I recently received a beautiful gift, a Dreambox.
It’s a small circular wooden box, only about two inches in diameter. On its lid is an exquisite image of a dragonfly. In almost every part of the world, the dragonfly symbolizes change. The kind of change that has its source in mental and emotional maturity and the understanding of the deeper meaning of life. Very fitting, given that it’s been a big year of transition and exploration for me, preceded by a lot of inner work that I couldn’t have done without the support of the dear person who gave me this gift. Looking at it brings tears of gratitude to my eyes and warms my heart.
The Dreambox came with the following note:
Legend of the Dreambox
The Legend of the Dreambox (often attributed to Lemuria) suggests writing down your fondest dream, greatest desire, strongest wish on a small piece of paper, putting that paper in a Dreambox and placing it beside your bed. Every evening as you retire and every morning as you rise, hold your Dreambox and think on your dream, believing with all your heart that it is so. Legend has it, if done faithfully… your dream will come true.
This Dreambox is stirring up a lot of emotions. Can it really be that easy – write something down, engage with it twice a day, boom, and it will manifest? Part of me is excited and wants to believe it. Part of me is careful, even cynical, yeah, whatever. And part of me recognizes it’s the end of the year, the time of intention setting. I feel a degree of urgency to come up with some goals for myself. Except the last thing I need is more goals…
As I look at the note again, a few questions emerge.
How do you fit your greatest dream on a tiny piece of paper? And how realistic is it to do something faithfully twice a day for an ongoing period of time? Even something as simple as faithfully remembering your dream? Faithful is a strong word. It requires commitment. How committed am I to my dream? And what is my dream anyway?
The box really only has space for a small piece of paper, definitely not big enough for my long list of wants. I want to make my new business work. I want it to be meaningful, have an impact on society, and be profitable enough to allow me to be comfortable and generous. I want to see more kindness in the world. I want to spend more time in Europe. I want to be in a fulfilling romantic relationship. I want to hang out more with family and friends. I want to stay fit and healthy. I want to continue to learn and grow. I want to live with ease and joy. I want to laugh lots. I want to experience beauty. The list goes on. So many wants!
How do I cut it down to something that fits in my Dreambox? Something that I can give over to the dragonfly and faithfully remember every morning and night? Sure, I could prioritize my list somewhat, but narrowing it down to just one of my wants seems impossible. And anyway, haven’t I learnt a long time ago that fixating on one thing only is not exactly life’s recipe for happiness?
I take a deep breath and look at my list once more. My brain wants to figure out the common denominator here. Yet as I glance at the Dreambox note, and scan words like dream, wish, desire, faithful, believe, heart, and legend, I drop deeper, way beyond the analytical mind, and sense into what’s really important. My deepest truth.
I let my dream come to me. A dream of love and connection. Of balance and flow. Of generosity and abundance. Of learning and giving back. A life of discovering the sacred in myself and others, and in the space between us. A life of trusting in what holds us and connects us all. And as I’m writing this, my body is telling me the word that’s going to go into the Dreambox. The depth of all emotions combined into something that I have no words for. Other than HEART. And I vividly remember the first time I looked at the Dreambox. I felt my heart. I already knew it then.
