Soul Collage

Is anyone else old enough to remember writing contests in which the entries had to be 

"25 words or less"? 

Just me?? OK.

Well, years ago, I'd adapted that idea for collage work.

Every Sunday afternoon, 

for a few hours,

I would gather found images

and, using those images, 

I would limit myself to 25 words to describe the predominant feeling

of the week..

 

 

This process went on for several years.

I then went to "A Bakers Dozen" (13 words or less)

which was followed by "Take 5".

I was working toward using NO words, only images,

but I just couldn't get there;

it wasn't time.

Until now.

A friend recently recommended I check out SoulCollage,

a creative practice combining spirituality, collage work and introspection -

which are all right up my alley -

and I'm hooked.

 

Using ONLY images, you create a 'card';

you can subsequently use the card in a personal 'deck'

to do a 'reading' and get personalized 'messages' from your cards

which are really representations of your own wisdom and insight.

I've made over 50 SoulCollage cards so far

and the process has been so energizing and life giving.

 

Just goes to show that when the timing is right, the spiritual practice will find you.

 

I haven't made any cards 'intentionally';

that is, I've not thought of a theme 

and then deliberately looked for images to reflect that.

I've used the images I've had on hand,

found ones I think. for whatever reason, belong together

and then discovered meaning AFTER they were finished.

 

With no added texts, the images are not situationally specific;

they can be used again and again, with new or deeper meanings each time.

I've been shuffling the deck and holding the 'cards' face down;

then I pick two or three

to see what messages or reminders they have for me

on a particular day.

In the SoulCollage process,

each card can be addressed with

"Who are You?" and "What message do you have for me?"

I'll put some of those questions, and what I've heard

under the card.

Not all of them ...

just enough to give you an idea of the process.

Here are some of my favorites cards.

     I am one who knows how it feels to be on 'alien' ground; 

where everything is unknown and new. 

I am the one who has reveled in every day being a source of wonder

and the one who has discovered that unknown doesn't mean scary or threatening. 

 

My reminders are:

to stay open to new ideas and situations;

remember that no day is a 'repeat' of the one before; it's a totally new day 

with unlimited possibilities and discovery.

                       

I am the one who has learned to carry 'home' within me;

it's not a place as much as a collection of feelings and beliefs.

My reminders are:

remember you are loved, safe and cared for;

also remember that this earthly 'home' is not your true, or only, home.

 

I am the one who has struggled to accept the impermanence of all things;

to know that no matter how deeply loved, people, places and things are transitory.

In light of this reality, my reminder is:

to love deeply, and without reservation, for as long as you can -

and hold all those memories dear to your heart.

I found this image after a guided imagery of my animal guides for each chakra -

and, for my sacral chakra, I got a lobster! Seriously?

That's when I knew I wasn't making each animal up -

who would have conjured up a lobster on their own??

As I read more about the lobster as an animal guide,

I knew exactly why it had come to me.

 

Here are my top 5 'favorite' things about a lobster:

 1 - it lives at the bottom of the ocean and is comfortable with darkness and depths.

2 -It sees 'differently' than other animals; it sees through reflection and not refraction.

3 -its nervous system does not shut down when exposed to extreme pain and suffering

(which I must say has me deeply concerned about ever eating boiled lobster again!)

4- it MUST shed in order to grow - and then it consumes its old shell - 

literally incorporating the past into the present.

5 - despite its tough looking exterior, it is extremely sensitive to touch and sensation,

especially to temperature changes.

 

The fact that it prefers being alone and 

while it experiences strong physical reactions to other lobsters,

that intensity only lasts for 2-3 weeks,

just seemed like icing on the cake!

Talk about a soul mate!

This card was an easy and consistent read.

I am the one who is unafraid of darkness and depth;

the one who did not shut down for over 40 years of witnessing and reporting

extreme pain and suffering. 

My reminder is:

have fun while you're in the depths;

look at all the life down there around you.

You were born to be there.

You are not alone.

I am the one who knows how costly unshed tears can be;

how frozen you can become when you ignore the pain.

My reminder is to feel it all:

you can't experience joy unless you can also experience grief.

Go ahead and cry.

I am the one who can look back on my childhood with clear eyes - 

and give thanks for it all.

I can also decide what memories and pieces to hang on to 

and what ones I can let go.

 My reminder: 

You are not a child any more. 

You can decide how to reframe events in your past 

and make them life giving rather than life depleting.

You can be proud of how much you have overcome.

There's a training process for becoming a certified facilitator for SoulCollage.

Guess who's gathering information and discerning whether to take the next step?

To be continued ...

Lakeside

 You can rarely go wrong with spending time at a beach -

and, for me, it doesn't matter whether the beach is in IL or WI.

(Although truth be told, 

I prefer a beach on the Atlantic Ocean but, 

when you're stranded so far inland, 

you take what you can get.)

We celebrated my brother in law and his wifes 80th birthdays this weekend,

with family gathering both in their hometown (Evanston)

AND at their second home in WI (Algoma);

both locations on the shores of Lake Michigan.

The weather was perfect -

even a bit chilly in WI.

 

There was laughter, some tears, lots of family

and more food than any 12 people needed!!

 It's been so chilly in WI that its still basically spring -

and it was incredible to see plants in the garden flowering

so far behind our season in St Louis.

 

 

But being together was the main focus -

and sharing space for an extended period of time 

gave us lots of opportunities to enjoy catching up.

I loved everyone that joined us -

and love and missed those who couldn't be there.

THIS is what family looks like.

Meanwhile, back home, a little girl discovered her big brother - 

and it was magic.

Be still my heart!

Time travel

Where did the month go?

There's been a:

 *graduation - from preschool - and a trip to the Magic House

*visits from family to meet the baby

*a hospitalization - for a baby, always concerning - 

but, luckily with a good outcome and no need for further visits.

*surgery - cataract removal

*a trip to Michigan

and the usual summer life of gardening, reading

and creating small pieces of 'art' which keeps me off the streets 

and out of stores.

I've completed months of physical therapy, 

with an improvement in mobility and decreased pain,

for which I'm VERY grateful.

Life might, in fact, be getting 'nearly' back to normal

after a full year of me being a professional patient!

I'm going to let pictures speak for themselves.

 

OK, so academics might not be his strong suit!

ALL graduations are tedious affairs, even baby ones.

I even found 3 Petosky stones "in the wild" - 

the state stone AND ancient fossils.

 My home away from home.

and my hosts and partners in crime.

What would a road trip be without a roadside attraction?

It's summer; it's hot;

political nonsense still roils around and sucks WAAYY too much oxygen

out of our system.

I still have decorative vestiges around from a more innocent time,

and saying "It's complicated" doesn't begin to do my feelings justice.

But that's where I'm leaving it for now.

Well, sort of.

If you need me, 

I'll be in the garden trying to keep the jungle from winning!