What to Do After the Visualization
1. Take some notes on what you learned and saw. What was your inner mentor’s home like? What was her presence like? What did she tell you was most important about the past twenty years? What was the overall feeling in the visualization?
2. Look up her name. Many times women aren’t sure why a particular name was mentioned, but when they research it a little more, they understand its significance.
3. Don’t try to pin down an interpretation. Some things you saw in the visualization might be literal depictions of the future. Some are symbols. For example, if your inner mentor lived by the sea, that might speak to her connection to nature, rather than to a literal location. Live with the imagery and words from your visualization for a while, and let their meaning emerge over time.
4. Begin to live more and more like your inner mentor. Find little ways to live as she does. Eat what she eats for dinner one day, or dress as she dresses, or spend a Sunday afternoon the way she would. On the big matters too, start to consult with her and ask, “How do you view this situation?” or “How would you handle this difficult situation?”
If the answers you hear from her don’t genuinely surprise you a little, you aren’t truly accessing her. Slow down more, breathe, and call her up in your mind’s eye again. Then ask her your question. In the Playing Big book, there are many more tips on ways to start growing into your inner mentor now.
5. Keep your vision to yourself for a while. Whatever you discovered in the visualization is sacred. Protect it and live with it for a while. If you do choose to talk about your inner mentor with others down the line, be sure it’s with those who can meet your sharing with respect and reverence.
