Inspiration Friday

My Dreams/Your Dreams Are Not Negotiable !

Dreams Are Not Negotiable 

Dreams. Our birthright. They drive us, move us. They fire us from the depths of our souls to create the beautiful the magnificent the impossible. They push you to go further. And through our dreams, we can even change reality.

But know this my friend. Your dreams will be tested. For the naysayers, the doubt instillers and the fear-mongers await you at every corner. Ready to push you down, to hold you back, and no sooner as you get back to your feet they will force you into a corner silence your voice and into your ear they will whisper… “You’re weak. You can’t do it”

So hold your ground. Don’t demote your dreams to the past tense. Fight! Fight for what is rightfully yours. For you are the architect of your future, and your dreams are the blueprint. But fight not with bow and arrow, and sword and shield. Fight the only way you know how, fight with love. For there is no power greater and it is love that makes us who we are.

So should our eyes meet amidst the chaos and confusion… Allow yourself to shine. For when I see you smile from beyond the ruins, you give me permission to believe that I too can dream. So be my muse and I will be your performer, and together… Let’s dance across the rubble Play music in the silence Create art from beyond the void And together we will be liberated of our fears.

Your dreams are not to be trifled with. It is a contract you have signed and it is not negotiable. To dream is your birthright. Live. Love. Dream.

Written by Adam Zain

Dream Catcher

Too many of my nights are filled with bad dreams - probably because I go to bed so worried about things and my mind is always trying to figure how to work things out. After reading up on dream catchers, I decided to make one for myself. I absolutely love it. I do have to get it hung where is swings freely for the bad dreams to pass through. Since hanging it, I haven’t had a bad dream and I’ve been sleeping better. My first one, I used things I had around the house, going to have to purchase a few things, and, I want to find some willow branches. I like things made from nature, the more natural things are the better. I made one last night for my wonderful friend Susan. I think after I perfect a couple of things in making them that I may start selling them.

Dream Catcher

My first dream catcher

The Legend of the DreamCatcher

Long ago when the word was young, an old Lakota spiritual leader was on a high mountain and had a vision. In his vision, Iktomi, the great trickster and teacher of wisdom, appeared in the form of a spider. Iktomi spoke to him in a sacred language. As he spoke, Iktomi the spider picked up the elder's willow hoop which had feathers,horsehair, beads and offerings on it, and began to spin a web.

He spoke to the elder about the cycles of life; how we begin our lives as infants, move on through childhood and on to adulthood. Finally we go to old age where we must be taken care of as infants, completing the cycle. "But", Iktomi said as he continued to spin his web, "in each time of life there are many forces; some good and some bad. If you listen to the good forces, they will steer you in the right direction. But, if you listen to the bad forces, they'll steer you in the wrong direction and may hurt you. So these forces can help, or can interfere with the harmony of Nature." While the spider spoke, he continued to weave his web.

When Iktomi finished speaking, he gave the elder the web and said, "The web is a perfect circle with a hole in the center. Use the web to help your people reach their goals, making good use of their ideas, dreams and visions. If you believe in the great spirit, the web will catch your good ideas and the bad ones will go through the hole." The elder passed on his vision to the people and now many Indian people hang a dream catcher above their bed to sift their dreams and visions. The good is captured in the web of life and carried with the people, but the evil in their dreams drops through the hole in the center of the web and is no longer a part of their lives. It's said that the dream catcher holds the destiny of the future.

Made this one for my wonderful friend Susan.

Yes...I am obsessed with these dream catchers...and the history of them.

 May everyone be safe this weekend!

And...a little music for this wonderful Friday.

A New Year...New Hopes and Dreams...New Possibilities.

New Year’s Day is always my favorite day of the year. For some strange reason, I feel for a brief few hours out of each year that the possibilities are endless and miracles are possible. Throughout each year, I am constantly talking to myself, trying to convince my mind and heart of these things, but for a few ticking moments, I really do believe it. It’s a nice feeling.

My New Year’s Resolutions are:

Be more positive and less negative.

Give more to my favorite charities.

Think longer before speaking.
Forgive the unforgivable.

Love the unlovable.

Let go of past hurts.

Spend more time with nature.

Read more.

Write more poetry.

Pray.

Expect less from others (and myself).

Love without fear.

OK, now I am depressed. I know how hard some (actually, all) of these things will be for me. Oh well…I must try, huh.

Hope everyone has a blessed and wonderful 2011.

 flickr photo

There are paths I travel down, leaving parts of me along the way

so that, I can return one day.