> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.tom-shaw.uk/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Dream A Little Dream - URL: https://www.tom-shaw.uk/dream-a-little-dream/ - Published: 2024-08-12T08:01:00.000Z - Updated: 2024-08-12T08:01:00.000Z - Description: A Poetry-Essay Hybrid - Author: Tom Shaw - Tags: Poems, #substack, #substack-type-newsletter, #substack-access-everyone, #Import 2026-10-24 12:50 Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedWe strain to slow the pass of time, halt the daily march and drill that drives us sightless toward the end, beyond that dark, forbidding hill. And here, the remnants of our dream, empty lodge, cobweb and dust, chipped and broken blue gourd cup, forgotten and well used, like us. But herds still plunge down banks to drink. Fruit falls full and overripe. Fiery sun drowns in the sea to rise renewed in morning's light. We yearn to hold a bright-eyed gaze, move our feet in supple dance, smell the rain-fresh evening breeze, wear the same worn shirt and pants. For when this flesh dries into dust, breath exhales becoming wind, like white sage rising from the snow, we'll circle round and sprout again. **Circles - by James Don BlueWolf** [Circles (Poetry Audio/Text)We strain to slow the pass of time, halt the daily march and drill that drives us sightless toward the end, beyond that dark, forbidding hill. And here, the remnants of our dream, empty lodge, cobweb and dust, chipped and broken blue gourd cup, forgotten and well used,![](https://cdn.mymidnight.blog/a14ac55a4f27472c5d894ec1c3c743d2/substack-post-media-s3-amazonaws-com/public/images/949b0446-c85d-4bac-bc4a-7e33f208964b_1280x1280.png)Wolf Tracks Substack](https://jamesdonbluewolf.substack.com/p/circles-poetry-audiotext) --- After reading the poem above by [James Don BlueWolf](https://open.substack.com/users/129396444), I got thinking about our dreams we’ve had growing up and through our lives of who we want to be - and the times we choose to neglect them. Someone I find to have some noteworthy wisdom on this is Carl Jung. Well-known for his life’s work elucidating the meaning of dreams, fantasies - and how they relate to the person we wish to show up as in the world - he has the following to say: > \[W\]e know that every good idea and all creative work are the offspring of the imagination, and have their source in what one is pleased to call infantile fantasy. Not the artist alone, but every creative individual whatsoever owes all that is greatest in his life to fantasy. The dynamic principle of fantasy is *play*, a characteristic also of the child, and as such it appears inconsistent with the principle of serious work. But without this playing with fantasy no creative work has ever yet come to birth. The debt we owe to the play of imagination is incalculable. It is therefore short-sighted to treat fantasy, on account of its risky or unacceptable nature, as a thing of little worth. It must not be forgotten that it is just in the imagination that a man’s highest value may lie.From “The Development of Personality” by Carl Jung I recently gifted my copy of ["Memories, Dreams, Reflections"](https://www.tom-shaw.uk/our-uprootedness/) to a friend I've come to know in the past few months. We had a good conversation about the works of Jung when we met, and she is in the process of actualising one of her dreams of following in the footsteps of her mother, in being a full-time witch. She spoke to me of her vision, combining crystal work, spell casting and astrological concepts with Celtic magic, in honour of her lineage, as well as some of her insights into the psyche and trauma gained through her Psychology studies and readings of Jung. My opinions on witchcraft are irrelevant for this piece, but for those interested, I've written some reflections on this for my paid subscribers, which you can find below. [Early Reflections on Energy, Spirituality and WitchcraftMy friend has recently begun offering astrological readings and spell castings for clients through online calls. If you’re interested in working with her (which I highly recommend!), you can use the button below to navigate to her Instagram, where you can reach out to her:![](https://cdn.mymidnight.blog/a14ac55a4f27472c5d894ec1c3c743d2/substack-post-media-s3-amazonaws-com/public/images/c307d39e-3048-4ec9-b511-12a1a31ba9aa_800x800.png)Tom ShawTom Shaw![](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1594998100254-3c65bef09e53?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHw4fHx3aXRjaHxlbnwwfHx8fDE3MTg3MzExNzN8MA&ixlib=rb-4.0.3&q=80&w=1080)](https://www.tom-shaw.uk/early-reflections-on-energy-spirituality/) Throughout our discussion, what impressed me most was her ability to identify that there was something powerful and necessary about needing to pursue that calling, and a recognition that the dream of hers was a path to purpose and meaning. There are many circles on the web that have gained notoriety in the past decade by [talking about the "lack of meaning"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWG1odu64Ms&pp=ygUObWVhbmluZyBjcmlzaXM%3D&ref=tom-shaw.uk) that particularly plagues young people, but also adults, in our current society. We are not to be nations of dreamers - instead, we are to outsource our dreams to "experts" whose vision of humanity is perfect for all of us. It is, in my view, a part of what has given rise to the "lost" generation of youth today. And I know first-hand what it feels like to be a part of that. [Why Bother?This poem is currently in early access for my paid subscribers as a thank-you for keeping me fed. If you’d like to be notified when this piece becomes publicly available, make sure you’re subscribed using the form below.![](https://cdn.mymidnight.blog/a14ac55a4f27472c5d894ec1c3c743d2/substack-post-media-s3-amazonaws-com/public/images/c307d39e-3048-4ec9-b511-12a1a31ba9aa_800x800.png)Tom ShawTom Shaw![](https://cdn.mymidnight.blog/a14ac55a4f27472c5d894ec1c3c743d2/substack-post-media-s3-amazonaws-com/public/images/5925d45c-baca-49b6-9282-0611b9833aa6_1280x720.jpg)](https://www.tom-shaw.uk/why-bother/) I had all sorts of dreams and ideas about what I wanted to be at various points of my adolescence. But, again and again, I felt like my dreams would be quashed for being "unrealistic" or "not useful to society", whether by our slave-making school systems or by familial structures. --- Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedA world-class mathematician, a world-famous musician, an actually good politician, and, for a time, even magician. Maker of fizz, computer wiz, [pulling teeth](https://www.tom-shaw.uk/the-fluoride-narrative-and-its-sceptics/) or [trading tea](https://www.tom-shaw.uk/theres-no-treat-like-herbal-tea/), a novelist with perfect twists or foraged medicine specialist. A scientist-come-altruist, inventor's also on the list. A cook or travelling merchant of books was even on the hook - All those dreams I laid to rest. No wonder so many never awaken. ###### All Those Dreams - A Poem by Tom Shaw --- What happens when we deny our dreams and ambitions? We can return to Jung on this, and his conversation with Richard I. Evans on the role of fantasy to elucidate this: > \[W\]hen you observe yourself within, you see moving images, a world of images generally known as fantasies. Yet these fantasies are facts. You see, it is a fact that the man has such and such a fantasy; and it is such a tangible fact, for instance, that when a man has a certain fantasy, another man may lose his life, or a bridge is built. These houses were all fantasies. Everything you do here, all this, everything, was fantasy to begin with, and fantasy has a proper reality. That is not to be forgotten; fantasy is not nothing. It is, of course, not a tangible object; but it is a fact nevertheless. Fantasy is, you see, a form of energy, despite the fact that we can't measure it. It is a manifestation of something, and that is a reality. That is a reality, like for instance, the Peace Treaty of Versailles, or something like that. It is no more; you can't show it; but it has been a fact. And so psychical events are facts, are realities.Carl Jung – Richard Evans Interviews, 1957. Our fantasies for the future speak to the reality of who we are - and who we wish to become. If we cannot have a dream of where we want to be, we cannot grow and create. We cannot bring ourselves out of the suffering that we allow ourselves to dwell in. Without growth, there are no moments of beauty, and no moments of blue that need to more beauty. And growing is what we were designed to do. [Charlotte Pendragon](https://open.substack.com/users/64197695) put it beautifully in her re-sharing of her article *Follow Your Dreams, and You’ll Never Work a Day In Your Life,* exploring how following our dreams allows us to transcend the feeling of “work” being “work” and her own experience on the matter. After you’re finished with my piece here, I encourage you to read her piece over on her Substack, which I’ll link below. [Be a Dreamer: Follow Your Dreams, and You’ll Never Work a Day In Your Life Thanks for reading The Charlotte Pendragon Diaries by Charlotte Pendragon ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. This week, I was thinking about Dad and how it's been years since I said goodbye to him. I was reminded of one of the first articles I published on Substack called![](https://cdn.mymidnight.blog/a14ac55a4f27472c5d894ec1c3c743d2/substack-post-media-s3-amazonaws-com/public/images/ed972fd7-360c-4e55-aeb9-81ed6e54f120_600x600.png)The Charlotte Pendragon Diaries by Charlotte Pendragon ](https://charlottependragon.substack.com/p/be-a-dreamer-follow-your-dreams-and) So my challenge to you all is: have a dream. If a big one is a struggle, then dream a little dream. My dream, that admittedly is not so little, is to facilitate the healing of broken relationships - both between people and with the wider world - through the celebration of beauty in life. I dream of a scenario where I can do this both with my writings and in facilitating gatherings for letting wisdom emerge. And I know I'm on my way to getting there. What is your dream? Thank you for taking the time to read this piece. I hope it inspired something within you. With gratitude, Tom --- ![](https://cdn.mymidnight.blog/a14ac55a4f27472c5d894ec1c3c743d2/substack-post-media-s3-amazonaws-com/public/images/38cb9dda-4264-4a53-8160-9694aa24d586_640x640.jpg) [Subscribe](#/portal/signup) --- ## More Like This [Born Anew![](https://cdn.mymidnight.blog/a14ac55a4f27472c5d894ec1c3c743d2/substack-post-media-s3-amazonaws-com/public/images/c307d39e-3048-4ec9-b511-12a1a31ba9aa_800x800.png)Tom ShawTom Shaw![](https://cdn.mymidnight.blog/a14ac55a4f27472c5d894ec1c3c743d2/substack-post-media-s3-amazonaws-com/public/images/267d512f-fc3a-4b5a-b9bf-6640500eafde_1152x640.jpg)](https://www.tom-shaw.uk/born-anew-994/) [The Fruits of Our Labour![](https://cdn.mymidnight.blog/a14ac55a4f27472c5d894ec1c3c743d2/substack-post-media-s3-amazonaws-com/public/images/c307d39e-3048-4ec9-b511-12a1a31ba9aa_800x800.png)Tom ShawTom Shaw![](https://cdn.mymidnight.blog/a14ac55a4f27472c5d894ec1c3c743d2/substack-post-media-s3-amazonaws-com/public/images/e2d904e1-97a0-43f4-a047-9a7c3a6b32f2_512x512.webp)](https://www.tom-shaw.uk/the-fruits-of-our-labour/) [Lighting The Kindling![](https://cdn.mymidnight.blog/a14ac55a4f27472c5d894ec1c3c743d2/substack-post-media-s3-amazonaws-com/public/images/c307d39e-3048-4ec9-b511-12a1a31ba9aa_800x800.png)Tom ShawTom Shaw![](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1585483266738-0a57093414c0?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHwyMHx8Y2FtcGZpcmV8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzI4NzUyMDkxfDA&ixlib=rb-4.0.3&q=80&w=1080)](https://www.tom-shaw.uk/lighting-the-kindling/)