Feeding myself

 

This is the SoulCollage® card I made today. I often have an idea of what I want to make, but this card was purely intuitive. The dancer is an image I’ve been saving for quite awhile; the hummingbird is from a magazine I bought at Half-Price Books on Friday night. (I like to browse in shops near work while I wait for the Friday night traffic to die down. I’m realizing as I think about it that I also spent far less than I would have at Barnes & Noble–my total purchase was about what I would have saved with my member discount at the bookstore!)

This is part of my reading of the card …

I am one who hides my face. I am one who is graceful and beautiful, who dances.

I am one who feeds myself from the most beautiful, delectable flowers.

This is a moment when you need to feed yourself …

I anticipate taking a break from blogging in the near future. So if you wonder where I am … I am feeding myself, from the most beautiful, delectable flowers!

SoulCollage cards are for personal use, and are not for sale, barter, or trade.

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Don’t apologize for who you are

Be yourself no matter what they say. –Gordon Sumner, aka Sting

There’s no one alive who is Youer than You. –Theodore Seuss Geisel, aka Dr. Seuss

Our first assignment at the SoulCollage retreat I attended earlier this month was to make a card using only two images. I’d brought a small stash with me in my carry-on, and I asked myself which image was strong enough to carry a card all by itself.

This one, which I’d chosen at my very first SoulCollage workshop and saved ever since, came immediately to mind. The background image I’d found only the night before. I think they’re perfect together, and I love the strong, unapologetic energy of this card.

Toward the end of the retreat, we were assigned to write down a question, draw three cards blind (face down), and ask the cards’ advice about the question.

My question was about how to make nice in a situation where I’d been thrown together with someone who probably wouldn’t have chosen to spend any time with me, and vice versa. This card was the first I drew, and her advice was simple:

Don’t apologize for who you are.

What good advice this is.

Just because someone may be judging, disapproving, reacting, doesn’t mean you’ve done anything wrong. Sometimes that’s just what people do.

Each of our personalities is, in my view, integral to the sacred missions we’ve each come here to carry out. To learn and grow, to love, to face and overcome challenges, to resolve karmic debts, to move closer to the realization that we are all one.

So be yourself, your best self, no matter what they say.

This post is illustrated with my new SoulCollage® card Queen of the Night.

SoulCollage cards are for personal use, and are not for sale, barter, or trade.

 

Through a positive lens

Thought I’d share part of a recent SoulCollage card reading … my question was, Please tell me what I need to know most right now.

I am one who is gentle and loving. I see the world clearly, but I choose to view it through a positive lens.

What I have to say about your question is: Be more like me. That is all.

This is my SoulCollage card Opening the gate + 5th chakra totem Fawn.

SoulCollage® cards are for personal use, and are not for sale, barter, or trade.

 

Make magic

I read a few of my SoulCollage cards last night (including two new ones I made at last month’s archetypes retreat, the Warrior and the Magician, and two older ones, Thoroughbred and Joy), and found the reading encouraging, so thought I’d share it with you. My question was basically, Why am I feeling bummed, and what can I do about it?

 I am one who knows how to fight for what I need–and want. I am well strong enough, and so are you.

What I have to say to you about your question is: You know what you need, and now you must fight for it. That is all.

I am one who creates magic with my bare hands–so can you.

What I have to say to you about your question is: Make magic. It is within your grasp, within your reach. You know what to do. Reach for what you want when you see it. That is all.

I am one who loves to leap. I am centered, I am focused, I know what I want–and so do you.

What I have to say to you about your question is: Stay focused. You will get where you’re going. Broaden your sights. Take it all in–you can have it all. There’s no reason why not. You’ll see.

I am one who loves life with all my heart and soul.

What I have to say to you about your question is: Stay focused, as I am on the butterfly and the bird. Keep your goals in sight, and go for all of what you want. You will get there–faster than you think. That is all.

Fun fact … I took the Pearson-Marr Archetype Indicator at the retreat, and found that the Magician is my most prominent archetype. Other significant ones for me are Ruler, Creator, Sage, and Warrior.

SoulCollage® cards are for personal use, and are not for sale, barter, or trade.

A reading for Cherry

Last night I read several of my SoulCollage cards, and I included this new one since I hadn’t read it yet. I thought the reading was sweet and really expressive of Cherry’s personality, so I thought I’d share …

I am Cherry, and I am having fun where I am now!

I appreciate the way you took care of me–I felt special. You are special–there are not many like you.

I will talk to you soon. I learned a lot from you.

This post is illustrated with my SoulCollage card Cherry at the threshold.

SoulCollage® cards are for personal use, and are not for sale, barter, or trade.

Don’t worry so much

This is the SoulCollage card I made yesterday to represent the last of my seven chakra totems, a monkey. This totem is associated with my third chakra, the solar plexus, seat of power and control. (The other totems are an elephant, leopard, bird, fawn, owl, and toad. You can see the complete totem pole here.)

During the guided meditation I used to identify my totem animals, one of the questions I was directed to ask the totem animal is what symbolic gift it had for me. In the case of the monkey, the answer was

A tail–another way to balance.

I assumed this meant that the tail provided balance by gripping something, and ever since, I’ve been looking for a picture of a monkey with a clearly-visible tail. (I am here to tell you they are hard to come by.) When I finally found the primary image I used here, I learned from the caption that some monkey species, such as this one, don’t grip anything with their tails (i.e., they don’t have prehensile tails), but instead use them purely for balance. How interesting.

I made this card during a SoulCollage gathering at my house, and as we finished collaging, I suggested that we read our cards. Some people draw them blind as you would tarot cards, but when I had a very small deck, I developed the habit of choosing them face up–and I still do. This is my reading from yesterday …

I am one who is agile; I move through the branches quickly. I look ahead to see what’s coming next. I see clearly, with compassion. I reach for what I need, and what I want.

The message I have for you is: Don’t worry so much. It’s not necessary. All you need is coming to you–all you need is within reach.

We [the fruit] are the blessings that are coming to you, that are ready for you.

 

You are so safe, so loved. You are held in the arms of the Universe, and always will be.

That is all.

 

Abundant blessings are coming to you quickly. You will see. Keep your hands wide open.

That is all.

I am one who is ready for a new journey–really ready.

And it is coming to you quickly.

That is all.

What struck me the most about this reading was the phrase “Don’t worry so much.” This is a theme that has come up for me a number of times in various ways over recent months.

It’s a bit irritating, because I don’t really consider myself a worrier. And compared with some members of my extended family, I am indeed an amateur. When I was younger, listening to my relatives discover something new to worry about, and then congratulating themselves on the discovery, made me want to scream.

So I don’t want to be a worrier–and yet, I recognize the truth that I do experience–shall we say–persistent concern about the outcomes of key situations in my life.

I believe that things will work out, and that I live in a benevolent Universe, but I think it’s fair to say I am not continually relaxed in that belief, in my faith that, no matter what, all will be well in the end.

I began to think about making a SoulCollage card about faith, to anchor a way of being that is the opposite of worry. As I began to think about what this might look like, I realized I’d already made this card, quite recently–and that it was the one I’d chosen when prompted to add a fourth card to my reading–my card So safe, so loved.

This week, I want to relax in the knowledge that all will be well–and I hope you’ll join me.

SoulCollage® cards are for personal use, and are not for sale, barter, or trade.

A reading for the New Year

Happy New Year! And thank you for being with me for the journey in 2014, the year now passed. It was a proving ground for sure!

I’m thrilled that my words here were read in 57 countries last year. When I think how much communication has changed in just my adult lifetime, this amazes me. Early in my career, I was secretary of the local chapter of my professional organization for several years, and I printed, copied, stapled, stamped, and mailed the minutes to the other board members. In those years, having 56 penpals would have been a great way to be read in 57 countries! Now, I can just click Publish. A little miracle right there.

I’m also really pleased that some of my most-read posts last year were also some of those that meant the most to me, about some pretty important things … letting go of judgment, releasing bitterness, and rising above the ego. I’m so glad you found them!

This year I continued my tradition of a SoulCollage card reading for the new year (below). Last year I made a single card on New Year’s Eve, the first one in the reading, to represent my unknown path in the new year. This year, I made two cards for this reading ahead of time to represent two major themes–the heart card and the thoroughbred card.

All my best wishes for a New Year that brings you every change your heart desires!

2014 was a difficult year, but you came through it with flying colors.

Winding was the path, stony the way, but you were guided every step of the way.

That is all.

Your heart will indeed expand, in many ways. It will be beautiful–and enlightening.

That is all.

It is time to go, now–it wasn’t before. You will be even calmer this year. You have plenty of time for all you need to do. Just one way now–forward.

That is all.

This year you will leap over the competition with ease. You will no longer be confined–you will be free. Free to do more of what you like–respected for your abilities.

You will remain pointed in the right direction due to your spiritual path.

You’ll feel the wind in your hair–exhilarating.

That is all.

You will continue to write–what you do best, what you’re meant to do. … Keep your pen sharp–to distinguish between right and wrong.

That is all.

 

There will be love–much love. Much comfort. Much grace.

That is all.

SoulCollage® cards are for personal use, and are not for sale, barter, or trade.

Stay the path

This is my SoulCollage card reading from last night … I was feeling a bit jangled after Thanksgiving dinner, which was pleasant, but nonetheless necessarily involved many disparate energies. I thought that a reading might be helpful, and it absolutely was. I was reminded of why this process is so worthwhile.

We have compassion for you–have compassion for yourself. You are learning, continually learning. That’s as it should be. That is all.

Writing is what you are meant to do, and you’re doing it. That is as it should be. That’s all.

You will open the gate for others; that’s what you’re doing right now, and doing it well. Be proud of yourself–you are doing just what you should be. You will get better and better–practice makes perfect. But for right now, you’re doing fine–very well. That is all.

Here you see the two paths. Don’t be distracted from yours. There’s much that is not the main event–don’t be distracted by that. Stay the path, keep to the path. That is all.

SoulCollage® cards are for personal use, and are not for sale, barter, or trade.

 

Places to go

Last night as I was getting ready to meditate, I had the idea to read some of my SoulCollage cards as part of my practice. I chose the following four cards, flipping through my deck to see what stood out to me. As I write this, I’m kind of amazed that my reading was coherent as I did it while Precious the cat, whom I’m socializing, was lounging all over me and the cards. This is what they said …

I am the one who has places to go … I will not always be where I am.

You will move on. It’s the right thing to do.

I am the one who is compassionate toward all living things. I am the embodiment of love in the world.

I am one who longs to be of service to others.

You will get your chance. You will open many doors–this is just the beginning.

Your heart is very large–expansive and expanding. You have much to offer the world. You will send your message of love and courage out all over the world, and it will be blessed.

This post is illustrated with my SoulCollage cards New Journeys, Understanding + Two Paths, Opening the gate + Fawn totem–5th chakra, and Hope + Bird totem–4th chakra. 

The wisdom of many lifetimes

This is a SoulCollage card I’ve been wanting to make ever since I made my first Soul Essence card, which represents the essence of your soul that’s consistent from lifetime to lifetime, regardless of your current personality, gender, ethnicity, occupation, and so on. When I thought about what the lives I’ve lived that I know about have in common, there honestly wasn’t much. But one of the things that stood out to me was the idea of mastery–something that’s important to me in this life, and seems to be a recurring theme in other lives as well. I wanted to represent this on my first Soul Essence card, but there just wasn’t room for it. Most Soul Essence cards are quite simple, and the first one I made was no exception. Soon after I made that card, I read my 6th-chakra owl totem card, and that reading expanded on what I’d been thinking:

I am one who is wise–like you. Many different kinds of wisdom is what you’re developing over many lifetimes. The wisdom of nature, the wisdom of technology, the wisdom of writing.

I found this last bit very intriguing, as I hadn’t thought of what I do for a living in terms of gathering the wisdom of technology before. This new Soul Essence card is about that ongoing gathering of wisdom across lifetimes.

As I was finishing this card, I noticed its colors are mostly dull, making it unique in my deck in that it doesn’t feature the vibrant color (or else black and white) that I typically use. I realized that’s because this card is about a larger, broader ‘me’ than the me of this lifetime who passionately loves color. I considered adding a reference to the “wisdom of technology,” but couldn’t find any images that worked. Technology–even a sleek laptop like my new HP Envy– is, I’m sorry to say, just so ugly in comparison with nature and beautiful hand-crafted objects! I just couldn’t bring myself to do it.

Here’s an excerpt from my reading of this new card (I’ve rearranged the sentences a bit so that it flows perhaps better than the original) …

The wisdom of many lifetimes is with you. All is well.

I am one who has lived many times, and learned something from each one of them.

I am one who loves the water. I am one who loves soaring cathedrals. I am one who builds them. I love the little lambs–so tender, so sweet. I am one who loves to write, who has much to share with the world. [You will share it.]

I am one who is wise beyond my years. It is always there for me to tap into–the wisdom of many lifetimes.

I am one who is developing–slowly, over time, like a pearl.

The waters are still, all is well. That is all.

Have you done any exploration of your past lives, and if so, what do you think are recurring themes for you?