it aside to explore it on New Year's Day as I lazed through another delicious day of nothingness. Sarah, the author, says this book is about living in grace. Living in grace I realised, is about Self-Mastery.
My thirst for understanding the human condition has driven me all my life, and hand-in-hand with self-mastery it has been a life-long goal. And seeing as I love to write, that living in grace is about self-mastery, and I love a bit of a challenge, then if I am truly going to let my heart lead, I really don't have any other choice. So scary as it feels, I'm starting out on a daily mission of leaning into the suggestions of this daybook and making a daily post to keep me accountable. If not now, then when?
I'm Josie. You can find out a little more about me here.
Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy: by Sarah Ban Breathnach
This book is written for the Australian and NZ market because it refers to seasonal changes. It's available on Amazon here if you'd like to follow along.