Burn Your Fears, Beautiful Dreamers

Today I want to talk about dreams – what we do to squelch or kill them – and what we must do to give them LIFE.

As part of a secret society of women dreamers, we knew the biggest dream killers were our fears. Quiet, insidious, powerful. The fears, doubts, reservations, busy-ness — they've got our dreams in a choke-hold.

What DO we do? We burn them. Literally. Here's the recipe – it's a little witchy...

A saucepan, a pad of paper, a candle. Start scrawling your fears – one by one hold them to the flame and watch them incinerate. Notice the gates open and more and more fears appear – ones you never knew you had get revealed.

For me: fear of failure. But dig a little deeper – how about fear of SUCCESS?

Burn baby, burn.

It's mesmerizing to watch the paper curl and your words dissolve into ashes.

Caution: don't burn down the house — unless you're David Byrne on Colbert's final show – permission granted to burn down CBS.

When you’re done, take the pot of debris and dump it in the river – or the sea – or down your toilet with one flush. Chant as you go:

May the ashes of my fears wash out the drainpipes and into the sea, turning into dreams.

I know this works. A few years back a harrowing scoliosis diagnosis stopped me cold. So scared of the pain – unsure of my path – I burned it all, packed up the car, and headed west. With each mile the dream got clearer: this journey was not an escape from the surgeon’s scalpel – it was about discovering my witchy healing power WITHIN.

Look, the fears never go away – new ones (and the same old ones) pop up every minute of every day. Fears are the survival brain's mechanism of keeping us safe – and alive.

But we're not really living.

These last weeks I was hit by another storm of trepidation. Preparing to apply for a DC Arts and Humanities grant, the whispers started: Who the heck am I to be worthy of this project – this funding – worthy of realizing my dream?

One thing that happens over time – you get better at hearing that fear voice – calling them out – getting it on paper and getting right to the burning.

Once I dumped my pot of ashes off the dock into Chincoteague Bay the concept came to me – like skywriting across a clear blue canvas.

FreeWriteDC: Writing as Resistance and Release.

This was it: I could tell by my exuberance when I spoke the title aloud. A series of four generative workshops – tapping into local artists, writers, and poets to co-facilitate – bringing in movement to invoke the muse in a somatic way – inviting all voices, fostering community.

From the diabolical destruction that's plaguing our world – to joyful creation.

Emboldened by my dream, I plowed through the application – five straight 10-hour days of writing, compiling, budgeting. You better believe reservations were hitting me left and right: You sure you want this? Isn't it too much?

Yes. And I'm doing it.

Clock ticking – Friday at 4 o'clock – I took a breath, said a prayer to Saraswati, goddess of creativity, of voice, of flow – and pressed SUBMIT.

Now I've got fears of rejection to burn!

Invitation: Ready to face your own fears? And maybe your creative dreams?

Come Sunday for an all-arts open mic – share a story, poem, song, some jokes, tissue-paper-on-a-comb, a role play, a game.

Tix are 5 bucks. Burn your fears and JUMP IN – beautiful dreamer! https://luma.com/syuf6gns

Inquiry:  What fears do you harbor – in your depths or just beneath the surface? BURN THEM.

What secret dreams are revealed? Reach out — I'd love to hear.