Image by Iqbal Nuril Anwar

In This Article:

• What role do imagination and visualization play in embracing aging?
• How can you dream your way into a wiser, more fulfilled elderhood?
• Why is dream journaling a powerful tool for self-awareness and growth?
• How does embracing aging transform it from a challenge into an opportunity?
• What practical steps can you take to connect with your inner elder self?

How to Age Well with Dream Journaling

by Cait Johnson.

Unless you die young, you will get old. You can go to the Land of Age kicking and screaming, spending thousands to look young (which is exactly what the purveyors want you to do), obsessing over every wrinkle, sag, or gray hair, and fighting, fighting, fighting until you finally keel over from frustration and exhaustion, defeated. Or, you could be curious about it . . .

When you create a pajama day for yourself (or a nightie day, if that’s more your style), it can be a good opportunity to begin imagining your way into elderhood. Pondering these questions can get you started:

What positive things do I want to learn from getting old? How can I find comfort in older age?

Who are the guides, teachers, goddesses, animals, or angels who care for me?

What can I love about myself as I age? How can I age with strength and spirit? How can I be at peace with aging?

What do I want to accomplish in the next phase of my journey? How can I feel beautiful and valuable in my self?

Dreaming Your Elder Self

We know that bears sleep in their caves, but do they dream? What would a bear’s dreams be like?

How can you play with the power of your imagination, your deep dreaming, to begin imagining your own wise years? You can start by adopting some role models. When you think back on books or movies or television shows that featured older women, which ones did you most admire?

Or perhaps you knew an exceptional older woman or two who guided your steps when you were younger. What was it about them that you especially liked? Their sassiness? Their no-nonsense attitude? Their kindness and generosity? Their magical wisdom? Their deep intelligence? Their honesty? Their creativity? Their knowledge? Their bone-deep beauty? Their warmth? Their humor? Their strength? Their courage? Their activism? Their caring?

When you try to imagine the kind of older woman you want to be or become, which qualities of these role models would you choose?

Elder Self Visualization

Just for fun, take a few minutes when nobody will bother you, and bring a paper and pencil to a quiet place.  Relax with your eyes closed for a few breaths as you remember those older women and what you loved about them. If nobody comes to mind, think of the qualities you most admire in a person. Now open your eyes and begin to write  a description of the old woman you want to be. Start every sentence  with “I am...” and fill in the blanks with all of the positive attributes you can think of.

Now, take some time to picture yourself in a magical home that suits your soul—a hut in the woods, a castle beside a lake, a temple on a hillside, a cave by the old tree roots like mine—whatever  your spirit suggests to you. Write a short description of it.

Take a few minutes to imagine what you’re doing there: cooking or reading or painting or whatever it is. If there are other people in your spirit house, notice who they are and how you interact with them. Imagine yourself radiant with all the positive qualities you wrote about before. Keep these writings where you can reread them and be reminded. And consciously begin to live those qualities in your daily life.

For Deeper, More Magical Dreaming

Our nighttime dreams are like magical, elusive fish: you have only a few minutes after you wake up to scoop them up and write them down before they dive back into your unconscious. You may catch a glimpse of them later, but all the vibrant, fascinating details will be gone. And that would be such a loss. These dream fish come from an ancient, wise part of yourself, and they show up rich with mysteries and messages every night. Because even if you don’t remember them, research has proved that you do dream.

Dreams will show you a picture of what’s going on deep inside yourself. They often have a sense of humor, telling jokes, punning, and sometimes offering very specific guidance. Many are just a working-through of day’s events, while others are so vivid and significant that they feel realer than real. But even your mundane daily dreams are valuable and worth pursuing. For those of you who never remember your dreams, I guarantee that you can begin to.

Tips for Becoming a Wise Dreamer

• Intend to remember your dreams. After you lie down in bed and close your eyes, say to yourself: Tonight I will dream and I will remember my dreams. This will alert your dreaming self that you are really ready to pay attention. This often perks up the dreaming self immeasurably. If you have a specific issue that could use some dream guidance, you could say, Dreams, please give me guidance about . . . (fill in the blank).

• Keep a dream journal. Find a small notebook, keep it by your bed, and get in the habit of writing down anything, however fragmentary, you can remember as soon as you wake up. (Those who don’t like to write may try speaking into the recorder on their phones, but many say that the sound of their voice chases the dreams away.) Write your dream in the present tense (“I am walking down a dark hallway . . .”). Give it a title—the most vivid image or action of the dream (“Stone Frog” or “Running Home”). Date it.

• After you’ve written down your dream, spend a little time mulling it over. Don’t be too quick to jump to meanings, and avoid using “one size fits all” dream dictionaries—your dreams are unique to you, and the associations you have with images and symbols may be very different from those of your next-door neighbor. To better understand your dream, the best questions to ask are: How did the dream make me feel? What did the action or images in it remind me of? This kind of exploration can lead you deeper and deeper.

• If you recognize an archetypal image in your dream, by all means look into it and see if the meaning resonates with you, keeping in mind that your own personal associations may be different from the information you find in books or online.

• It can be both fun and illuminating to revisit your dreams after you’ve been writing them down for a few weeks or months. Some of you will end up keeping dozens of dream journals over the years. Look for patterns or repeated images and actions. What was going on in your life when you were dreaming those dreams? What comments or insights do those dreams offer?

Bedtime Dream Potion

Mugwort is a traditional deep-dreaming herb, considered safe for most people (unless you’re allergic, which happens rarely). It is a mild third-eye opener, but a grounded one. Rosemary stimulates the memory, so the two make a perfect combination for dream work. Drink a cup or two of this tea before you go to bed.

Place in a mug 1 teaspoon dried mugwort and 1 teaspoon dried rosemary. Cover with 1 to 2 cups boiling water, steep for 10 minutes, then strain. Add honey if desired, and drink. Your full bladder will probably wake you up during the night, but that’s good because it gives you a chance to write down anything you remember.

Copyright ©2022. All Rights Reserved.
Adapted with permission of the publisher,
Destiny Books, an imprint of Inner Traditions Intl.

Article Source

Book: Witch Wisdom for Magical Aging

Witch Wisdom for Magical Aging: Finding Your Power Through the Changing Seasons
by Cait Johnson,

You are invited into the magical world of four loving, feisty old witches, one for each season, who share earth-honoring wisdom, rituals, and spells to help you embrace your journey through the sacred latter half of life. 

Offering practical and enjoyable ways to make aging an empowering, magical, and transformative adventure, this book of spiritual guidance will help you love yourself through the aging process.

Click here for more info and/or to order this paperback book. Also available as an audiobook and as a Kindle edition.

About the Author

Cait Johnson is an artist and writer who teaches workshops on the Tarot, dream work, and ritual-making. She is the author of Tarot for Every Day: Ideas and Activities for Bringing Tarot Wisdom into Your Daily Life. She lives in the Hudson Valley of New York. Cait Johnson and Maura Shaw are also the co-authors of Tarot Games: 45 Playful Ways to Explore Tarot Cards Together, published by Harper San Francisco. Author's Website: https://caitjohnson.com/

Article Recap:

Aging offers an opportunity to grow wiser and more connected to yourself. By exploring visualization exercises, dream journaling, and inner reflection, you can create a fulfilling elderhood filled with strength, spirit, and self-awareness. Dreams and imagination provide a pathway to reimagine aging as a meaningful phase of life. Tips like dream journaling, mindful visualization, and practical rituals encourage embracing aging as a journey toward self-discovery and personal growth.

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