If you wish to manifest your dreams, you must intensify your focus on that which you wish to bring into your life. In doing this you are setting your internal filter to leave out everything extraneous to your dreams. This isn’t magic. It is clarity. I’ve listed a few ways here of getting to clarity – even when you aren’t consciously sure of what you want. Allowing yourself to “play” with these practices can open doorways you didn’t even know were closed!
There are Vision Board, Vision cards, Vision Journals, Vision Masks and Vision Wheels. There are Vision Quests, Vision Expansions andVision statements. You can substitute the word “Dream” for ” Vision” in any one of these.
There’s a lot of talk about all of this and the concepts have been around for years, but there are still folks who haven’t taken advantage of the power of bringing abstract ideas into the world and making them concrete – and even some who’ve never heard of any of this.
So I thought I’d take a minute and break this out a bit.
How to Make a Vision Board, card, journal, wheel or mask
The basics are the same for any of these. Only the format is different. It can be done alone, with one other person or with a whole group. You can create whichever one you wish, then share the what of it with the group, write a bit about it for yourself, or just hang it where you’ll see it.
Here’s the process:
- Gather magazines that you can tear up. That’s the very basic model. If you wish, you can also use found objects, materials, charms, feathers, wire and anything else that suits your fancy.
- Decide whether you want to focus on one single aspect of your life or just respond to anything that catches your eye. The latter is best because you are hooking into your intuitive self, and you may be surprised at the results – often the sum of the parts reveal more than your original design after you’ve lived with the collage for a while.
- Set your timer for 20 minutes and page through whatever attracts you. Pull out words and pictures. Go for color or texture and ideas or nothing in particular.
- After 20 minutes, set your timer again for 10 minutes – now you are going to go through the larger pile and begin sorting the pieces you think will work for your project.
- Begin your project with or without a time limit. An hour is good. Glue your pieces onto your project.
- Share or write about how your felt, why you were drawn to the final pieces, where you’re going to hang your completed project so that its magic can speak to you daily.
Why does making a Vision anything help? Because your subconscious is pre-lingual – that is, the subconscious works with images. Working on Vision projects allows the subconscious to “speak” in its own language.
Vision Board
Usually pieces are mounted with glue on a poster board like the kind kids use for school projects. But you can use your imagination here as there is no one right or wrong way to do this. The first time I did a Vision Board (and I called it a Dream board), I stapled my pictures on a piece of newpaper. What you are looking for is mounting material that allows you to be spontaneous and not think too much about the structure.
Vision CardsSmaller version of the Vision Board, which I mount on heavy cardboard, approximately 5″ x 7″. I use the finished cards like Tarot Cards and they are powerful because not only am I reading them, I made them – and there’s extra energy in that.
Vision Journals
I use a spiral bound sketchbook for my Vision Journal and the pages are specific intentions. I gather ideas for work I want to do on my house, in my garden, my business and myself. I play with free writing over the pictures and crayon coloring around them. You can see more of my Vision Journal pages here.
Vision Wheel
I don’t have an example of one of these, but Lisa Rough has here. A Vision Wheel is based on the Mandala, or using the four directions or the four seasons as guidelines. If you research, you will find that colors are associated with the directions/seasons and you can use that to guide your collage gathering. These will change based on which tradition they come from, or you (as always) can make up your own.
I did one years back for a class based on the dominant and shadow areas of my Myers-Briggs results. I’m an INFP.
Vision Mask
I just held a class on that last month. I don’t think anyone else is doing a Vision Mask (yet) as I think I just invented them! They are different in that you do both sides of your mask: the outer being the face you show the world, and the inside being
your inner self. This is based on the mask as mediator between divine and human – how it protects the viewer and the viewed and how we often hides (mask) things from ourselves.
The next grouping of Visioning is not as much based in images as the preceeding, but the methods are effective and can be intriguing.
Vision quests are rites of passage based on Native American traditions. We can adopt the concept for ourself by taking time out of our regular schedule to go off by ourself and be without distractions (no tv, cell phone, electronics, etc). Traditionally, the quester fasts as a way to heighten senses, and, yes, there were often natural drugs involved…but the benefits of being with yourself in the quiet so you can hear thoughts does not require drugs. It just requires a willingness to meet yourself with love and curiosity.
Vision Expansion
Based in Carl Jung’s psychology, a Vision Expansion is a conversation with your Vision board/card/journal/wheel/mask. I do these on the computer because I can type faster than I can write, but the best way to do it is ask a question with your dominant hand and answer the question with your non-dominant hand. Or write your question in ink and answer in crayon or even with a drawing or symbols. The question is based on anything that piques your interest about your final piece. You may think this silly – but if you will answer whatever comes to your mind without censoring it and without judging it, you will find this an exciting and challenging practice. Challenging because often the replies make no sense until you delve further. This can be done with any of the above collage pieces.
Vision Statement
This is a mission statement for our lives. It should be short in length and broad in concept, leaving room for grace and magic to enter – in other words, don’t get too specific. In order to write a Vision Statement, you must decide what it is you want in your life. Sometimes when we first sit down to do this, we find that we know what we should want, and we know what our parents/spouse/friends want for us, but we don’t really know what we want for ourselves.
As you can see all of these are exercises in getting to know yourself better, making a quiet space where you inner voice can be heard, and inviting your inner child out to play in a safe space.
and introducing: The Vision Goddess!
Okay – that makes 9, but who complains about a bonus?!
Ever find that your Vision changes faster than your Vision Board, that your journal is out of sight and often out of mind? No problem. This little goddess hangs right next to your computer or by your bed. She is chalkboard, so you can write power words or phrases or reminders of your Vision – and as you Vision changes, you make a mini-Vision Board (5 minutes! 1 subject!) and clip it in her hanging pins. Not only do you have regular reminders of your heart’s desire, but you can easily keep up with how your Vision changes as you change. After all, the person who had the original Vision isn’t the person who is realizing it and growing! You can buy her from me….just write me at info@TammyVitale.com. $45 covers her cost and shipping and handling.
Wylde Women’s Wisdom
What you do does make a difference! And you are the only one who can do it! Tammy Vitale
10 Comments
[…] Vision Mask (to wear days you are feeling less than confidant), Vision cards to carry with you. (More ideas here). Often this exercise uncovers the elephant sitting beside you that you’ve been ignoring […]
Tammy, these are some wonderful suggestions! I have done a vision board for a couple of years based on my Horoscope, so that it’s very much like your Vision Wheel. It gives me great insight into my dreams and ideas for the coming year. (We work on it at the start of the New Year.)
Thank you for these ideas! I’m going to try the Vision Cards.
Janet
Tammy this is such a helpful post!! As a creative practitioner who helps my clients create vision/dream boards I am thrilled to see you lay this out in such an easy how-to format with so many ideas on different or unique layouts/media.
Creating a tangible vision has been instrumental in manifesting several of my BIG dreams, and I love to pass along this gift to anyone and everyone. Creating a vision board is so simple that it’s deceiving just how powerful it can be in creating positive change.
This is a fantastic blog post ~ thank you for sharing all of your ideas!
I just found your blog through the Strathmore Visual Journaling workshops site. I’ll be taking the class that starts 03.01. It’s the first time I am ever doing anything like this and I am very excited.
I haven’t really “done” art since my ‘hands were cut off’ many years ago. Since they have grown back, I can feel again and I can dance around my own fire again.
I’ll be spending some time with your blog … it’s very nice.
~M
Yep – that qualifies!
I’ve never made a vision board but I think I’m going to try it. The closest I’ve come to anything like this is a journal I kept in the ’80’s where I wrote inspiring quotes and glued in images from magazines that made me feel happy. I guess that qualifies.
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You’re welcome, Tracy!
I think having choices is vital – enough choices and something’s bound to resonate!
I’m more apt to do the journal myself.
Once you’ve started it, don’t forget to browse through it regularly
Thank you for another wonderful post! The vision journal really resonates with me. One of my treats to me today is going to be a sketch book. 🙂
Thanks for being an inspiration!