“When we are dealing with peoples’
dreams — their visions, really — we
are in the realm of the sacred.”
~ Julia Cameron, The Artist’s Way
That’s the way it is, really, when it comes to the dreams and visions we hold most dearly.
Midwifing or priestessing dream, vision, and “who we really are” soul qualities into the manifest world is a sacred matter, because real vision or soul urges are like wild things, fierce, yes, but also shy or wary in their way.
These dreams, vision buds, soul calls, or choices to walk our authentic path reflect the great and daring experiment of living into the question of who we truly are and why we’re really here.
They require Circe’s great gifts of hospitality, generosity, ‘warm welcome’ in which they can emerge and thrive.
Our tendency, understandably, is to share a soul-stirring emerging vision, soul-calling, or choice to follow our soul-aligned authentic (but perhaps not the culturally approved “normal”) path with all of those around us – family members, partners, friends, colleagues; or at least with those in our inner circle.
Unfortunately, many of us may vividly remember those times when we did just that, and what came back at us instead of support, blessing, or encouragement, was an unexpected enthusiasm-and-joy leveling response.
These are our memorable and deflating experiences with what I’ve called Vision and Inspiration Zappers, whether they be aware or unconscious of their Inspir-Zap effects.
At such times for me, it was as if I felt the vision suddenly withdraw itself to a deeper, safer place, and the momentum seemed to stop and the enthusiasm deflated.
Believing mirrors is a concept from Julia Cameron, author of The Artist’s Way, and means a person or persons who are able to hold the sacred space with us as our vision or soul-call experiment emerges and gains wobbly, and ultimately stronger, legs.
It’s a deeply meaningful practice and sacred trust to be a ‘believing mirror’ to others as they share those deeply held, oh-so-tender dreams, visions, and soul-aligned qualities that are emerging for expression.
As such, we endeavor to encourage, to bless, and to hold possibility for another, rather than to deflate and deal out the lowest, dimmest, most meager and grinchy possibility (yuck!).
And it’s a sacred and satisfying responsibility for us to find believing mirrors for our own dream-visions.
In the temporary absence of Believing Mirrors, we can be discerning about our time with the non-believing mirrors in our midst, hire a Believing Mirror guide or coach if our means allow, and …
… wait for it ..
… become our own most ardent and loyal believing mirror (more on both of these in an upcoming post!).
Even more vital and precious, our believing mirrors can reflect that sacredness, the belief in our vision and in us, when we’ve lost that sight and ground of our own. Because in tumultuous times like these, it happens more often than we might like.
Their reflection, reminders, encouragement, blessing, support, and love — their belief in us and willingness to fiercely envision and wish the most wonderful things for us — can help us to find our center again when a life-wave (or an energy sliming of some sort) has fogged us in or knocked us off-kilter from our knowing.
We all are, or can be, a sacred steward, midwife, and priestess of vision or dream, since we all have some vision or dream or soul qualities and yearnings that long to find expression through us.
To do this we become as protective of them as a mother lion with her cub, whether its our own or another’s vision or soul-qualities that are coming forth.
Of course, this means we must also become more and more discerning, and share vision, dream, soul-stirrings only with those who can be believing mirrors for us.
With all others — the witting or unwitting naysayers, vision-slayers, and ‘Grinch dealers’ in our midst — we learn to hold a sacred silence and keep those soul-stirrings and emerging visions or soul experiments held close within our own secret garden, where our own inner believing mirror dwells.
Our anam cara believing mirrors can help us tend and protect that sacred space, too.
[This is an update of a December 2009 post from my Priestess in Blue Jeans blog. I’ll be revisiting these vital Feminine-Magic and Wise Woman Tradition themes of ‘Vision Priestessing’ and ‘Believing Mirrors’ (and the less-helpful kind of mirrors!) in upcoming posts, so stay tuned!]
Big Love,
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