Off to the Dream Conference

Tomorrow I leave for Chicago to attend and speak at the International Association for the Study of Dreams conference. This is my first time at a big conference, my first time speaking at a big conference, and my first time traveling in Chicago. I feel like the sprout in the photo above: new, fragile, and supported by those who came before me. I've spoken with several other students at JFK about their experiences presenting at this conference and their advice and encouragement has helped immensely.

I've been through all the emotions: fear, excitement, uncertainty.... Earlier in the week I felt panicky. I was having anxiety dreams and not sleeping well. So I wrote out my speech on note cards and did a trial run with Lance, and that seemed to ease the panic.

Now I've settled into excitement. I know I'm going to have a great time and learn a ton -- there are so many interesting speakers and workshops that I will probably be exhausted at the end of each day from so much learning. And the added bonus is that I get to see an old friend, Penelope, and meet Toni, a women I've known online for years. They are the icing on the cake.

Now that I'm less than 24 hours away from leaving, I see this trip for what it is: a huge opportunity for me to meet the movers and shakers in the dream world and a chance for me to show my stuff. I know in my gut there is something special in store for me at this conference and I am dying to find out what it is.

I'll be back with reports and photos next week. Wish me luck!

Inspiration: Dorothy Maclean

I just finished reading Call of the Trees by Dorothy Maclean and I feel compelled to share my love for her with you.

Dorothy is one of the founders of Findhorn, an amazing intentional community, ecovillage, and center for holistic education located in southeast Scotland. Along with Peter and Eileen Caddy, Dorothy started Findhorn in 1962. Through her spiritual path, she started communicating with the devas and nature spirits in the area in order to help her and her housemates create a garden on a dusty, sandy strip of land that no one dreamed would support a flourishing vegetable garden.

But, since Dorothy, Peter, and Eileen were open to working with the devas (what Dorothy calls the "overlighting spirit of the plants") the garden provided a cornucopia, including a 40-pound cabbage.

Dorothy eventually moved on from Findhorn, but continued to work with devas and communicate with plants and trees. She has published several books, including The Call of the Trees. In it, the trees have several messages to share, many of them urgent. One of the most repeated and important is the message that it is imperative at to save old-growth forests. These forests contain trees full of wisdom, trees that are vital to sustaining life on our planet. Trees like the redwoods, the bristlecone, the sequoia.

The trees also urged us to live in joy and to believe in our immense capacity to do good for the planet. I found the book uplifting and inspiring.

Can just anyone communicate with trees the way Dorothy does? I say yes. I communicate with trees and plants, and I believe if you are open to it, and you have the desire to truly hear what the plants and trees have to say, you will hear their messages.

Try it one afternoon. Pick a favorite tree, maybe one in your back yard, at a park you frequent, or even one down the street. Sit by the tree. Say hello to it. Then get quiet. I like to close my eyes because it helps me focus, but this may not be necessary for you. Ask the tree if it has anything to share. And listen. You may hear sentence fragments, or just get an impression. You may feel something in your body that is meaningful to you. You may see pictures in your mind. The messages can come in many ways. All of them are valid -- there is no one right way to do this.

It may take a few times, especially if you are new to it and your inner critic gets in the way, telling you that you're not really hearing the tree. Ignore that voice and strive to hear the voice of the tree. Eventually, you will hear something. And when that happens, you've started on an amazing adventure.

The Unparalleled Miyazaki

I was first introduced to director Hayao Miyazaki's work in 2003 when my husband Lance suggested I watch Princess Monokoe. I have to say, I did not immediately fall in love. There was an eerie feeling to the film that unsettled me. And, I suppose, the film is supposed to be a bit unsettling.

However, over the last six years I have come to respect Miyazaki's films as some of the most original, creative, and endearing work out there, especially in the realm of animated film. His ecological and family-centric stories push viewers to think about how we are treating the world and each other. And most of the stories have a strong female lead, which is certainly a plus -- there is not enough of that yet in American animation.

Some of the stories require multiple viewings, especially Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away. I get lost in the amazing imagery and quirky characters the first time around. But on the second viewing, I always pick up a message I was meant to hear, usually one that has deep meaning for me at the time. And because there are multiple levels to his films, I learn a new message each time I watch the films.

I just watched My Neighbor Totoro, which prompted me to write this post. It is about two girls who discover a magical forest spirit Totoro in the woods behind their new home. I kept saying, "I want Totoro to live behind our house!" And, I suppose, in some way, he does.

I can't recommend these films highly enough. I suggest you start with Howl's Moving Castle or Spirited Away and move on from there. Each film is a gem.

The Dark Place Where the Roots Dwell

"I believe working in the shadow/in the dirt is the most important thing that people can do to find their way in this world, for without healing the soil, there will not be a supportive container for their dreams. It is in this dark place where the roots dwell, which seems scary/dirty/other but actually harbors life and nutrients, that we can find our true purpose."

(Excerpted from a paper I wrote this quarter about mushrooms.)

Begin Where You Are Standing

One of my most beloved teachers, Kimmy Johnson, uses the phrase "begin where you're standing" to help her students remember that where they are, what they are doing, and where they are starting from in any practice is just where they need to be.

So often we, and I include myself in this group, compare ourselves to others. I often say, "Look at that artist! She has already published a book, gotten a licensing deal, had an art show..., and what have I done?" (This, of course, is a ridiculous question. I've done a lot.)

This comparing thinking gets me nowhere. I need to take my own path, with its own twists, turns, dips, and hills. No one else has the right formula for me. The only person to consult in this matter is myself. I know best. If I listen to my body, my dreams, my psyche, my inner voice, I will know the right steps to take, which fork to follow, how far I need to climb before I stop for a breather. No one else in the entire world can know this for me, not even the teachers and artists I admire most.

This feels scary sometimes, but it is also comforting. It means that I am doing exactly what I need to do at every moment, and I am never doing anything wrong. Sure, I might step off the path now and then, but that also has it's purpose.

Favorite Shots

I went through the photos I've taken the first five months of the year and chose several of my favorites to post (or repost) on my Flickr. This one was taken sitting under my favorite oak tree.

I also spent some time looking at my old photos...some of them are five years old! My style has changed and my knowledge has grown, and I am really happy with how my work is progressing. And to think: it all started with two photographs, one of a hibiscus and another of an orchid, taken in Kauai on my honeymoon. That's something else to be grateful for.