I ended my last update with three things:
- I need this book to stay simple. A beginning book/journal about Creative Dreaming as a Practice.
- How do I put this book into order, and give it some shape, and keep it simple?
- Or am I not at that part yet? Should I just keep making pages and exploring my ideas?
I still don’t have any new thoughts/answers about this. So I am having a meeting with the soul of the book.
(For Dream Book members, I use the Dream Lab practice, and meet the soul of the project instead of the soul of the book)
The soul of the book shows up as… as book.
The book opens up and invites people in. Once people accept the invitation, it pulls them in deep, into this surprising new world.
It’s whimsical and magical and helps them see more clearly into themselves.
So I say: My thought was to keep it simple, but now that I see you, it feels like maybe I was off?
The soul of the book says: I am not simple but I am also not complicated, I am neither, I am magic.
Me: Right, that makes sense. I guess I brought in the idea of simple because the process feels so complicated right now.
The soul of the book says: Remember that the process and the book are two different things.
Me: That feels obvious. And it also feels like there is a clue in there, something I am not seeing.
The soul of the book: Your work here is VERY complicated. You are holding space - I mean CREATING SPACE THAT HOLDS SPACE really - for the people reading/doing the book/journal to create a whole new way of relating to their dreams. You need to let YOUR work be as difficult and complicated as it needs to be, in order to create this space properly. But you are ready, you know how to do this, and some parts will be difficult, like this part where you’re not sure how to proceed.
Me: So, how do I proceed?
The soul of the book: Where is your love for this project?
Me: I don’t know. Let me see….
(Scanning my body for the love I have for this project)
Seems like it’s mostly in my head.
The soul of the book: Right. So you know it needs to come down. Into your heart and body.
Me:
(Trying to bring it down, but it’s like very very very thick honey. Sticky. Moving down at a glacial pace. I put a magnet in my heart to try to draw it in but I can’t quite get the honey (love) to touch my heart. I realize I am trying to rush through this, so I give myself more time to sit with it)
OK, my heart is starting to soften and open. It feels worried because this work will go out to a different group of people than my other work (Dream Book). There is a fear of being misunderstood.
The soul of my book: Well that’s not exactly an unfounded fear. Of course some people will misunderstand.
Me: Yeah. So how do I stay soft and open and also feel protected/ready to be misunderstood?
The soul of my book: Feels like that is your next step?
Me: But I wanted like a next step kind of next step.
The soul of my book: Well that’s ridiculous, don’t you teach people to always take the step that’s in front of them and not the step they wish was in front of them?
Me: Yup. Doesn’t mean I like hearing it any more than my clients do.
The soul of my book: You want to see outer progress.
Me: Desperately.
The soul of my book: Give this one day. Or two. Sit with your question: how do I stay soft and open and also feel protected/ready to be misunderstood? You know that this work creates a different foundation for the book to come to life, and you need this foundation.
Me: Yes, I do. Also, since I do want to do some outer work today, like writing and organizing, I can work on a different project.
The soul of my book: Perfect!