Does midwinter sometimes feel gray and drab? Do you develop symptoms of cabin fever? Do you get tired of scraping ice off the windshield, and digging your car out of snowbanks? Here’s how to take a two-week vacation at an idyllic  beach resort without spending thousands of dollars and without having to clear airport security.

Susan Novotny, an attractive but overworked bookstore owner I know, became a dedicated dreamer after she woke from a magic-carpet ride.

For the third or fourth year in a row, she had promised herself a midwinter getaway from the snowbelt to an island in the sun, but had failed to find the time or money to take her vacation. Then she had this dream:

I was at a beach resort on St. John. Everything was vividly real. I can still feel the sun and salt air on my skin, the warmth of the sand between my toes. I can still smell the fish broiling on the outdoor grill. I had the pleasure and romance of a two-week vacation, all in one night. It’s didn’t cost me $2,000 and I didn’t have to wait for my bag at the airport.

She made it to St John the following winter and found herself inside the scenes from this dream. Shamans say that in dreams we are already choosing the paths we will follow in waking life.

– Adapted from Conscious Dreaming: A Spiritual Path for Everyday Life by Robert Moss. Published by Three Rivers Press.

Susan Novotny is the owner of the Book House of Stuyvestant Plaza, a fine independent bookstore in the Capital District of New York. I am delighted to announce that I will be at the Book House on Thursday, March 20 at 7:00 p.m, to launch my new book, The Boy Who Died and Came Back. Many of my previous books, including Conscious Dreaming, will be available.