How to Decode Your Dreams so they help you when you are Awake!

They offer a peek into your subconscious. Many people are fascinated by dreams and want to understand their dreams' meanings and interpretations. There is no doubt that dreams are chock full of interesting information, wisdom and, when understood, can be a great tool for growth and guidance. Dreams have been a source of inspiration and mystery for hundreds of years. The end of the world has been predicted from dreams many times. Dreams have also served as subjects of amusement and fright and play a part in many cultures and folklore. There are stories of ancient civilizations who determine their course and strategies according to dreams. Cultures such as the Hopi Indians, Mayans, and Egyptians derived deep meaning from dreams and visions and used them for guidance. And, of course, dreams are prevalent in the Bible. We all know the story of Joseph interpreting the dreams of the pharaoh predicting seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine. The fact that Joseph could interpret the pharaoh’s dreams elevated his status to a valuable advisor. Another important reference involved the story of the birth of Jesus when Joseph received a dream message to escape the devious intention of King Herod. As a result, Mary, Joseph, and the baby Jesus were saved from the ruler’s murderous rampage. And the book of Revelations is well known as a dream of John the apostle while in exile on the Isle of Patmos. When it comes to interpreting your own dreams and understanding their meaning in your life, you have to look beyond the surface and get in touch with your subconscious. A simple way to start practicing dream interpretation is by understanding what some of the most common dreams mean: 1. Late Or Lost At School A common dream that most people have experience sometime in their life is being lost in school and unable to find their class or schedule. Panic ensues. Where am I supposed to be? What am I supposed to be learning? This dream is a perfect indicator of where the dreamer is in life… feeling lost and anxious. It leads to questions such as: Why am I feeling out of control? What is my desperation? How can I slow down to gain a deeper perspective of the lessons life is providing me? 2. Hiding Or Being Chased Fear reveals itself by being chased, hiding, or avoiding something dark or frightening. Usually, it is depicted as a person you don’t know or a force that is dark and indescribable. It is easy to draw literal interpretations from such dreams. What are you afraid of? Often you are facing an unknown situation and instead of confronting it with a sense of adventure and wonder, you discover you are frightened. Of course, this is a perfect indicator of needing more information, practice in a particular area, or professional help. 3. Floating, Walking Peacefully Or Seeing Spirits By the same token, when we dream of floating or walking beside a beautiful stream, or angelic visitors, we can surmise we are living in a state of peace. 4. Attending A Party Or Boisterous Event Being at the circus or a fun party illustrates your joy in living — unless you see the circus or party as chaotic or frightful. Once you're able to decode your dreams' meanings and uncover your subconscious thoughts, you can put this insight into action. The bottom line is that your dreams are describing your current state of being. The beautiful thing is that once you understand this, you can make adjustments. For instance, if you notice “fearful” dreams, examine your fear and make some changes. Perhaps you need to educate yourself on the object of your fear or talk to someone who can help. Fear is an unnatural state. Yet, if we peer beneath it, we will find new beginnings, quests, and wonder. Dreams are amazing tools to look deep into your psyche and understand your fears, drives, desires, and lessons. One of the things that I love about dreams is they never lie, they are never critical, they state things just as they are, and they are to the point. Dreams are the subconscious mind’s way of processing your daily experience and they bring to the surface feelings you may not have realized you have. The mind illustrates these conditions succinctly in symbolic form. For example: if you are angry, you might see a boiler about to blow up or lots of red. The field of psychology has developed many theories and techniques regarding dreams. Some are even used in psychotherapy. Sigmund Freud was a famous proponent of dreams, as was Carl Jung. Jung, in particular, saw dreams as a significant tool for self-analysis. A more current theory of dream analysis is offered by Gestalt therapy. Gestalt suggests that dreams provide a means for self-integration. His theory poses that all persons, objects, and features in the dream are parts of the dreamer's personality. Thus, if you are dreaming of going fishing, you are literally fishing for something in your life, whether it's an answer, information, or a person. Metaphysicians, those who study the universe as a cosmology with organized laws and progressions, interpret dreams in much the same way. Their theory is that dreams are a running commentary from the self about the self. Dreams, when viewed objectively as a statement, or even a critique of the previous day's activities and the dreamer's reactions to same, hold a myriad of information for personal growth. They assert that when dreams are properly understood, they offer an undeniable resource of unlimited information that can be used for personal and spiritual evolution. This information is available to anyone disciplined enough to learn the language and tap into their messages. Going deeper, let’s return to the first dream mentioned above. Let’s look deeper and see how this theory applies. Here's how you can go about decoding your dreams on your own: You are in school and you have lost your schedule and don’t know where you are or where you are supposed to be. What is the class I am supposed to be taking right now? Where is it, and how do I get there? I am lost and distressed. If you consider that everything in the dream is a symbol of something in your life, a school would represent a place of learning. The feeling in the dream is being lost and stressed. With just this much information, you could look at your life and ask these questions: What am I trying to learn right now, and am I on schedule to learn it? You will discover that you don’t know what you are supposed to be learning and you are feeling out of touch with the whole process. Why? Because that is what the dream is relaying. With this dream, you could surmise a need to step back and figure out what lessons you are dealing with right now. You could also recognize that you're feeling out of touch with the process and where you are in it or what to do next. This clarification could lead to some serious soul searching and decision making; that is where the value of dreams come in. In my book, Dreams and the Symbology of Life, you are provided a simplified methodology and fundamental list of dream symbols that can be easily learned and developed for use in dream interpretation. Information on how to practically apply these symbols to the dreamer’s life experience is offered. With practice and on-going use, you can learn how to better comprehend the patterns of your life and make the necessary changes to move forward in the desired way. That's the beauty of dreams. They give us a peek into the inner workings of our minds and offer us tools for progress. ________________________________________ Jean Walters is a St. Louis-based Transformational Coach, Akashic record reader, teacher and author of Set Yourself Free: Live the Life You Were Meant to Live! and Be Outrageous: Do the Impossible – Others Have and You Can, Too! who helps women looking to create powerful change in their lives connect with their inner voice. You can reach her at her website, SpiritualTransformation.com.

A "winning" lesson from Little League

A "winning" lesson from Little League Perspective is everything. This story offers a wonderful analogy on how to keep your focus and how to lose it on temporal values that hold no lasting benefit. Here we go!! There was an eleven year old boy who discovered an important truth regarding the interpretation of right action and values. “Eric” played Little League baseball on the Phoenix’s team. It was the last game of the season and seemingly the most important one as it would determine the championship. But it was important for another reason as well. It was the bottom of the sixth and the Eric’s team, the Phoenixs were ahead 2-1. But the opposing team, the Pegasus, had the bases loaded with two outs and their best hitter was at bat. He hit an easy fly ball to Phoenix’s right fielder, Bobby, who circled under it, his glove in position. It looked like an easy out and the crowd grew quiet in anticipation. The ball fell into Bobby’s glove, but then bounced out. Bobby scrambled for it but by the time he got hold of it and threw it, the Pegasus won the game 3-2. The defeated Phoenix slunk off the field when suddenly their manager stated screaming at Bobby. “You lost us the game. It is your fault we lost the championship!” Bobby was devastated and ran off the field and into the woods. When the game was over, Eric went to meet his parents for the drive home but his dad wasn’t there. His mom said that dad had something to take care of. Eric was feeling dejected when in the distance he saw his father walking down the road with his arm around Bobby. Bobby was the one who didn’t feel he had a friend in the world and Eric’s dad had reached out to him in kindness and support. Eric never forgot the kindness his father extended that day. In the matter of one hour, Eric’s value system made a radical shift and the important of kindness went to the top, while winning at all costs, fell off the list. Bobby never forgot either because whenever he saw Eric’s dad he broke into a big smile and greeted him warmly. The team manager was misdirected in believing that winning was everything. He misled his players when he yelled that Bobby lost the championship because anyone who has ever played any sport, knows the team wins or loses together. Some people really believe that winning is everything. Those are the ones who put the feelings of a vulnerable eleven year old Little League baseball player as nothing. Real winners don’t necessarily hit home runs or make spectacular plays and catch every ball. Real winners like Eric’s dad, know how to be kind. He was clear in his direction and taught by example. Kindness is everything. By the way – which character in this story did you relate to? Jean Walters is a Best Selling Author on Amazon.com, a Transformational Coach, and a world-renown Akashic Reader. Her books are available on Amazon.com www.spiritualtransformation.com jean@spiritualtransformation.com

Clear out the Cobwebs to your Dynamic Self

Clean out the Mental Debris to become your Dynamic Self! To find or create your image of a fulfilled and joyful life, you must meet the challenge of looking with eyes of love. The first place you are to cast your vision is on yourself. Can you see the Light that radiates from your eyes, face, being? Can you feel its beauty, its elegance? It is not wrong to see the radiance that you are. No! But it is wrong to disavow it because your radiance is the God Force flowing within you. To love yourself (your light) requires discipline to take daily action toward that goal! Shining your light could be as easy as smiling at people, giving a sincere compliment, or telling someone your appreciate him. Everyone has a beautiful light within. By ignoring the chattering ego, you can move toward that light and allow its radiance to guide you. It is a choice – listen to your God voice of love, or the ego voice of confusion, dissension, and fretfulness. Either way, you place your attention where you want it to be. When you get focused and discover (and admit) that you are a dynamic, powerful (spiritual) being, you also realize that you have tremendous creative potential as Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison, Madame Curie, great song writers, engineers, technology wizards, genius business people and all the other amazing folks that have shined their light. Why have you not done this? What has gotten in the way? The answer is fear and small mindedness. Fear: What if I fail? So, what if you do. The answer: start over! What if people don’t like my success? Then, let them not like it and get new friends. Or, what if I outgrow “my raising?” Then either your family adjusts to the new you or they don’t. Either way, you keep moving. There are people ahead ready to celebrate you! Guilt: What if I outgrow my friends and family? Realize outgrowing means growing into your God Being. They can do the same whenever they want. Keep moving! A story: When I was in third grade. My twin sister and I were in a meeting with my mother and teacher. The adults were discussing the possibility of me skipping a grade. The teacher told my mom that I could easily skip the next grade and it would make school more interesting for me, but that it would not be a good idea because my sister, Jane, would feel bad about herself. Thus it was decided that I would not skip the next grade. As far as I was concerned I didn’t care if I skipped the next grade or not. What did I know... 4th grade? 5th grade? What did bother me was that they made the decision based on it troubling my sister. In other words, there was no consideration for what was best for me. Thus the family dynamic was “keep yourself small so that your bigness won’t upset anyone.” I found the whole scenario offensive and I was mad, but there was nothing I could do at the time.That is when I started dimming my light to compensate for others’ smallness, inadequacies and bad feelings. (What was the point of me being my brilliance?) Why am I telling you this… because in some way, you have done the same thing - made the same decision. In order to get by (get along), I will dim my light (my talent, my genius, my natural skills) so that no one is upset.) Thus the question, are you ready to turn up the volume on your light? Are you ready to blast your light out into the world like the brilliant sun it was meant to be and not care if people like it or not? Are you ready to become the dynamic self you were designed to be? What are your talents, skills, and abilities? In what way have you toned them down? What is the step you need to take right now to ramp up to dynamism? There is nothing you have ever done or been that needs to get in your way. The past is over; the future is not here. You have the present moment and that is all. Be your incredible self in this moment. What are you being urged to do? What creative impulse are you to follow? How can you beam your light brighter and spread the love that is within you in a greater way? Find the passion you have inside. Focus on your greatest desire or goal and use each day to expand toward it - a time to discover your limits and be all that you are capable of being! Jean Walters is the author of Set Yourself Free: Live the Life YOU were meant to Live! Be Outrageous: Do the Impossible - Others have and You can too! and Dreams and the Symbology of Life (as Jean Walters-Lucy) all available on Amazon.com You can reach her at jean@spiritualtransformation.com and 314 991 8439 office. For coaching call 314 991 8439

How to Raise Grateful Children and all about Gratitude!

They call themselves the Mom-Preneurs and they are the creative team behind a new Thanksgiving craze. They have created a "Turkey on the Table" kit that comes with a turkey (not flesh and blood), double-sided feathers that are replacable, a marker, and a storybook on "how to make the most of your bird" that is sure to spark creativity and gratitude. Of course, when I read the article, I immediate converted the methods to be used all year long. We know that during the holidays it is easy to get caught up in gifts and forget the reason for the season. So these bright moms created a way to make gratitude the focus. They wanted to make sure their collective five kids grew up realizing how fortunate they are. They approached Thanksgiving with each child writing something he/she was grateful for on one of the blank turkey tail feathers. (This could be a picture, a word, or a story.) Then he stuck the feather on the bird. By Thanksgiving, the turkey was fully dressed and made a fine table decoration. These gals were inventive enough to create kits that were sold at 1600 stores including Bed Bath & Beyond. And, even more important, their children were excited to write gratitudes each day. Now, if we take this concept a bit further we can come up with other ways to include gratitude in our day. You can have a gratitude jar and each time your child demonstrates he is grateful, you put a marble in the jar and when the jar is full, take him out for a treat. And you can come up with others ways to accomplish the same purpose. What if we practice gratitude all the time? The reason I loved the idea of teaching thankfulness to children is that gratitude is a HIGH spiritual energy and when we express and FEEL it, we attract more of the things for which we are grateful. Gratitude is a magnetic force and can be used for GOOD!! If you listen to people closely, you notice that many have "victim" stories. I am always amazed at how they choose to express how bad things are when we live in such an abundant world. ( I had the flu; my son/daughter lost his/her job; My plumbing needs to be fixed; I slipped and fell.) Of course, when they do this, they lower their energy and if you get involved with their stories, you lower yours as well. Thus consider your choices - raise your energy to experience a better life and more blessings or lower your energy to live in upset and fear. That choice should make it clear! Gratitude is the way!! Jean Walters is best selling amazon.com author: Set yourself Free: Live the Life YOU were meant to Live! and Be Outrageous: Do the Impossible - Others have and you can too! You can reach her for Akashic Readings or Coaching at jean@spiritualtransformation.com

How to Learn to Trust (People, Your Intuition, Life)

Can I Trust My Partner? Many people ask , “How can I learn to trust my partner / friend / spouse etcetera? Yet, the real question is not about trusting others, but learning to trust yourself. Long ago we were handed a set of beliefs and we accepted them without question. Children don’t know how to analyze an idea to determine its truth, but they do know how to feel. For the most part, the concept of intuiting truth or determining what feels right and what doesn’t has been disavowed. In other words, we are taught to believe what we are told and we observe what our parents do, and that becomes out guidance rather than trusting our own feelings. A wisened soul may secretly recognize deception, whereas most folks just go by the rules and do as they are told while ignoring the queasy feeling in their gut that speaks of something being wrong. Hence a problem develops because we buy in to family dynamics and belief systems that are debilitating, limiting, and just WRONG. Here is an example; I am your mother, father, sister, brother, best friend so you should believe what I am telling you. From there you are offered an uninformed opinion or judgment that skews a situation to fit their idea of truth or makes that person look good. Perhaps you ignore your gut feeling that screams, that doesn’t feel right. Thus you go along with their “program” to insure your acceptance in that particular tribe or group. And that is when you destroyed your self-trust. Because you have put others opinions and beliefs ahead of your own, you have lost touch with yourself and the still small voice of intuition that resides within you. The voice is still present, but ignored. You have put the concern for what others think of you higher in your preferences than the guidance that comes from within. Getting back to the theme of how to trust others, we find ourselves in a quandary of mixed thoughts and emotions. You have lost the ability to trust because you have lost your integrity in listening to and following your higher energy (intuition). Because you have not learned to trust yourself, you don’t know how to trust others. Put simply, trust yourself so that you know who else you can trust. The answer is within you. Your still small voice will tell you. Your job is to listen. To take this a bit further, because you have a history of ignoring higher (intuitive) intelligence, you rationalize reasons for being in or staying with unhealthy relationships. In other words, you make up stories: I’ve know Joe (or Julie or Estelle or whoever) since kindergarten (so therefore I should trust her/him). Or my parent told me this, so therefore it is the way to go (even their parent lives an ineffective life). Or, you “wisely” decided that Jim was a good guy because he has a lot of friends and is seemingly well liked. And you naively conclude that if others approve of him and find him trustworthy, then he must be. As a consequence you are letting others do your thinking for you and you have determined a person’s trustworthiness based on his friends. Really! You have not seriously observed his connection with his buds. You are taking everything on face value and you wonder why you end up disappointed. Do they enjoy each other because they play well together? Are these folks a true support system that shows up in difficult times or a play group or good old boys club? Is it that they have grown up together and are still holding on to childhood relationships or sharing in adult concerns? Do they have a common higher purpose that they explore together or is it Monday night football? In other words, what is the nature of Jim’s relationships? No judgment; just observation. As you learn to observe people and relationships, the truth becomes obvious. That is, it becomes clear to you and trusting your own observations helps you develop willingness to be open and honest with yourself. Thus you begin the journey to self trust and drawing your own conclusions based on observation or actions, words, and intention, but not judgment. When people don’t trust themselves, they quickly judge circumstances and people so they can feel safe. Of course there is no safety in hiding and protecting. It is just another avoidance behavior. And when we default into judging, we will never have the life or love we desire. Moving this a bit deeper into self-trust, every person has a connection to their inner guidance as it is always present and available. We call this intuition. This guidance is always active and speaking to us. It can come through as a gut feeling, an image (you hit every STOP light at every intersection), a sign (like a book falls on your head), or a knowing. (an absolute definite feeling of how things are). Intuition is a feeling of lightness and being more alive. As you listen and act on this intuitive voice, it grows in strength and supports you in your hopes and dreams. When you go against it you feel heavy, lack energy, and feel a kind of deadness. People say, “I’m stuck. I don’t know what to do or think.” Primarily that means they have gotten their “instructions” but are afraid to go against what they were taught to believe, so now they are stuck. Afraid to move forward, they are stuck in the past. Generally “stuckness” indicates it is time to do something different, brash, courageous -- take a step in a new direction. If you feel stuck, ask yourself, “What has my still small voice (feelings) been urging or prompting me to do?” Is there some sort of “break-out” required. It will always involve looking at your situation with new eyes. That means asking some appropriate questions – what is this situation trying to tell me? (Cue: it has to be a propulsion forward; it is never a put-down.) What is the change I am being asked to make? What fear am I challenging? What is the next step toward my highest good? You can even write these questions down and ask for guidance. By being open, your answers will come and, be aware, they will not be what you anticipated. You will always be guided toward a higher expression, not necessarily what you would be considered safe. Yet, when you follow this guidance, you will end up exactly wehre you wanted to go or BETTER. The secret is learning how to listen. Remember, you are listening to HIGHER energy. You are not being asked to jump off a cliff. You might be encouraged to make a phone call, set up an interview, take a class, show up at an event, and, in general, become more visible. As you listen and follow, your life force will flow, your intuition will get stronger, and your energy will be renewed. Then you will know how to trust yourself and how much to trust others. Jean Walters is a best selling author on Amazon.com Her books are Be Outrageous: Do the Impossible - Others Have and You Can too (a book about discovering your passion and Set Yourself Free: Live the Life YOU were meant to Live! and Dreams and the Symbology of Life by Jean Walters-Lucy - For readings or counseling, you can reach her at Jean@spiritualtransformation.com 1185 words

The Power of Giving

Sometimes people approach the holidays with resentment. They feel the season’s been commercialized; they focus on the buying and doing aspect of the holidays and lose the possibility of joy. Yet the principle of giving is inherent in the season. Thus the potential for learning how to give is an immediate undertaking for everyone. It would seem that re-framing the way we interpret giving could change our response to the holidays. Happiness lies in the spirit of giving. Often this feeling of the givingness is apparent more around the holidays than any other time, and this can be a wonderful thing. Yet, we don’t have to limit our experience for we could make every day a kind of giving holiday. The confusion lies in the idea that we must give “things.” For often with the giving of things, there are strings attached, and these strings destroy joy. However when we give freely, without conditions, reservations, recriminations, or attachment, we become the greatest recipients of our gifts because that kind of giving is accompanied by feelings of great joy. Here is a story of a man who owned a flooring store. We shall call him Joe. Joe was very fortunate for he had experienced a great year and much abundance and he felt it in his heart to give from his abundance. Joe was aware of a single mom with three children that lived in his area. It appeared that she was struggling. So Joe went to the bank and got five one hundred dollar bills and put them in an envelope with her name on it. Then that night he went to her house tiptoed to the front door and rang the doorbell. When he heard footsteps approaching the door he quickly placed the envelope in clear sight and disappeared behind a bush. The woman answered the door and spotted the envelope with her name on it and as she opened it she let out a loud Wow!!! And Thank You!!!! into the night air. Joe stayed behind the bush as he wished to remain anonymous, but his heart was bursting with joy. He was so excited he felt like he was going to burst. Months later when he told me the story, he was still beaming with excitement, joy and gratitude? What was Joe grateful for you ask? In his attitude of givingness, Joe received the greatest gift – joy! And whenever he thinks of that night, his joy is reignited. Giving from the heart is the key to happiness. We have many opportunities to give our gifts – talent, enthusiasm, kindness, encouragement, wisdom. The fact is that givingness fills you. May you enjoy this holiday season. Jean Walters is the author of Set Yourself Free: Live the Life YOU were meant to Live! and Be Outrageous: Do the Impossible: Others have and you can too! Both are available on Amazon.com Also: Dreams and the Symbology of Life by Jean Walters-Lucy a workbook for learning how to interpret your dreams is available on Amazon.com Jean's website: http://www.spiritualtransformation.com

What Could You do if You Could not Fail?

Have you heard the story of the trial attorney who never lost a case? Early in his career, he was advised to “remember his feet.” Thinking about his feet proved to be a way to stay centered. As a result, when he went to court he was ready for whatever happened because he was continually stable and centered. He never lost his cool or reacted. Consequently he was prepared for the surprises that regularly popped up during trials. This is important because when we lose our cool, get angry or intense, or react emotionally, we go in to, or function from, the reptilian brain (emotional brain) and logic shuts down. Alternatively, when we stay non-reactive, centered and focused, we remain open to inspiration and ideas. The dynamic, imaginative higher mind clicks in with strategies and solutions There are various ways to stay centered. For instance, people trained in the Marshal Arts learn to move and act from their core or center. Instead of their feet, they focus on their core (solar plexus). Some call it the abdominal brain. As they practice self-defense techniques, they develop strong core balance, strength, and movement. As a result and most importantly they train to stay connected to their center. In this way, they can feel the energy around them and shift appropriately when it changes. The same thing is true for everyone. The more we stay connected to our inner core of peace, the more sensitive we are to changes occurring around us and our ability to shift and move accordingly is strengthened. That leads to appropriate responses. The boxer, Evander Holyfield, learned this lesson when he was young. As a kid he fought another boy and lost. He went home and told his mother. She said, “Go out there and fight him again.” He went out and battled the kid again and lost again. When he arrived home a second time, his mother said, “Go out there and fight him again.” Holyfield fought the other kid four times. Finally he won the fourth fight. By that time, Holyfield had determined to remain cool and observe his opponent, which helped him to discern his weaknesses. Ultimately he used his developed observation skills to recognize the weaknesses in all his opponents. Holyfield developed the ability to use these to his advantage. In that way he transformed what was initially a fear reaction into a studied, calm response. The result: he became a prize-winning boxer and champion. Actor, Jim Carey offers another example of learning to stay centered. At age 14 he informed his father that he wanted to be a professional comedian. Thereby his dad drove him to a comedy club where Carey was laughed off the floor. Undaunted, Carey took the criticism as a challenge. In other words, he used it to motivate practice, practice, practice, while staying centered. The rest is history. His comedic movies have been major box office hits. The demand for his highly paid movies and performances has accrued him millions. Fear keeps you in the reptilian brain (reactive). Need I say more? When you notice fear has made its appearance, take a few deep breaths and move back to your center. Your center is quiet and you can regroup. If you contemplate the things that don’t work for you, you might discover the reason… too much internal criticism, disempowering beliefs, and no centering. Alternatively notice what works well for you and you might recognize that while doing those particular things you stay focused, relaxed, and have the courage to deal with whatever is necessary, even if it temporarily seems overwhelming. In other words, you are non-reactive and functioning with full capacity. The bottom line is: What could you accomplish if you could not fail? Get centered. You know, remember your feet and go for it! Jean Walters is a St. Louis based Transformational Coach, Akashic Record Reader, teacher and author of Set Yourself Free: Live the Life You were Meant to Live! And Be Outrageous: Do the Impossible – Other have and you can too! her website is: http://www.spiritualtransformation.com - you can find her books on Amazon.com