New Age technique revisited

I was an enthusiastic “New Ager” in the late ‘80s/early ’90s when it was trendy, and the “make your dreams come true” techniques recommended by Louise Hay, Shakti Gawain, Doreen Virtue and Catherine Ponder worked wonders for me. I went from employment for bleak wages in a retail store with only a high school diploma, to becoming a full-time fine artist and teaching at the college level (and no debt!).

One of my favorite “wish fulfillment” techniques was the “treasure map,” most clearly described by Shakti Gawain in “Creative Visualization.” The idea is to create a collage for yourself made up of pictures of exactly what you want in your life. It’s important to include photos of yourself in the environment you want, doing what you want. If you post this treasure map where you will see it regularly (over your desk, for example), and reflect on it periodically throughout the day, you will invite this exact scenario into your life, and it will eventually become your reality.

For example, in about 1993, I decided I wanted to be a teacher. I made a collage of images cut from college catalogs, showing teachers working with art students at their easels, and I pasted photos of my head on the teachers’ bodies. It didn’t happen overnight, but darn if I’m not doing EXACTLY that today!

My latest wish is to sell my paintings to various corporate settings, and I’ve made myself a treasure map to assist me as I pursue that goal. I printed out and collaged a number of pictures of board rooms and reception areas, and I pasted printouts of my paintings on the walls of these interior views. I also printed out copies of the various checks I’ve recently been paid for selling paintings and pasted them around the edges of the collage, as if to invite more of the same. (Those who are Photoshop-savvy could cut and paste on the screen; I am still a scissors-and-glue-stick person.)

Obviously there are a lot of action steps that need to be taken besides just making the treasure map, in order to bring these goals into reality. But I believe that the treasure map helps in a big way. I’ll let you know how my “corporate sales” treasure map works for me!