A remembering... of Dreams and Self

It is time to bring back the lost art of Dreaming and to bring back the importance to our Dreams and the guidance they provide to us. To Dream, in Egyptian means "To Awaken." When we awaken to our Dreams, we awaken to our Souls wishes and desires, to the idea we live in a multidimensional universal and to the limitless possibilities of who we are.

So often we discard our dreams thinking them to contain the trivial events of our day or the stress and worries of events to come. However, dreams bring us so much more! They are prompting us to take notice that we may be out of balance or at risk of potential illness. Dreams show us the healing that may still be required in our stories. They give us glimpses of the future in dream premonitions. They offer us guidance on decisions and choices needing to be made. Dreams bridge the gap between us and the realm of our past loved ones. While dreaming we discover our guides and dream allies. We awaken to who we really are, to our full potential, to our Souls.

I am often met with questions from people who can’t remember their dreams, asking what they can do or wondering why their dreams elude them. I borrow the term "Dream Drought" from Robert Moss. Dream drought can be brought on for numerous reasons. If we are not paying attention or giving our dreams importance then we can drift into drought. When we ignore our guides, or the messages coming from our dreams, again we are pushing our night dreams away.

I mentioned that dreaming is about awakening our Soul’s wishes and desires our path and purpose. When we are going through prolonged stress or have experienced a trauma, we may be thrust into dream drought. This shows us that we are not present to what we are living, let alone to seeing what the dreaming is showing us, ultimately we are not present to our Souls. Trauma impacts our Souls in a particular way that may cause fragmentation. This will no doubt bring on a drought.

To reawaken your Dreamers there are various practices that you can adopt, depending on what has brought on your drought. First, begin to give your dreams importance again, dedicate a dream journal to this journey. Give your dreams space and time, even if it is just five minutes when you first wake up. Write all and every snippet of a dream that you are able to bring back, even the slightest of impressions or feeling. You will find yourself surprised by how this can trigger more and more to come back until you are actively dreaming again.

You may find that you are not able to bring back even impressions or feelings. In this case, go back to the last dream that you remember prior to the drought. You can go back as far as you need to, even to a dream from childhood. Record the dream and begin to work with it looking at what the dreaming was showing you. Returning to this dream may trigger dreaming again, however it may require discipline, dedication and research to fully explore your dream.

These are just a few efficient practices that will be beneficial to reawakening your Dreams and discovering the limitless possibilities of who you are!

To further explore the lost art of dreaming and the guidance that our dreams provide, I invite you to join me on an ongoing dream journey. The Dream Circle is about coming together monthly to dream together. Each class will bring teachings and experiences to build upon your dreaming skills. Shamanic Journeying, dream walking, lucid dreaming, soul retrieval, creative visualization and active dreaming. Classes are available both in person and online. Personal dream sessions can be booked via facebook, A Sacred Journey with Serena Winterburn. 
It's time to awaken the Dreamers!

A Sacred Journey with Serena Winterburn
Monthly Dream classes and workshops
3228A Gibbins Rd, Duncan, Vancouver Island, B.C
https://www.facebook.com/sacredjourneysw/

Soul Retrieval

Deep and meaningful experiences touch our Soul. The same can be said about experiences that bring hurt, pain, trauma, stress and abuse. In some sessions with my clients we journey back to parts of their stories that impacted their Soul, questing to bring back these parts. You see when we live experiences such as abuse there are parts of who we are that are unable to express themselves. Perhaps repression is the reality that they lived, or a sudden trauma that has literally jolted a piece of the soul free. Sometimes it is the lack of living with soul and meaning that can cause parts of our soul to fly. I often see clients who are not following their inner knowing, or their guidance and dreams. This too can cause parts of our soul to leave.
Are you seeing a pattern here? Our soul has desires and dreams, our soul has purpose, and when that soul is supressed, wounded, or not being honoured it causes parts to leave, or to be left behind.
We find ourselves feeling drained, disconnected, have fears that are bigger then us, we see parts of our personality left behind that we mourn and wonder why we cant access this part of who we used to be.
But we CAN.
Sometimes we journey back, beyond our childhood, beyond this lifetime to lives we have lived previously. In one session with a client we returned to a life where she mourned deeply for the sudden loss of her husband. Her soul couldn't understand how he had left her and the pain was too great. She left part of herself there, in a sort of purgatory. It took us exploring, asking her some questions and helping her move beyond that moment to bring that part of soul back home, to the hear and now.
There are many different reasons for soul loss to occur, but we can welcome back those parts of self to move us towards wholeness.

If you are interested in a personal Soul Retrieval session or about upcoming Soul Retrieval online workshops, be sure to check out upcoming events or contact me to book your session.
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Animal Spirit Guides

Spirit Animals, or Animal guides although similar to totems, are different. Keeping in mind that our totems are our kin, and are a part of us, Spirit animals and guides are outside of ourselves and are there to teach and guide us. In dreams and shamanic journeys we embark upon a journey to call in, or discover what animal spirit guides are there to travel with us. They come to us because they are drawn to our space, magnetized by our stories. It is no coincidence which guides present themselves as their medicine resonates with our stories, the growth and healing that may be required in our lives, and the lesson that are needed for the next part of our journey. 

When we go on a dream journey it is sometime necessary to call upon a guardian to walk with us. Other times we need to shape-shift depending on what the journey wants to show us. Shape shifting allows us to be able to expand upon the limitations of our humanity. Have you ever had a dream where you were flying? Or perhaps you found yourself falling from a cliff, or standing upon the edges of it. What possibilities would await you if you knew that you could take flight!

Sometimes in the dreaming we are faced with obstacles that bring us experiences that we are meant to face and go through. Perhaps these types of journeys are bringing the potential to heal a past trauma, or to face a debilitating fear that acts as an obstacle blocking us from moving forward in our lessons. It is a journey such as this that would require us to call upon a helper, an animal spirit guide. This guide brings us the reassurance of safety and protection in this space. It is just this type of guide that would be there to teach us something of ourselves. Nudging us to grow, adapt, and perhaps adopt characteristics from our guide. What characteristics may this helper possess that would bring the type of movement we need in our lives or for the healing we require?

If you would like to learn more about dreaming, animal spirit guides and animal totems, be sure to take a look at upcoming online workshops and dream classes.

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Medicine Stories

Our stories are our medicine and power. They reflect where we have come from, our personal journey along the way and who we are walking towards becoming. There is no shame in where we have been, as every story is a lesson. There is healing, growth and wisdom hidden within every experience. In First Nation tradition medicine implies power. When we speak of "medicine stories" we speak about our most intimate stories that hold deep and meaningful lessons. These stories are revealed through looking at reactions, our issues and wounds. No one owns our stories, or can dictate to us what our stories hold. We are the masters of our own journey. Along the way we will encounter guides that may come in the form of a chance encounter, a friendship, a relationship, a teacher or perhaps even Spirit. These guides will give us the nudge we need towards the growth, healing and learning that our soul is questing for.
Hold your stories dear, for they carry the medicine of your journey. Share your stories often for they gift the lessons others may be questing for.