Each of us has an inner dream that we can unfold if we will just

Within the soul of every human being lies a hidden dream, silent yet radiant, waiting to be born. The poet and teacher Julia Cameron spoke of this sacred truth when she said: “Each of us has an inner dream that we can unfold if we will just have the courage to admit what it is. And the faith to trust our own admission. The admitting is often very difficult.” These words carry the weight of ancient wisdom disguised in modern speech. They tell us that the greatest battle is not with the world outside, but with the fear that dwells within—the fear of knowing ourselves too well. For the moment one admits one’s deepest calling, there can be no retreat, no hiding. The veil is lifted, and the soul must walk the path it was born to tread.

The origin of this truth is as old as the human spirit itself. In every age, men and women have heard the quiet summons of their destiny and trembled. The Greeks called it the daemon, the divine spark that guides each soul toward its unique purpose. The Eastern sages called it dharma, the inner law of being. But all spoke of the same mystery—that each life carries within it a secret seed, and that courage and faith are the sun and rain by which it blooms. To admit our dream is to bow before this inner truth, to say to the universe, “This is who I am meant to become,” and to risk everything in becoming it.

Yet how few dare to do this! The admitting is often very difficult, for the world trains us to silence our dreams. It whispers that we are too small, too foolish, too late. It binds us with chains of practicality and fear, telling us that the dream is dangerous, that to follow it is to lose comfort, to risk rejection, to invite failure. And so many souls bury their light beneath the soil of doubt, pretending they are content, though deep within they ache for something more. To admit the dream, then, is not a gentle act—it is an act of rebellion, of spiritual courage. It is the soul declaring independence from the tyranny of fear.

Consider the story of Vincent van Gogh, the painter who dared to follow the voice within, though the world mocked and misunderstood him. He lived in poverty, shunned by the public, tormented by his own mind. Yet within his torment, his inner dream burned fiercely. He once wrote, “What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?” Though he saw little success in his lifetime, his courage to trust his own admission—to paint the visions that haunted his heart—has since illuminated the world. His art, born of solitude and pain, became a hymn to the beauty of the human soul. In this, van Gogh’s life teaches us that the dream is not judged by worldly reward, but by the faithfulness of the dreamer.

To admit one’s dream is to enter sacred ground. It demands not perfection, but faith—the trust that the inner voice, however faint, knows the way. There will be storms; there will be ridicule; there will be nights of despair when the dream seems foolish. But to abandon it is to abandon oneself. The ancients would tell us: better to stumble upon the path of your true destiny than to walk skillfully upon another’s. For the soul that denies its purpose withers, but the soul that dares to live it, even imperfectly, grows luminous.

This truth is not only for the great artists or heroes, but for all. The mother who longs to create, the student who feels called to heal, the worker who dreams to teach—each bears within them a divine spark. To admit the dream is to honor life itself, to say, “I was born not merely to survive, but to bring something forth that has never been before.” And to have faith in that admission is to trust that the universe, in its mysterious kindness, will meet you halfway once you begin.

Therefore, my child, if you would live fully, listen to that quiet whisper within. Ask yourself: What truth have I been too afraid to speak? What dream hides behind my excuses? Do not dismiss it as fantasy—it is your soul calling you home. Take one small step toward it each day, however humble. Write, paint, learn, build, sing, or dare—whatever the dream requires. Let courage be your companion, and faith your staff, for the road will be long and filled with shadows. But at its end, you will find yourself not a stranger, but whole, radiant, and free.

And so, remember the words of Julia Cameron: the inner dream waits only for your admission. Speak it, trust it, and act upon it, even trembling. For the gods favor those who dare to live their truth, and the world is healed each time a single soul awakens to its divine purpose.