God grows a New Dream for You

AnElephant Dream

An Elephant came walking into my life.
He was a Deity in selected animal form.

Largeness in size serves to grab our attention.
The sadness in His eyes I could not comprehend.

And then He told me,
“I am carrying your dreams inside.”

And I saw the images of my dreams
play out upon the expanse of His broad ears.

Bare tress showed how I had
lost faith and hope in the garden of my dreams

I had let these dreams die inside me
while He had carried them on as witness

Then He lifted His trunk and with water transformed from tears,
He showed me the wetting of a new landscape-

allowing for growth of a new dream garden.

—-
Today, I want you to believe that God carries your dreams inside of Him. God never lets our dreams die. He stills holds the vision, even as we have lost faith in our own garden of dreams. And God, being God, takes our tears and transforms them to wet and liven the garden of our dreams.

Elephants are potent symbolic messengers. THe one I am most familiar with is the Hindu god of Ganesh. Ganesh represents good fortune, blessings, wisdom, and the blessings of new beginnings.

I did not begin this image with any intent. I simply liked the eyes of the elephant. And then, the idea came to me about God carrying our dreams inside of Him, even when we have lost our faith and hope in these dreams, and they have become (what we think) is a barren landscape.

I like to believe God’s love and compassion wets our dreams giving them Life when we can not do it ourselves.

When “Hiding” is no Longer an Option- Embracing a “New You”

Scarab and the Hyena

Once upon a time there was a laughing hyena. Only it didn’t laugh any more. Labeled as “evil” when all it had been doing was surviving, it went into hiding.

But God was not done with the hyena and changed its color so it could not longer blend into its surroundings.

The palette God chose was of one of boldness, easily detected across the miles.

So, the hyena emerged. Knowing hiding was no longer an option. At once, loving its new style but still living in fear.

God realized the hyena was in denial, so sent a scarab to scurry across its view.

And the hyena understood- it had the ability to choose to embrace its newly appointed style.

—-
Hyenas represent individual discernment and instincts. The scarab is a potent symbol of cosmic awareness. They often appear at crossroads.

You can continue to be the individual in hiding. But, be aware. If you do enough personal work and prayer, like the hyena, your colors are likely to change in such a way that hiding is no longer possible.

You can embrace your new colors or deny the change- the scarab simply shows, God is watching and waiting for you to choose.

—
I know from many comments I receive that so many of you are in the middle of substantial changes, embracing a new form of yourself. I hope this image and writing helps. We do all this work on personal growth, change our colors, if you will, and then there can be moments when we still want to hide.

Love your new way of being. Embrace it. The changes have already begun. You can no longer deny the “new You” that you have become.

This is What the Fox did Say Along the Way

Lost and Found

We stumble in darkness.
We know we are lost but can not decide how to be found.
We follow a path and double back around.

We use a blind’s man touch to feel
and know we are being the fool.

The Soul is magnetized
and somehow our compass must become aligned

to the Spiritual Signal of the Divine.
Where we were lost. Now we are found.

——

I am not sure what is happening with my art. These animal creatures becoming a part of it. I dreamed of a fox and I read my favorite animal totem blogs to no avail. What did this little guy have to say?

So I drew him. His picture worth a thousand words and he, crafty as he is, found my heart that had been hidden. Sly in his ways so not to disturb the overlaying structure of grass and vegetation that I had used to cover my true light.

“How had you found me?” I asked the Fox. And was lead to the following article.

And the Fox simply said, “I was following the magnetic pull of your Soul.”

I had been lost, but now I was found. I had never been forsaken. Be still my Heart so that I may not lose my way again.

—
I wrote this because I sometimes feel some people believe that they are so lost that they have been forsaken. You have not been forsaken, you simply became lost and you will find your heart again.

Protecting Yourself by Liking Yourself

Stepping Into

I often wonder what pushes us forward in life. What transforms us? What stimulates our movement from an abusive relationship or toxic behaviors (by others or those we lay upon ourselves)?

And I think it begins with one thought inside of us – we begin to like ourselves. We begin to like ourselves enough to say “No” to things that hurt, belittle, injure, or limit us.

This initial liking may be but a small sliver, but it is enough for the magic to begin. It begins to serve as a reference for what will and what will not be allowed in our lives.

And in this liking of ourselves, we establish a sense of value within ourselves. And like anything of value, we begin to understand that we are worth protecting. So we leave harmful situations or if we can not leave, we begin to take measure both big and small to protect our value.

I do this in many ways throughout my life. The jewelry I wear and the colors I wear each day have symbolic meaning to me. No one else needs to know that if I am wearing yellow that I am working on the third chakra and my sense of self.

I also set up animal totems all throughout my home. Until recently, I had been on a reptilian trend (try finding that in a home decorating magazine 🙂 ). If you ever need to call up protective energy in your life, reptiles will show you the way. I also have statues of Kali in a windows facing outwards to protect against negative thoughts and energy.

Energetically, the possibilities are endless in how we may bolster our spirits and protect the energy we encounter. Jewelry, colors, totems, figurines may all speak to us in their unique qay.

Finally this thinking lead to the creation of the little figure up top. It’s supposed to be a hedgehog. I know nothing about hedgehogs, other than they began showing up in my dreams.

I looked up hedgehog symbolism and was confronted with a picture of one and a quote by Martha Graham – “You are unique, and if that is not fulfilled, then something has been lost.”

I was struck by this quote. We are unique and we have something to fulfill- which extends way beyond any limitations and control brought on by others or limitations we put upon ourselves by harmful behaviors and thoughts.

As I read further, hedgehogs are associated with the spanning rays of the sun. (it made me think of my image. I always create first and then learn what the image may symbolize). But the hedgehog is a nocturnal creature.

I liked this image. We often represent much more strength and power then we ever give ourselves credit for. If the tiny little hedgehog can live in the night and still represent the sun in its unique way, then certainly you and I can find it within ourselves to find our own unique representation of life.

“Like yourself” – that is the message I get from all of this. I see a little hedgehog in the image, colorfully displayed, heading with some uncertainty to the overwhelming rays of light. And I would like to say, “You are going to be o.k.”

Sometimes You Get to Be the Shark, Other Times the Swan: How Spirit Reveals Us to Ourselves

We all need to feel support in our lives. And I think it is very important we acknowledge this need and create environments and situations that support our highest selves.

For example, I am a huge fan of animal totems. I find it reassuring to fill my home with animal symbols and figurines to remind me of the energy associated with these animals.

Lately, sharks have been swimming in my mind. Sharks symbolize survival, and I would say this very much reflects something I need in my life- a sense that I can survive anything, that I am strong, and I can take care of myself.

I recently purchased several small plastic shark toys and placed them around our home. Not something recommended in home decorating magazines but it works for me. I also added a Komodo dragon to the collection- another dream image and animal totem for survival.

The coolest thing was when my husband entered our home with his children and my stepson asked, “What are these sharks?” And my husband answered, “Oh, those are Kim’s animal totems.”

How cool is that- my husband and stepchildren can have a conversation about animal totems! We all influence each other in the most beautiful of ways. 🙂

Animal Totems*

I limit myself in the most silly of ways.
Until God pulls me back from the precipice
by an equally silly means.
And I delight in such help.

The act of discovery of what it all means.
I dreamed of sharks- great and white.
They became my totem.
Animal- primal, sleek authority.

Survivor of the ages. Protector of the sacred.

I need more and purchase several toy versions
and place them throughout the home.

I lie to some people and say to them the toys are my stepson’s.
My connection to God and Spirit is not for beholding by all.

So I imagine myself- sleek and strong, sustaining,
silent, and alone, but in that shark-like way– complete.

And then I dream of swans and I think, I could be that-
The bearer of messages of love.

God moves in mysterious ways. Revealing ourselves
to us in the most delightful ways.

And I am reminded again of the one-ness of it all and how
I am both shark and swan.

* If you are interested in animal totems, please check out What’s Your Sign site. She does an amazing work and the characteristics of shark and swan I refer to in the poem come from her site.