The World is as you Dream It

I just got back from my annual trip to the Amazon rainforest which is a halfway stop in the six-month coaching program, the Remarkable Women’s Journey, that I co-lead with Lynne Twist and Sara Vetter.? This is our 8th year guiding a group of women on a journey of “unlearning” to relearn what is true for them from a deeper place – informed by indigenous wisdom and the natural world.?

I am always amazed at the transformation that occurs for all the women.? Time seems to stand still in the jungle.? Not surprising, as time is a modern world construct. Without internet access, watches off, and cell phones packed away, one day merges with another.??We experience time out of time hiking through the forest, sitting at the feet of the shamans, ceremonies at sacred waterfalls, and listening to the jungle come alive at night. The divine feminine and masculine energy seem to find a perfect harmony together.? Our nervous systems slow down to the heartbeat of the earth and the river.? Anxieties, worries, preoccupations fall away and are replaced with a calmness and clarity that is breathtaking.

We visit two indigenous nations in the pristine sacred headwaters of the Amazon river in the SE corner of Ecuador, bordering on Peru –the Sapara and the Achuar.? Both tribes are dreaming cultures.? They believe that the spiritual world lives side by side with the material world and is accessed through our dreams.? Different sacred plants – tobacco, ayuhuasca, datura - are used as a portal into the spiritual world as well.?

Day to day decisions are influenced by the dreams of the night before.? In Achuar territory, families rise every day at 4:00 AM to gather around the fire and drink tea made from the guayusa leaves – a natural stimulant and purgative. After drinking as much tea as they can, and purging as a means of cleansing their system, the elders interpret their dreams.? The interpretation helps set their intentions for the day – what to do and not to do.? Any important family or community decisions are also discussed at this time – with the added filter of their dreams. For bigger life decisions and guidance, or for spiritual healing, the indigenous plant medicines is used.?

Here is what I love about these dreaming cultures.? They believe that the truth lies in the spiritual realm and the world is actually as you dream it.? It is in the spiritual realm that what is longing to happen becomes clear.? You get to practice it in the material world.? AND THERE IS NO NEED FOR A SECOND OPINION!.

This brings us to another EPIC! Rule of the Game:

EPIC! Rule #27: Trust your intuition of what is longing to happen.?No need for a second opinion.

I have said often that the Decade Game is not the thing. It’s just the thing that lets us discover the thing.?The REAL thing is that we each know, deep down, what is longing to happen for us.? We might not know the specifics, but we do know that we want to experience the deep joy and wonder of being alive every day.? We want to show up as our best selves with the people we love.??We want to have an experience of aliveness, intellectual stimulation, and community where we work. We want to be of use and contribute. ?We want to be able to do a little victory dance at the end of every day for a day well spent.

So, what happens?? We forget that we know what our heart desires. We forget who we really are. We forget that the past is not determinative of the future. We forget how to dream big. ?And then we second guess ourselves –and let others join the chorus.

?“Wouldn’t it be cool if ten years from now, I knew myself and was known by the people who love me and the people who count on me as …”.

That is how the Decade Game starts. Without any emphasis on the “how will that happen?”, we imagine the coolest possible avatar/superhero that would make this the most epic decade yet in our lives.?

To do this, we engage both the conscious and sub-conscious mind in a form of daydreaming, sharing the same neural pathways of visual and emotional processing as the unconscious dreaming state. Unlike dreaming, visioning engages the prefrontal cortex which allows us to engage in structured thinking (i.e. the Decade Gameboard) to puzzle out potential pathways to achieve our dreams, one baby step at a time.

It's like magic.? Just like in the spiritual world – time is not a factor. When you vividly imagine an exciting future scenario, your brain goes to work and starts building new neural pathways. Contrary to popular opinion, the brain is not that smart. ?It doesn't distinguish between a real experience and a vividly imagined one. The Decade Gameboard facilitates repeated visualization of the dream, which strengthens these pathways and leads to changes in behavior, attitudes, and perceived possibilities. And more good news.? The old patterns that no longer serve you can weaken, while new, more positive patterns create a new normal.

You can trust this process.? It’s science!!!? In your heart of hearts, and in your gut, you can trust what is longing to happen. Just like the game of make-believe you played as a child, if you believe it with all your heart, you can make some version of it happen. And enjoy the game.

Love and light

Carolyn

PS. The Decade Game is a multi-player game. ?Instead of settling for growing old together, why not grow EPIC! together! After years of requests, Rob and I - my purpose partner - ?are teaching a Decade Game Workshop for Couples at the amazing Modern Elder Academy in Santa Fe Nov 11 - 16. Enrollment is limited to 12 couples in order to create the intimacy and opportunity for life long friendships to emerge. If you and your partner want to learn more and have a chat with Rob and me, ?please email me at [email protected] and we will set up a time.

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