It is hard to believe we are already well into the new year! Much change is afoot and it seems there is finally light at the end of the tunnel. In times like this—when major shifts are happening and possibility feels abundant—we find ourselves in the ideal environment in which to create. Meaning, when nothing is certain, everything is possible. We, as a collective, get to co-create the type of world in which we want to live going forward, but that starts with each one of us doing some self-reflecting. How do we want our own personal “worlds” to look? The start of a new year is a good time to turn inward and examine what is working and what isn’t. While some still find setting New Year’s resolutions to be helpful, many others (including me) find them to be, at best, hard to stick to and, at worst, stress-inducing and constricting. Years ago, rather than write down a list of resolutions that I would, likely, quickly abandon, I created a Dream Jar instead. A Dream Jar is essentially a 3-dimensional vision board—a little jar in which to place all of your hopes and dreams for the coming year. I found this process to be much more creative, inspiring, and fun than the “resolution” alternative. If this sounds appealing to you, let’s get started!
*Step One-Set the stage: Turn on your favorite music, light a candle or burn some incense, take a few breaths to ground yourself and bring your mind to the present moment.
*Step Two-Set your intentions: Grab a journal and write down some key words or phrases that reflect either a theme you’d like to work with in the upcoming months or things you’d like to draw into your reality this year. I like to create a new Dream Jar every January but you can make one anytime.
*Step Three-Gather your treasures: Let yourself be intuitively drawn to items that reflect our intentions or theme for your jar (magazine collage images, stones, feathers, photographs, words, etc) Use your house or the great outdoors as your hunting ground!
*Step Four-Start assembling: Get any size mason jar (the larger, the more space to work with) and begin assembling your found items into your jar, creating a little world that contains all of your hopes and visions for the future!
*Step Five-See how it feels: Step back and take a look at your jar. Ask yourself if you resonate with how it looks and, more importantly, how it feels. Does it need more? Does it accurately represent your inner hopes and dreams? Can you decorate the outside? Add something to the top? I like to add things to my jar monthly or as new ideas or sparks of inspiration come to me. This is a work in progress and can be added to or altered at any time as your life evolves and changes throughout the year.
*Step Six-Find your jar a home: Put your jar someplace where you will see it daily. (Remember to add to it as needed!) Whether you are aware of it or not, simply having your dream jar out and visible to you each day will help you to create the things that are inside by keeping them in the forefront of your consciousness.
*Step Six-Open your jar & celebrate what you have created: At the end of the year, light a candle and have a little ceremony where you go through the items in your jar to see which ones have come to fruition and which still need your attention. Congratulate yourself for showing up for your life and nurturing your dreams....and, come January, create a whole new jar for next year!