Keeping Up with Your Big Dreams

Years ago, I selected the drumming track on my iPhone and journeyed into non-ordinary reality to meet the Spirit of my town.  My intention was to learn what the town needed (so basically, what I needed). 

A masculine energy offered a suggestion for rooting into the ground like an old oak tree.  He sent an image of a tree with wild winds surrounding it—all while it remained calm and steady in the storm. 

I asked why it was so windy in my town, and why these winds were so strong, then received this reply: "People know what they desire here.  They have big dreams—all possible, but big—which leads some people to distract themselves.  The resistance that arises with their higher frequency dreams brings discomfort, so they choose movement—moving fast (physically, and mentally)— away from feeling the resistance..."

This reminded me of Joseph Campbell's description of the storytelling structure—The Hero's Journey—where the hero experiences two areas of resistance:  First, when they refuse the call to a new path toward something they're really yearning for, and again after gaining wisdom from all of the trials and challenges they've survived, but fear sharing that wisdom with the community they initially left behind.  How will their message be received?  More importantly, how will they, now changed by the adventure, be received?

This storytelling structure has been around a long time and is common across cultures, and so it's important to recognize that resistance—experienced as tension, "stuckness," confusion—is just part of the human journey.  

Can you see yourself at either of these two junctures in your own journey?  

If yes, what if this resistance was a sign that you're on a path that is serving you?  Alternatively, how can you be sure that it isn't saying it's just not time, or it's not something you need to do? 

If you find that you're experiencing some of the signs of resistance, your nervous system may be picking up on cues of danger with your new path.  Has it made you fight, flee, or shut down?  If yes, give yourself a few moments of coming into a state of acceptance with all that you are experiencing so you can get back into the flow.  As the Spirit of my town added, "To catch up and feel aligned with the big dream, movement is needed, but it's about moving into awareness from a place of stillness like being the oak tree."

So how can you shift from resistance to acceptance by enhancing your awareness of all that you're experiencing?

Step 1:  Find a safe space, and take a moment to notice your breath.

Step 2:  Set your intention.  As the hero/heroine in your journey, what are you really, really, yearning for?  "I intend to... or I choose to..."

Step 3:  Gratitude can help you to feel safe to receive your big dream, so take a moment to extend some gratitude for your journey so far.  What are you grateful for most? 

Step 4: Complete the following sentences to accept what you're experiencing. This process offers moments to align with your truth, thereby softening the resistance to change so you can move forward into what is serving you. 

• Circumstances (What are the specific facts in the situation?):  "I accept that ... happened/is happening, and I'm/it's okay." 
• Thoughts & Beliefs (What specific thoughts and beliefs arise from this circumstance?):  "I am noticing and releasing thoughts and beliefs that..."
• Emotions (What specific emotions arise related to those beliefs?): "I am noticing and releasing emotions of (fear, anger, shame, sadness, grief...)"
• Physical Sensations (Where in your body do you feel that emotional energy/discomfort? How would you describe the physical sensations?): "I am noticing and releasing the physical sensations of (tightness, pulling, buzzing, heat...)."

Step 5:  Now that you have listened to the truths about what you are experiencing, how do you feel in your body?  Does it feel like you're more in the flow?  If yes, from this place of acceptance, you can ask yourSelf, "What is the next step toward my most expansive dream?"  Let yourself receive the message. If it comes in an image, you can then ask for more clarification to determine what the image means until you are clear about your next step.  

Resistance is a common experience.  Your nervous system chooses the best physiological response (fight, flight, freeze) to your circumstances (to keep you safe) below your conscious awareness, so have some compassion for yourself.  The discomfort of this resistance can be frustrating, but becoming aware of the frustration can help you get back in the flow, and allow you to remember that you just might be on to something!

If you could use some support moving through the resistance, I invite you to schedule a free Freedom to Flow Discovery Call with me.  During this time, we'll gain clarity on your biggest challenge, review resources that can get you started, and see if we're a fit.  I look forward to connecting with you!

Thank you for your service!