Contents
Creating the life of your dreams…
If your dreams are appealing but you cannot really believe in them, you have not yet learned the technique of creative visualization. Using this technique, individuals report that they turn dreams into concrete reality. There is even a book entitled “Creative Visualization” by Shakti Gawain (1948 – 2018), that has become a classic in the field. Her writings have inspired many people to change their attitude about life in general and the direction of their lives specifically by getting creative with their dreams.
Creative Visualization is Not a New Idea
While the idea sounds like another new trend, Gawain’s book has influenced many individuals for a long time. The idea is not new: Gawain wrote “Creative Visualization” over 25 years ago. Since then it has become a classic, lauded by Oprah Winfrey, and highly rated by over 100 reviewers on book sites like Amazon. The spiritual movement, however, and visualization have gained new life in a world where individuals want to take control of where they are going and where they will end up.
Taking Control
Not everyone believes they can take full control of their lives. Many people would say there is some mystery in their future and they like it that way, or that they follow God daily to give them direction.
Even if this is so, it is also important to realize that much of who we are day to day has to do with choices we make. For the person who wants to know why her path seems to go in circles, leading her nowhere, there is value in being able to imagine situations which have better outcomes than the ones they experience right now.
With creative visualization, people are taught to picture themselves, their lives, their futures. They see who they want to be, jobs they wish to be doing, successes they will enjoy. These pictures could involve loving relationships, career promotions, lives with less stress, and surroundings of greater beauty.
Sometimes the greatest obstacles individuals face are their negative attitudes. They feel like they cannot succeed, so instead of looking ahead they look at their own feet. No wonder they fall down. When you teach a child to walk or ride a bike you probably tell him to look straight ahead: you go where you look. Look up and away to the goal you have in mind and that is where your feet will take you.
Life is Like That
Visualization is not a sure-fire way to always win the next big soccer game, make lots of money, or win over the love of your life, in and of itself, as other applications are needed along with it in many cases. Sometimes you are not destined for the exact results you are visualizing, yet the results may be even better than you imagined.
What Is So Creative about It?
Why is Gawain’s system and those adapted from it called “creative visualization”?
One reason is that her system really is creative. Look at titles for her techniques such as “Treasure Maps” and “Meeting your Guide.” Also, the key here is to imagine, not just picture: you are supposed to use your imagination to reinforce your dreams. In other words, you have to create images in your mind out of hopes and dreams which have not yet come true. They need to be fully inhabited with feelings and settings. The more real you make them, the more attainable they will seem.