In all the years I have been working with my own dreams and the dreams of others, I know that dreams are truly here to help us, to provide guidance, insight and information. They come on behalf of our well-being, health and wholeness. Therefore, it seems only right to work with them from a mindset of gratitude for what they give to us. This crucial step in DreamTracking™ gives you the opportunity to acknowledge the dreamtime and give back by taking action on its presence and its gift.

Imagine dreams as your best friend. This friend accompanies you each and every night, providing you with ideas, suggestions, reflections, information, and shares both its joys and concerns for you. This friend always has your highest good in mind and is constantly supporting you by offering new or better ways of doing things. This friend reminds you how you truly feel about something and even let you know if you’re on or off track with a recent decision or choice. Your best friend also knows how to inspire you with intriguing and mysterious imagery, how to get creativity moving, and loves treasure hunts as visions and clues are left for you to uncover and understand.

Knowing that dreams, like friends, are truly here for your highest good, it’s valuable to acknowledge them and give something back. It’s like saying “thank you” or “I’m grateful” for the offering they have given you and it creates a reciprocal relationship that continues to deepen over time. The more you give to your dreams, the more they will give to you.

What I have learned is that the way to say “thank you” to a dream, is to take action on it, to do something on behalf of the dream. In this way you have acknowledged the wisdom or information it has shared. You don’t even have to know what the dream means to take some form of action on it.

Here’s an example… I was a quiet child, easily intimidated and very shy. I was much more comfortable watching and listening to situations and people than being part of the conversation or debate. In 1999 as an adult still struggling with my introverted comfort zone, I was in the midst of my Dream Tending Certification course at Pacifica Graduate Institute in Santa Barbara, CA when I had the following dream:

“I am inside a building in a city that is like a small school gymnasium. The stands are filled with people and there is a dream conference going on here. My Dream Tending teacher is the master of ceremony and I am standing down by him at floor level. He asks me if I’ll introduce the next set of people and I say, “Sure, just tell me what to say.” He only gives me their first names. I go to the microphone and say, “Now I would like to introduce you to Bob and Hope. Thank you.” I don’t say anything else because I don’t know anything else about them, but I feel like I should have said more. I get another opportunity to introduce a family, but the same thing happens and I don’t feel good about this. There’s not enough of myself in these introductions and I’m obviously not prepared and don’t know how to do public speaking properly.”

Knowing how passionate I was about wanting to teach people about dreams but also realizing my sheer terror of speaking in public, I immediately knew that the dream was telling me I had to learn or I would never achieve my desire. And though this was a huge stretch for me, the next day I researched local Toastmasters clubs, found one nearby, and signed up to attend as a guest.  Within the week, I became a member and spent the next two years in Toastmasters overcoming my fear of public speaking and honing my skills which gave me confidence to talk in front of large groups. This is what I mean by taking action in honor of your dreams.

As you work with and journal your own dreams, look at them through the lens of what they may be asking of you and do something on their behalf. A dream may ask for something specific like mine did, or it may just inspire you to wear a certain color you saw in the dream throughout the day, or call a friend or family member. I know many dreamers who paint dream images, write poems, sculpt, and do all kinds of creative endeavors in support of their dreams which is also a fun way to honor the dreamtime.

Whatever you decide to do, you will be amazed at how your relationship with your dreams, your best friend, is enhanced and will become one of the most important relationships in your life.

Please share anything you have done in response to a dream below in the “comments” section, I would love to hear about it!