As we begin to plan for the Big Adventure* in detail, this is a year of dreaming for us. As well as the aspects of insulation and heating systems, I also dream the life I wish to lead once we move in to our new house. I dream details of my home, my garden, my business. I am dreaming a life.

At the same time, I believe that we are each part of the Great Collective that makes up this world. Just one element in the living being that is the Earth. We humans have a unique gift among our fellow beings: we are the Earth become conscious. What we think, what we dream and long for, feeds into the reality we create for ourselves and 'all our relations'. I believe it is our responsibility to think and dream beauty and peace for our world.

The home my husband and I are planning for ourselves is one with a much reduced carbon footprint. We will try to grow as much of our own food as we can, and we will do as much as we can to live lightly upon the Earth. As I look at this dream, I have come to believe that all these things, and the qualities I will need to make it all happen, are also things that the world needs. So from now on, I intend to weave these qualities into a greater Dream: my Dream for the world.

During my Winter Solstice ritual, Spirit showed me that the essence of this year of Dreaming is Renewal, and that the seed for this renewal is effortless wonder. These qualities, effortlessness and wonder, are things I very much need for my healing and for my growth. But what if I could weave them into that greater Dream? What would the world look like if all its people opened, without effort or strain, to the wonder of this blessed Earth?

I asked my guiding spirits how this weaving is to be done. Of course, as is always the case, real change starts in the heart. So first of all, I need to notice and sit with the reality of the here and now. Too often I find myself rushing and efforting away at the simplest things, passing by the wonders of being alive as I do so. And I see many people doing the same. There is no use fighting or denying this. It just is.

The second step is to plant the seed of the new dream. This is best done with the help of guiding spirits, somewhere in the Otherworld. That is where dreams take root and start to work their way into reality. A seed of effortless wonder (a tiny dancing, joyful light) was planted for this purpose.

The third step is to cultivate the qualities I intend to weave into the Dream in my own being. When they become clear and strong in me, I can send them more clearly along the threads of the Web that connects all things. Everything I wonder at (the quality of the light today, the laughter of magpie, a poem written by a friend) is touched by this quality and blessed by it.

Finally, I can use focused imagination to dream myself, my home, my work, my world, renewed and blessed by effortless wonder. I see more people slowing down from their rush and being touched by wonder. I see how their hearts lift and they become more careful with the beings they share the world with.

Of course, this is only the dreaming stage of the work. There will be a practical side to it as we start our building project and begin to share our knowledge and experience with the world. But I believe there is value in the Dreaming itself. Many native shamans share the belief that we all collectively dream the world. It is my intention to focus my Dream, for the good of all beings.

Would you join me? What qualities would help you live the life of your dreams? Could you weave them into a greater Dream for our world? Many of us have been waiting for 2012 for a long time. Perhaps this is one way to make a start on a world renewed. I'll let you know how I get on.

Wishing you all a very happy and blessed New Year.

*the Big Adventure: My husband and I are going to renovate a house and make it as environmentally friendly as we can. I plan run a mini retreat centre from there. This is Westacre Day minus 357.