Imagine... SoulCollage®

July Reading

2010-07-06T07:24:00.000-07:00

Anger...

I am the one who says enough is enough. I am the one who wonders if you need to be pounded on the head. I am the one who appreciates the passion of emotion and isn't afraid. I am the one willing to show my growl.

Polar Bear... Throat Chakra... I am the one who appears soft and cuddly. I am the one who nutures with strength and softness. I carry you on my back when you are small. I hug when its needed. I listen and console. I am the strong leader in the corner.

Community. Yoga. I am the one who encourages you to go within to find balance and joy. I am the swirling light, the quiet breath. I am the connection to nature and all that surrounds it. I am breath and body and mind and spirit. I am your path.

Council. The Fool. AKA Rut Roh. I am the one who tells you to stop being so silly. You are not in control. In fact, any illusion of it is foolish. Enjoy the ride, smile. Be like Buddha and laugh. You have no idea of what's ahead so just leap. Put a frog on your head and try and see it. The answers you seek are there. LOOK! Let it go.

SoulCollage® for Girls!

2010-05-18T07:27:00.000-07:00

A month or so ago, I was gardening, which happens to be my best thinking activity... and I was musing about my path and where the next curve was. I am fascinated by how seemingly random points of my life have come back to help with whatever my current project is. I was thinking about how much I used to love working with kids when I was a therapeutic foster mom, how much I loved watching the girls who lived with us start to recognize their own power, and embrace all the parts of themselves, especially those they had been conditioned to reject. Somewhere in my musings I heard a small, still voice say "Soulllllcooolllage...." like it was on the breeze.... Having learned that that small, still voice is very helpful if I shut up long enough to listen to it, my ears perked up HUH? "for the girls... Soulcollage" OHHHH!

SoulCollage! For Girls! What a great idea! Now, why didn't I think of that? So, I immediately contacted some of my dearest friends with some of my favorite young girls that I have been missing since I haven't done a play for awhile. They were enthusiastic, and a new path was formed. We had our first meeting last night-- small since the poor kids are all still way overscheduled with the end of school-- but delightful all the same.

I had such a fun time getting ready for this. I went shopping at all the bargain bins looking for books and magazines appropriate for girls ages 9 -14. I searched through our image box and pulled out all the ones I thought they might be intrigued by. We set up the room, borrowing a big, round table from our church so the girls could all sit together, putting out tons of art supplies, and specifically cutting new PINK mat board just for them.

I made a new powerpoint presentation, simplifying the whole process. I decided it would be easiest for them to learn it in stages, no need to complicate matters right off the bat so we focused on the Committee/Community suits i.e. the parts of them and the people/places in their lives. I didn't have to worry about them grasping it at all! These girls went right to town! As soon as we got to the last page of instructions, they were off!

I was amazed at their creativity. They had no fear, no worries about right or wrong, they just let themselves explore. Us adults tend to stew about backgrounds and move the images around endlessly, getting it just right. They didn't worry about finding the perfect image for the background... they colored or painted it! And they knew just what the cards were about... "this represents my dad's risky wedding... this represents my mom who loves scuba diving... this is me when I am hungry...I'm the baby in the family so these baby animals represent me" On and on, they created.

There were only 4 girls there but look at all the cards they made! I was blown away at how they had such artistic flair along with how easy they showed their intuitive sides. They didn't talk to each other as much as we adults do when we are making cards but they were so kind admiring each others work. It was a joy to watch!

At the end of the evening, we talked about getting together again on a more regular basis after school lets out. They seemed to really enjoy the evening as much as I did. Thanks still, small voice! What a great new path!

4/24/10 Reading

2010-04-26T07:07:00.000-07:00

Came home from the latest SoulCollage gathering and decided to do a reading myself, since they were so powerful for those in attendance (and one of my attendees asked where mine was LOL). Here's what I got: Committee "Holding the World's Pain" Isn't this a sad card? I am the One who is crumbled and sad, grieving over the world's hatred and destruction. I am the One who would like to join with the sun, put my arm's around the earth and hold it. I am the One paralyzed by pain, looking to comfort.

Companions: "Hummingbirds" I think this may be my hand chakras? I am the One who flits about, expending a great deal of energy to get a small dose of sugar. I am the One who is colorful, busy and searching. I am One looking to perch, fully satisfied.

Community: "Comfort & Gussie" Gussie was my favorite dog, who died very young, was a beautiful Lab mix. I am the One offering warmth and comfort. I am the One who is sincere, loyal and just wanting you to pet me. I am the One curling up on the couch with a cuppa hot tea.

Council: "Changing Landscapes" This card just keeps coming up over and over again... I feel I must be missing the point. Feel free to let me know what you would think "if it were your card". "I am the One ever evolving, not knowing what the landscape is gonna look like... I am the One shining under the silvery moon. I am listening and looking for signs. I see different shades of gray but no color."

My husband was scribing for me and commented that maybe the card was about being too much in the head, too much brain, which was an interesting concept.

I look forward to hearing what my SoulCollage friends and facilitators think of this one... sometimes even facilitators need a bit of facilitating. Tell me what you see.

The Medicine Woman

2010-04-07T06:38:00.000-07:00

I have carried the image of this woman around for 2 years. Each SoulCollage card building, I brought her out... feeling so drawn to her... but yet, having no idea what to do with her. She's from an old magazine one of my yoga students gave me... possibly from the 70s or 80s but there felt like there was something so wise, so current, I just had to keep her. Over and over, I passed by her when making a card, even thinking of putting her in the "someone else's image" pile. But I held on to her, not being able to let her go.

I love SoulCollage. Just when you think you can never make another card, you are done, no creativity left, no other "neters" to discover, an image begins to speak. And they begin to connect to another image. And it's almost as if they whisper, "here, with him.... that's where I belong".

I love the hawk but couldn't fit it on the card with the feathers. I love the feathers, didn't want to lose them. The woman whispers, "on my head... they belong on my head... I am the hawk, we are one". What? And Wow. How did I not see that over the last 2 years?

I was showing this card to a newbie at the latest gathering. She has known me for a long time. Before I said anything about the card, she took it in her hands and said, "wow, Linda.. she looks just like you, like who you are and who you will become."

She looks nothing like me. Physically. But there is something about her. She is me. And I am the Hawk. We are One.

I'm not ready to do the "I am the One who" exercise with her yet. I will wait for her to come up in a reading. I am excited to hear what she has to say.

Trust the process.....

Mini Works of Art

2010-03-11T20:24:00.000-08:00

I heard a great quote about SoulCollage in an interview with another SoulCollage facilitator:

"Mini Works of Art that Promote Healing"

Brilliant! Why didn't I think of that? LOL!

I feel bad that I don't keep up with this blog. Seems as if life gets in the way. I make beautiful cards, still love SoulCollage, just don't have time to tell about them. I'll do better soon.

I am very excited about our switch from Friday nights to Saturday afternoons. I am thrilled that Sheree signed us up on MeetUp. I am hopeful that SoulCollage will become more popular in my community.

Hope is a lovely thing.

Bigger Than Me

2009-09-17T07:10:00.001-07:00

One of the questions we ask when helping a SoulCollager sort her cards into suits is, "Does the energy feel like a part of you or bigger than you?". It really helps a beginner when deciding between the Committee suit, which is all the various parts of your own personality, and the Council suit, which is the larger archetypes that we all share. Some know intuitively that the energy feels BIG and some aren't sure so we encourage them to put it in either pile and wait and see when it comes up in a reading.

I've been having a lot of "bigger than me" moments lately. You know those times where the world stops and you realize how far reaching your actions really are? For a somewhat impulsive soul like myself, these moments are vital, especially considering my work. It's important for me to realize the impact my words have.

I had one of those moments last night. I am preparing for 2 weddings to the same couple over the next 2 weeks. I've never done a wedding before, but these are good friends of mine that asked me to marry them, who am I to say no? I blogged about it here. It was way back in April 2008 when they asked, didn't seem like the day would ever come and here it is. It is definitely one of those bigger than me times. I've worried, wanting it to be perfect, since it is something they will remember for the rest of their lives. The energy seems HUGE. Will I do okay? I thought I'd be really nervous but I'm surprisingly very calm and excited for it to be here finally, it just feels so right.

I've been researching wedding ceremonies and vows, since they are not a traditional couple and I'm not a traditional rev. it's been fun exploring different styles and ideas of what we should do. A very good friend and yoga student of mine has a daughter who got married last year with a non traditional service so she gave me a DVD of the ceremony to get some ideas.

This friend of mine has had a tremendous impact on my life. She has been instrumental in guiding me through the last couple years of starting up my own business, really helping me learn to honor myself and my talents, she is a large part of who Yolinna Spirit is today. She came to me for yoga when she was going through an extremely tough time in her own life, taking care of her extremely ill parents while dealing with a very scary illness of her own. She has always shown me so much gratitude for my classes and would insist that I was part of what made her get through it all. I would always 'aw shucks' it, downplaying my impact, insisting it wasn't me, it came through me, my usual.

In the wedding ceremony, the Officiant asked the congregation if they would like to get up individually and give a blessing to the happy couple. What a unique idea, to really make each family and friend there feel a part of the service, not just bystanders, how cool. As I am taking notes, anticipating what people would say, I notice my friend, the mother of the bride, is the first to stand and go give them a blessing. And what does she say?

"May you be blessed with the knowledge of how much you are loved."

I begin crying. I am crying now. Why? This is what I say at the end of some of my particularly powerful yoga sessions. It has become a blessing between us. She has expressed many a time how important that blessing is to her, how it helped her through, how it was just the right thing at the right time. When we do yoga or reiki alone together, it is what we say. And here she was, saying it to her daughter on her wedding day. Wow.

That is certainly much bigger than me. I can only hope that I can do the same for Matt & Jaime's big day. But I am sure that energy will come through just when it is needed. It's coming from a place much larger than myself...and I am blessed with the knowledge of how much we are all loved.

3 New Cards

2009-08-22T06:43:00.000-07:00

Had such a nice time at SoulCollage last night. Felt very creative, like the juices were flowing (or maybe it was the Sangria LOL) Had some images I had been carrying for over a year that jumped onto cards with some new backgrounds from calendars people have donated. Here they are:

I really like this one-- I like the thought of shooting up the waterfall. To the moon!

I guess this is my protest card. Princess? Bah, Humbug!

This one is intriguing. We have found that when we put the rubber cement on and use the brayer to smooth the paper, sometimes it leaves streaks across the image. It doesn't always happen and the amazing thing is that it always looks like it's suppose to be there. Sort of woo woo but I love it. The streaks feel like Air to me, like the girl is blowing swirls of wind.

Have a great day!

Oooops!

2009-08-14T06:15:00.001-07:00

If you've arrived here from the link of my newsletter looking for pics and post of the Open House... Sorry! It's my other blog Yolinna's Other Mat that has that post. Click HERE

Sue

2009-07-28T06:30:00.000-07:00

A Great Lady has passed. The day of our last SoulCollage gathering was her birthday. It was also the day of her memorial. Sue had ovarian cancer. She fought it for 7 years, refusing to let it get in the way of living her life. She is one of the most inspirational people I have ever met.

I didn't know her well. We served on various councils and committees together. She came to yoga, in fact, she came to my very first Restorative Yoga Day. I was so honored when she signed up, I really admired her so much. To think she wanted to come spend the day with me doing yoga was, well, I don't know... I was thrilled. When they came in, I had everyone pick an angel card before the class. She picked Strength. I know this because she had dropped it and it landed right in front of my mat. I was very nervous and it became a talisman, a touchstone... an inspiration. Like Sue, an angel of Strength.

When I became Reiki attuned and learned to send Distant Reiki, she was the first one I sent it to. I knew my Reiki Master had been giving her Reiki throughout her illness. The first Reiki share that I did, she came. I was afraid to go over to her, thinking she preferred and needed the Master but she was so kind. "I'll take all I can get!" We all worked on her together. It was very powerful. I sent her Reiki every week-- she was incredible, a miracle, she was not gonna let it get her down.

At the last Christmas Market, we were giving free Reiki to anyone who wanted it. I was working a booth but would hop back and help when the other healers got swamped. Sue was bent over hobbling to the stage and sat down next to me before she climbed it, holding her back. Thinking it was the cancer, I put my hands on her shoulders and asked, "Is it awful? Can I help?" She looked up at me and giggled... "no, it's my own fault! I went watersliding with the grandkids and wrenched my back!" I was floored. This was after they had found the recurrence and she couldn't continue treatment because of horrible migraines... but she wasn't gonna stop and let it get her down. When they stopped the treatment, she came to Reiki.. "oh I'm just glad they stopped because I go on vacation next week and I will be feeling great and able to enjoy it!"

The night of her memorial I made a card about perseverance, enjoying life and living it. All the images were ones I found a year ago. Cept the one of Sue. That was from her memorial program. SoulCollage is a great way to honor those wonderful inspirations in our lives. When that card comes up in a reading, I will know that it's saying:

I am the One with Spirit. I am the One who lives, no matter what. I am the One climbing mountains and turning my face to the sun... I am the One in Heaven.

Oh Life.

2009-07-10T06:58:00.000-07:00

It's funny. I completely forgot I made this card at the last SoulCollage gathering. I was in the thick of the play and felt like an energizer bunny.

Ahh, my tiger. Guarding and protecting my sacral chakra. Reminding me to draw the line and remember my creativity.

My Reiki Lineage. Passing on the gift to the children from the ancestors. I hold the energy in my hands.

Dreaming. This one has never come up either. The wild horses running in the surf under the moon. Pigs flying, airplanes and the stuff dreams are made of. In my dreams...

I am the One who keeps going and going, bending and twisting. I am the One who learns to play and when to draw the line and be serious. I am the One who holds the powerful energy of the mountains in my hands. I use my dreams to fly over the land, creating the impossible and making it mine. I am the One with my eyes closed trusting that my dreams will someday come true. And it won't be when pigs fly!

One Card

2009-06-17T06:11:00.000-07:00

Ahhh, I call this one "Symphony of Creation" It's how I've always felt about my garden-- tap, tap, tap....ok! Enter the daffodils, yes, yes, wave your cheery faces! Stage Left, quickly Cherry Blossoms! Twirl to Stage Right....fluff up the tulips as you go!!!

It's ever so appropriate that I picked this card today. I am in the midst of directing a play, right before Tech (aka HELL) Week. It's a great reminder of the beauty and majesty of color and creation. The woman in the lotus with her fingers in the mudra symbolizing her connection with the CREATOR.... Yes, yes, I get it.

I am the One who directs the symphony of creation knowing it is not I who created the splendor and beauty.

I am the One listening within to the direction of the true Creator.

I am the One calmly awaiting the arrival of each player, knowing that each have an important part of the whole.

I am the One who knows that I too, am part of the whole, no less, no more than the sum of all.

I am the One holding up my arms, to help others find their own beautiful spot.

I am the One closing my eyes and going within, keeping calm with meditation, marveling at the wonders of nature. Inwardly, I am at peace.

And so it is.

3 New Cards

2009-05-27T06:29:00.000-07:00

Community Card: My Back Yard Friends... pretty obvious, these are the birds, animals and insects that visit me frequently. I love the St. Francis, patron of wildlife dude... although not being Catholic, I'm not sure if that's the right name. But I love that whole symbolism.

Council? Committee?: Cleansing Star.. this reminds me of a reading a student of mine gave me with MotherPeace cards. I carried the flower picture around for a year and a half til just the right pic came along.

Council. Definitely. But I have no idea what it's about. (she says while covering her ears and saying la la la...)

I love the colors and the images but why the poor naked maiden is being eaten by a large fish is beyond me. The image at the top is of a breast cancer survivor who decided to embrace her new body and enhance it by tattoo-ing
her chest. I can't imagine the freedom that gave her. And the courage it took.

Every time I think I couldn't possibly make another card, I sit with my friends at the SoulCollage gathering and the creativity just becomes a presence... and I can't help but give over to it.

Blessings!

Help?

2009-05-03T06:48:00.000-07:00

How to navigate the busyness of the next stage....

I am the One hanging on by a rope. I am the One balancing on one arm, I am the One holding on to Love, we hang together. I am strong, I have my safety gear, my monkey (heart chakra) is right underneath me, holding my heart and unconcerned with me falling. I am the One being held up in many ways.

I am Strength. I am Power. I am Fire. You can touch the fire, but it can't touch you. You are protected by the Lion who lives in your Solar Chakra. Let it roar. Stand strong and be lifted.

I am the One who knows when it is time to run screaming into the night. I am the One who knows the truth and has seen the bats. I am the One who can yell the loudest. I am the One who knows the colors are beautiful and the promises are sincere but alas, just promises. Stay alert. (WHY DOES THIS KEEP COMING UP?? lol--duh.)

I am the One who knows the peace within. I am the One who has learned to be part of the mountain, strong and steady and turning my face to the Light. I am the One who knows how important it is to close your eyes, be still and let the Light come back to you. I am the One who knows the power of the quiet moment. I go within. I go within.

Wow. Guess that answers that question.

Just One Card for today...

2009-04-20T06:51:00.000-07:00

Just have time for one card today-- but what a great card and just what I need to remember!

I am the One who reminds you that peace is within. I am the One who teaches quietness. I am the One listening intently to silence. I practice and play with gentle slowness. I look to the great Masters for wisdom knowing I can rest. All will be well. And all manner of things will be well. And so it is.

Should we stay or should we go?

2009-04-13T05:50:00.000-07:00

Wave: I am the One who reminds you to breathe. I am the One who shows you to ride the swing, going up, than pause, going down. I am the crest tittering on the brink waiting for the wave to roll onto shore. I am the One looking back at my feet before soaring up, up, up.... I am the liquid light of the ocean.

Church: I am the One who is screaming. I am the One with bats flying over my head. I am the One covering my ears so I don't hear what I don't want to hear. Enough! I scream. I am the colors and beauty that is enticing but not reality. Run away while you can.

Eagle: I am the One who "knows". I am awareness. I am the birth and I am the creator. I am the eye in the sky with the flash of intuition. Stay sharp and focused, the answers are there.

Inner Child: I am the happy one. I am the shy princess who loves to read, drum, dance and create. I am the One who sees with fresh eyes, without the jadedness of experience. I am the One with wings. I am the One looking for Prince Charming in the castle. I am the determined One. I am the beginning.

What do you want me to know? Breathe, Stay focused, don't be fooled by promises of institutions and beautiful colors, look within to the one who dreamed. She's still in there somewhere...

Intro to SoulCollage Workshop 3/28

2009-03-30T06:02:00.000-07:00

This was our view... we all agreed it was the perfect day. Overcast, a little foggy, perfect for working inside and not feeling like we needed to be outside and sunny. It is so lovely there, how blessed we were to use the building!

Here they are, hard at work/play. Many new voices were born on Saturday, our new friends amazed themselves with their creativity and they amazed us with how quickly they caught on. Such a special group.

Soooo many images....sooo little time!

Companions, Candles and Crystals to help us open our minds and hearts to this wonderful process.

All in all, a lovely day. They found an animal friend or two living in their chakras, they created beautiful cards, they had powerful readings and Sheree and I had a marvelous time teaching such a wonderful group of kindred spirits. Can't wait til the next one!

~~~~~~

Love After Love

The time will come when, with elation,

you will greet yourself arriving at your own door,

in your own mirror,

and each will smile at the other's welcome,

And say, sit here. Eat.

You will love again the stranger who was yourself.

Give wine. Give bread.

Give back your heart to itself,

to the stranger who has loved you all your life,

whom you ignored for another,

who knows you by heart.

Take down the love letters from the bookshelf,

the photographs, the desperate notes,

peel your own image from the mirror.

Sit.

Feast on your life.

~Derek Walcott

The Shack

2009-03-04T10:17:00.000-08:00

On New Year's Eve, Sheree gave me the book The Shack by Paul Young. She said she had just read it and loved it so she bought it for all her friends for Christmas. I hadn't heard of it, but upon looking at the back and the reviews that were way over the top gushing, saying things like it was the new bible I was curious whether it would live up to the hype.
`
New Year's Day I got a chance to read it. I was just going to read a chapter or two. I finished it 3 hours later. Wow. I was blown away. The whole second half of the book I was crying in that 'this is so deep I can't even cry' way. It was like it was speaking to me, confirming what I had always suspected, letting me know who God and Jesus and the Holy Spirit REALLY are. Letting me know that you can trust deep within, through any amount of pain, no matter what. God is there. God is here. And God didn't make suffering, but knows how to use it when it is there. Wow. I won't go into details here because I want you to have the opportunity to experience it too
`
Of course, I insisted that my daughter read it. Now, my daughter does not get emotional over books or movies or much really. She's very matter of fact, very warm but not "sappy"--her words. My son says she's the Chloe of our family and if you know who Chloe on the tv show 24 is, he's correct. My good friend Lori called me the day she finished it, sobbing, and of course, I'm on the phone with her, sobbing... My daughter's comment while rolling her eyes? AWWW JEEEEEZZZZZ LOL
`
But she took it back to school with her and over a month or so, read most of it. "have you read it???" "NO, not yet, jeez" "well COME ON!" At one point, she took it along on a solitary walk up to the top of the nearest mountain and sat alone for hours reading it. This seems like total Heaven to me. She's like, "yeah, it was okay." Errgh. But then she found out the author was coming to her school....needless to say she finished the book :)
`
So he came to her school yesterday. You should hear her talk about it! "he is amazing! his energy is so good, you wouldn't believe all the horrible things that have happened to him but yet God's light just shines through him. He sobbed telling us his story, the whole audience was crying, it was so amazing and incredible! I wish you had been here!" Much, much more but I won't print it all here... she got him to sign my book and he gave her a hug and told her she had beautiful hair. She smiled and said she got it from me. She's such a love. She said he didn't write the same thing on anyone's book. What did he write on mine?
`

"Linda,

Grace...

whispers of the deepest affection,

singing your name!

Paul Young"

'
Needless to say I was thrilled and touched and feeling so blessed. I woke up this morning thinking about it all, smiling as I brushed my teeth looking out on the snow... Grace. One of my all time favorite words. I have done whole meditations just on the word Grace.... So while I was musing on Grace.... and the Shack... suddenly one of my SoulCollage cards that I made quite some time ago popped into my head! And instantly I knew what it was all about!

This is one of my most favorite cards. I have always been drawn to this womans face, imagined the things she has seen, invisioning the strength within. I call the card Quiet Strength. And my inspiration?

In The Shack, God is portrayed as a strong black woman. And me? I am the quilt.

SoulCollage Gathering

2009-02-25T10:04:00.000-08:00

At one point last month we had 16 folks signed up for our SoulCollage Night. Sheree & I were excited... and apprehensive... where would we put everyone? We decided to change the group from Sheree's house to mine since I have a dedicated room that is my yoga studio/office/reiki room/morning coffee room etc. My husband (and friends) converted our garage into this beautiful space surrounded with windows... it's lovely. So we put 4 long tables in, grabbed every chair in the house, borrowed from our church and had plenty of space.

Ultimately, 5 people showed up. Counting Sheree & I that's 7 altogether.

We had a great time. Went on well past time, really connected and shared. It's so funny, this has been our experience from the start with SoulCollage. We always get a lot of interest and then for a variety of reasons, most of which folks can't control, the group comes to the perfect size. Sometimes more, sometimes less, heck we've even had only one show up sometimes. Usually one really in need of undivided attention.

It's difficult to get over the feeling of throwing a party and no one showing up. It's difficult for other people to resist asking, "so how many did you have?" and look pityingly at the small number. I have to admit that if I allow myself to judge quantity rather than quality, I will view my endeavors as less than successful. It's such a ridiculous barometer based on human nature and childishness that I feel blessed to get the opportunity to REALLY explore the truth of what's important.

So, what's the truth? The truth is 7 beautiful souls connected on a level beyond superficial, beyond the day to day doldrums of life. They created, they allowed their intuition to guide them, they let go of control and allowed themselves to be led to beautiful and thought provoking insights to their soul. They laughed, they were brought to tears, they met each other's eyes and shared their common humanity. They all realized the light in them recognized the light in each other and bowed respectfully. They were one.

They took a couple of hours to stop judging others by how many friends they have on facebook or how much money they made or what was the label on their clothes. In fact, the phrase most heard was, "I hear you, I've been there, I feel you...." And believe me, it wasn't about their jobs or the cars they drive or the size of their homes. It wasn't about who wins the award for being the most busy, although that's how they may live their lives outside of the group. For a few hours, they were nothing but themselves, creating works of art.

Do I consider that a successful evening? Hell yeah. So much so, that I have decided to give the opportunity every week, every Sunday from 2-4pm. And what if no one shows up?

Well.... I'll be there, won't I? And I am the One....that knows that One is enough.

Today...In Anticipation

2009-02-19T09:52:00.000-08:00

I have some crazy stuff going on in my personal life that has nothing to do with my professional life so I'm a bit apprehensive about what this reading will tell me... But I am certain it will tell me just what I need to know...

First Card: I am the One who is Peace. I am released from my cage. I am the One flying over the unreal castle. I am the One who doesn't have a place to land since I am bigger than the landscape. I am the one whose landing is filled with pointy arrows seeking to harm me. I must find a soft spot or keep flying. I am the One who is pure and cooing. I am your crown chakra, your connection to the real God.

Second Card: I am the ruler of your throat chakra. I am the soft cuddly one who tries to soothe and carry the little ones on my back. I am the wise one rising above. I am the One who has told you to search for the green & blue lights. I can be very large and powerful when you need me. Speak your truth, give your hugs and go on your way. You will find the wisdom you need.

Third Card: We are your loyal companions. We are the ones who love you and stand by you unconditionally. We are your family. We are the ones present and past. We look to you wanting only love. We don't care about anything but being fed and being loved. In our eyes, you are okay just the way you are.

Fourth Card. I am the One to remind you that out of fire and ice comes flowering. I am the One with the kind face. I am the One who knows the elements. Earth, Fire, Water & Air are what is important. I say to you: Remember your purpose, remember who you are and what you are made of. Remember your knowing. Use the elements to bring flowers.

So there you have it.

Really looking forward to the SoulCollage Night tomorrow... Have a card that's been circling my head for awhile, anxious to get started on it.

Hope to see you there!

Peace & Joy, Linda

Love, love, love....

2009-02-12T05:44:00.000-08:00

This is my daughter's card that she calls Romance. I just love it, it has all the wistfulness of a teenage girl, wishing on a star, the beauty of foreverness. Without even knowing her "I am the One who" we can be sure that it contains the Happy Ever After line from all those Cinderella stories that little girls are brought up with. It's a beautiful card, don't you think?

This one is my Passionate Love card. It's an adult version of the Romance card. It's the longing for true communion. Passion. Togetherness. "I am the One who longs to completely connect with another who longs to completely connect with me. I am the One full of trust, baring my soul to another, knowing that I will be cherished, loved and supported. Together we feel our hearts connect" I love that the man is wearing a wedding ring. Emphasizing commitment. I really like this card as well.

As I age, I find that my heart is so full, that love becomes something that is necessary to share with many. As many share, the heart becomes larger. Community Love is just as beautiful as the others. When people come together, eyes meet eyes, smiles are exchanged and communication becomes real... beyond the weather and minutae, ahhh yet another beautiful form of love. How blessed we humans are to experience so many forms of Love. How blessed I am that my job is to bring out this kind of love! With SoulCollage, Yoga and Reiki I am constantly surrounded with Love. And constantly giving it. "I am the One who knows that many weaving their arms together creates true community. I merge my heart with others to create a larger heart. I put my arms around others shoulders and together we hold one another up through good times and bad. One is strong, Two is stronger, Three becomes a powerful force of change. Together we create the world we wish to live in. And so it is."

What are your thoughts on Love? Which form of Love is strongest in your life right now? If you are a SoulCollager, have you made a card to reflect this?

With Love,

Linda

Today's Reading

2009-02-03T07:21:00.000-08:00

I am the One who is devastated by devastation. I am the One who wants to hold the world in my arms and move it forward. I am the One who marches forward resoulutely...even to my own death knowing I can only do the right thing. I am the One weeping over what things were.

I am the One who is with you always. I hold you close in the light, flying just above your head, ready to protect you and guide you whenever you call on me. When you are ready, I will shower flowers and stars over your lighted crown.

I am the One who is wistfully wondering if this is what life is. I am the One who dreams of being looked at with love, respect and happiness. I am the One who wonders if happiness is just a cheesy bowl of spaghetti. I am the One who worries over Whatever Happened to Baby Jane.

I am the One who holds the Lamb of God. I am the One who trusts in the future. I am the One who bears the Savior. I am the One who is obediently protecting the future King. I am the One the angels talk to. I have the Light in my arms and on my shoulders. I am the patient nurturer.

Today's Reading

2009-01-22T06:06:00.000-08:00

(click on any image to enlarge)

I've been feeling a bit overwhelmed and out of sorts lately. Happily overjoyed with public events and resentfully overburdened with private events. Not because of anyone else but because I have so many 'shoulds' that are conflicting with my 'wants'. Decided to pull a couple cards and check it out.

It intrigues me that SoulCollage has the ability to cut through the bs and get right to the heart of matters. Without even doing the "I am the One who" exercise... right away these cards told me:

1st Card: Reverence

You need to connect with what you hold sacred. You are not spending enough quiet, reflective, private time.

2nd Card: Heart Chakra-- Monkeys

This is interesting because when I pulled the card and tried to put it on the blog, I realized I had never scanned it in. I have felt like this isn't the right card-- anyone at our SoulCollage Nights probably could tell you I've been very reluctant to trust that monkeys are my heart chakra. Message today? Perhaps you should learn to trust your heart. Ahhhhhh....

3rd Card: Church

Bingo! I'm doing a show and all my old feelings are popping up and making me feel overwhelmed. I will not go into detail here but trust me, this card made me understand EXACTLY what is going on.

4th Card: Sinking Ship

LOL! Again, without going into detail... This card told me exactly what to do about it. Let go, let it sink, rise above and float.

So in a few moments, I had exactly who, what , why and how... SoulCollage is brilliant.

I know I don't say it enough but Thank You Seena for creating this wonderful tool.

Kali

2009-01-12T16:37:00.000-08:00

There's a SoulCollage Group on Yahoo--http://groups.yahoo.com/group/KaleidoSoul/ that I am part of. Every now and then I answer a post that intrigues me but usually I'm just a lurker. Anne Marie, the moderator of the group, posted the other day looking for "Spiritual Warrior" cards. It just so happened that it was the same day that my Kali card came up (see next post) so I responded with a link to that reading. So, Anne Marie, being the kind soul that she is, asked the million dollar question:

What does Kali mean to you?

Hmmm. Good question. I don't really know Kali-- like, the legend Kali... just snippets here and there from other ladies. But I do know what my Kali is like.

My Kali is the destructor. She's the one who knows that sometimes you have to tear down to rebuild. Sometimes there's no choice but to blow up your world. Or at least risk blowing up your world. She's the one who gives you the strength and energy to stand tall and firm in your beliefs... even when you are being persecuted for them. She draws the line. She's the voice in the back of your head screaming NOOOOO when you find yourself about to compromise yourself, your beliefs, the very thing that makes you YOU.

Kali is the One who comes to your aid when you start thinking it would just be easier to go along with those people who really don't have your best interests at heart. They can't stand Kali. They will attack her on every level... usually the "a nice girl wouldn't speak like that" level. She's the one who knows that it IS what you are saying that is important... not how you say it. She's the one that makes you walk away from the conflict going no where... and stand and fight when it can go somewhere.

She is the true Spiritual Warrior. She doesn't give a fig for doctrine, rules, other's definitions of right and wrong, she answers to one person only. She and her God are one. She is fierce in her faith and passionate about her one rule. "treat others how you wish to be treated" With her, it is not an option to do the wrong thing. And she will never stand by and allow others around her to be victimized. She will stand tall. At all costs. No matter what. Her compassion and her passion are one.

I love my Kali. She's the best person to ever cross my path.

First Reading of the New Year

2009-01-05T06:39:00.000-08:00

I am turning over the cards as I write this so... we'll see what happens...

First Card: Committee

My Inner Child-- I am the One who keeps the child within. I am the One who loves to play and create. I am the shy princess. I love a big drum role. I find happiness and delight by creating, dancing and reading.

What do you have to tell me? Use your inner child to create with delight.

Companion Card: Polar Bear, Throat Chakra

I am the One who is cuddly and strong. I am the One who knows when to soothe and when to speak. I am the One looking for the light of truth. I am the One who may leave but will take my cubs with me. I am powerful but approachable. I am wise old bear.

What do you have to tell me? Speak your truth with kindness.

Council Card: Kali

I am the One who is strong, powerful and rooted. I take your breath away and make you say Whoa. I am the one who is protected by the red wolf dogs. I harness the power of fire and use it for healing. I am the Tower of Strength knowing when destruction is necessary. In my hands I hold the keys to peace.

What do you have to tell me? Do not be frightened, stay rooted and own your power.

Community Card (I don't usually pull in this order but it just happened this way) Cory, my son.

I am the One who will trudge on. I am the One with the shy smile. I am the angry dinosaur and the playful Woodstock. I have the power of the snow owl's wisdom to guide me. I am the one who will follow the swirling path until completion. I am the One moving on.

What do you have to tell me? I'm okay. Stop worrying. I'm still in here. I will soar the mountains yet.

Friday Night Gathering

2008-12-22T05:51:00.000-08:00

Every 3rd Friday, a group of us gather to make SoulCollage cards. After actually counting my cards (or having them counted for me by Facebook) I was thinking I really wasn't going to make any more cards. I mean, I have 80 cards! Honestly, how many do you need? But.... it seems like I only just started... and there's so much more to say....and well, whatever. I'll do what I want! So anyway, on Friday, I was really just kinda moving images around, not really intending to have anything come of them but oh my. Look who was born:

And Wow. This one was helped out by a new SoulCollager who handed me just the right image when I showed the card.

Both of these cards were made completely intuitively. I have no idea what they are about. Really. I think the top one has something to do with Neptune's daughter??? Is it Neptune? The term 'watery grave' keeps flashing through my head when I look at it. And the 2nd one is very intriguing... something about the 3 faces of Eve, I suppose. It will be very interesting to see what they have to "say".

SoulCollage is so interesting when you least expect it. The cards just keep getting better and better. I love seeing new cards pop up and new insights from our SpiritedSouls. The whole process: the coming together, the creativity, the sharing... it's so relaxing.

See you next month!

The Unknown

2008-12-15T06:11:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I feel as if I could just get quiet enough, if I just had enough time, I would become as still as the mountain and unlock all the secrets... or find all the truth there is in the Universe. I feel as if I'm standing on the brink of ...... something.... like it's right on the tip of my head. Deep within. Encircled in Light. I've seen glimpses of it many times. It is a part of me. Or maybe I am part of it.

After I made this card, I read "The Way of the Peaceful Warrior" by Dan Millman. Or maybe it was the other way around. Doesn't matter. In the book **spoiler alert** the hero dies and becomes part of the mountain and discovers all the secrets of the Universe. In a new agey way, it's sort of hokey but in a deep truth way it makes perfect sense. We must go to the mountain if we want to find the Truth. It's not an accident that in all the great legends the mountain plays a significant role. Jesus & Moses went to the mountain, Dr. Usui received the Reiki Healing symbols there, Mohammad, Lao Tze and a million monks, anyone in need of deep spiritual truth... eventually goes to the mountain.

When I first started on my quest, I used to think it was hopeless since the possibility of me going and living on the mountain alone was not a possibility. At least in this lifetime. I mean, I think it would be pretty easy to find enlightenment if you could devote 24/7 and never have to look at a computer or drive in traffic. But, in this world with all its distractions, good and bad, it's hard to keep the kind of silence that allows you to go deep within. Until you discover that the mountain is not a place you go.... it's a place you are.

When I received my 3rd Reiki attunement, the energy that I have always felt in my hands, the energy that always burned as fire, strong and hot, completely shifted. The first session I did was shocking. Instead of that quick heat there was a deep intensity, a shift that was there almost immediately upon asking, a power that stayed constant, strong as ... well... a mountain. It was as if my whole body became a source of healing, I could feel it in every part of me. There was a place I had never been to before that became home. That became me. Or I became it. The mountain. All wise, all knowing, always there.

"I am the One as old as the Universe. I am a part of you and you are me. I am strength and wisdom and power. The stillness you seek is within me... within you. Go to the mountain. Visit yourself. Close your eyes and I am there..."

Ugh.

2008-12-11T06:27:00.000-08:00

Isn't this just an awful card? In honoring my shadow self, I knew I had to make it but I hate it. I put it at the back of the deck and I never bring it out when we lend our cards to new friends learning the process. I have yet to do the "I am the One who" exercise on it because I know it only too well.

I smoked from the time I was 16 years old. I really wanted to be cool... to fit in... to be the bad girl. Smoking exemplified all those things. I could stand outside in the breezeway at high school and when the perfect jock/preppy girls couldn't get their cigarettes lit, for once I had the opportunity to do something better than them. Yay me-- I could light a cigarette in a 50 mile gale wind.

Course when I was 30, that didn't seem quite so cool.

When I was fighting the addiction and all the ugliness around it, I used to think of all the lies surrounding smoking. "you've come a long way baby" Yeah, you've come all the way to smelling horrible, having stained teeth, early wrinkles and a great chance of getting lung cancer. Woo Hoo! What a great accomplishment!

Overcoming the addiction is one of the proudest moments of my life. When I finally set them down, refusing to be a slave, refusing to choose cigarettes over life and deciding that no matter what happened in my world-- I would never smoke again.... Ahhhh, freedom. Not a day goes by that I am not grateful that I was given the strength to beat it.

"I am the One who HAS come a long way, baby. I am the One whose eyes deceive and beguiling gaze holds the truth. I am the crushed out killer sitting in a pile of stench. I am the One who won't be fooled again. I am the One who knows beauty does not come from a gloved hand"

I'll still probably keep the card out of the pack.

(We don't usually put words on the cards but this time it felt appropriate. First rule of SoulCollage? There are no rules!)

Yesterdays Reading

2008-12-09T09:42:00.000-08:00

Committee Card--Spiderweb.... I am the One who weaves an intricate web. I am the One who keeps rebuilding. I am resilient. I am the One with the lightning flash. I see the light creating it's own web. The web is only tangled if the truth is not there...

Companion Card--Tiger the 2nd/Sacral Chakra... I am the One who is old and young. I am the One who remembers both the playfulness of youth and the steady progress of maturity. I know when to draw the line between them. My message to you is to remember the beauty of both in different directions.

Community Card--Ancestors... We are the bows that loft the arrows. We are the workers, we are the Shamans. We tell you to look closer.... All is not what it appears at first glance.

Council Card--The Bridge... I am the Bridge of knowing and unknowing. I can see what I am supposed to see and the rest is murky. The clarity is there in the sky and the trees and the mountains. I tell you to find the Bridge between what you can see and what you are seeing. Seek illumination and watch the colors change...

Tuesday, April 08, 2008

2008-12-09T08:44:00.000-08:00

Latest SoulCollage

I made this card at the last SoulCollage Card Play Party. I really love this woman. The strength in her face. The hands that are large and strong and have made many a quilt, held babies and Lord knows what else the woman has had the strength to endure in her lifetime. It's on her face. Faith and Acceptance. She hasn't come up in a reading yet so I'm not sure what she has to tell me but I sense it will be powerful. I'm sure the slice of moon is significant....

If it were YOUR card, what would it say? Start with: I am the one who....... and let her speak. I'm sure she has much to say.

This is the other one I made. The energy is much more playful. I particularly like the monkey swinging off the Tarzan and Jane people. Again, I have no clue what this one's about. Hanging from a thread? Holding on for dear life? Running from a crazy monkey? I dunno.

Maybe it's this one that speaks to you: I am the One who....

It's always really interesting to hear what other's see in your cards. The ladies at the card play thought this one was all about strength and the other about sadness and I see them as the opposite.

I have a card I made a long, long time ago that came up in a reading yesterday and all of a sudden there was a face on it clear as day that I never saw. Took my breath away.

SoulCollage has a way of doing that.

Now why didn't I see that before? "When the student is ready, the teacher will come" Oh yeah. Duh!

Thursday, February 21, 2008

2008-12-09T08:43:00.000-08:00

Birth....Death

I made this card almost a month ago. I hadn't scanned it in, didn't include it in my readings, felt like maybe it wasn't done. If you've come to any of our gatherings in the last month, you may remember it. I've been asking everyone else what they thought it was. It didn't make any sense to me. Why would there be a baby resting in a pumpkin against a sunset? Wouldn't a baby symbolize birth? And a sunset symbolize death? Why in the world would they both be on one card? I kept thinking it wasn't done. That maybe there was some magic image that would finish it and make it all clear.
`
I put it in the deck after the last workshop with the encouragement of the attendees. It came up in the very next reading (of course!) Still..... I wasn't sure.... I wrote:
`
I am the one nestled in the gourd. I rest comfortably, not worrying. I rest as the sky changes. The sky, the trees and the water support me as I rest.
`
My heart is heavy right now. I hate to see my friends in pain. I hate thinking I will never see a friend again. Why didn't I go hear him play? Busy, busy, busy. My dad and I were talking yesterday-- he went to the viewing and found it very difficult. He's had 2 heart attacks, congestive heart failure, has insulin dependent diabetes & still smokes. He said he looked down on 'this young kid' and could not comprehend how he just had one heart attack and he's gone. My dad said it should have been him in the casket, not Dave. I can't even begin to tell you on how many levels this hurts my heart.
`
This morning as I was washing my face, trying to pull myself together, to get moving, to get over this wretched cold which struck me big time yesterday (yes, I know, don't even go there.....) this card popped into my head. And the answer just came pouring out....
`
I am the one who is here to let you know that there is no difference between birth and death. At the beginning of your life and at the end of your life you are supported. You can rest, you will be held comfortably, nestled in the loving care of your creator. Do not worry, do not fear, I am with you. Always. The passing of the sun is as beautiful as the beginning of a life. It matters not to your creator, he will hold you up either way. Close your eyes and rest.
`
And so it is. Amen.

Saturday, January 26, 2008

2008-12-09T08:41:00.000-08:00

Helmet Man
We had so much fun last night! We giggled, we rolled on the floor laughing, we were amazingly productive-- one woman who hasn't even taken the workshop made 6 cards!!! It was great fun. I am so excited, it was everything I hoped it would be, relaxing and fun, that's what SoulCollage can be. We ripped out many images and chatted and smiled, talked about our lives and our souls...ahhhh. The evening was supposed to end at 10pm. It was 1am when they finally left! Time just got away from us-- we never even knew it passed.

Funniest part of the night:

We were chatting about our Source cards and I asked one of the ladies who had taken the workshop if she had made hers yet. I invited her to use my Universe book-- that seems to be the most popular place for Source cards. She found a really cool background, green of course. Did I mention she's a bit obsessed with turtles and everything green? She's a LOT obsessed with turtles and green.... In fact, I was trying to explain to her that she may not even have a turtle in one of her chakras and I thought she was going to cry. "but Linda, I KNOW I have a turtle there, possibly 7 different types of turtles, one in each one!" Ummmm. Yeah.

Anyways, she finds this great background and I ask her if it's done and she's hemming and hawing like we are known to do when our images just don't "feel" done but we're not sure why. Suddenly she grabs this picture and starts laughing about maybe that's her Source... This is her God:

Helmet Man. God is Helmet Man. We all just died laughing, fell off of our chairs... yep, God is Helmet Man. All knowing, all wise but slightly hidden... yep, that's Him.

She grabs the glue and quickly pastes Him on. We go insane with witty repartee.... NOT! We got stupid with stupid jokes about God being a super hero and a turtle helmet dude... and oh, I will just spare you, it was very late. We were giddy. I begged her to let me scan it so I could show those of you who are not sure who God is. Well, now you know. He's a Helmet Man.
`

My apologies to all I have offended with this post. Guess you had to be there.
`

Did you know if you made a movie with Barbra Steisand and a pyschologist you could call it Mentyl? Or maybe Barbra Steisand with a toothache and call it Dentyl?
`

Just wondering. You should ask my friend Jenny about that....

Monday, January 07, 2008

2008-12-09T08:40:00.000-08:00

ROAR!!!!
This is my latest SoulCollage card. This powerful guy is living in my solar chakra-- Can you imagine? For a great deal of 2007, I was having trouble with my solar chakra. It's the place where you learn to say NO and YES. It's the place of power and the place of action and the place that helps you get things done! I was wasting a lot of time with wishy washyness and being worried about how people saw me and not wanting to offend and being sad about lots of things I couldn't control and basically wimping out and trying too hard to please. My lion must have been all fours up, you know what I mean?

So at Reiki one night, Jan (my Master) & Sheree were working on me and Jan got to my solar region and I felt this huge warmth start and then circulate all around to my back. It was like the lion woke up. And he said "STOP. Let's get real here."

So I did. Wore more yellow (the solar color) and lit the yellow candle during my meditation and used my yellow yoga mat for a stretch (hahaha unintended) and asked the Reiki to keep healing my chakra and giving me the strength I needed to make those hard decisions....

Imagine my surprise when I was listening to Seena's chakra meditation, and this guy popped up. But of course it was a lion. I have loved lions and tigers my whole life-- had pictures and posters and shirts and stationary of them from the time I was small. So I was quite happy to meet him. And he is an enormous help. Had a friend tell me just yesterday, "boy, when you make up your mind, you get things done!" Hell Yeah I Do!!!! (that was the lion, not me)

"I am the One who shows you the strength you have within. I am the One who will ROAR your truth and let you use your fire. I am the One who will ensure your path to the highest good. I am the One that helps you stand tall and proud and feel your goodness no matter what. I am the One that will make sure that your destiny and purpose in life is accomplished. Spread those seeds Woman!"

Saturday, December 29, 2007

2008-12-09T08:39:00.002-08:00

Ummm..... my latest card.....

`
As Cory would say, "What the Heck?"
`
I dunno.
`
It made itself. At first it felt like something to do with being a target. And then about being surprised. The light spikes kept intriguing me... what the heck are they? When I put the Hedwig on it, it seemed like maybe it has something to do with the messenger.... and maybe something unexpected.
`
When I showed it to Cory, he said there was a place in World of Warcraft that had the same spikes of light and it was a healing field where you would go when you were wounded. I sort of liked that. It's weird how WOW has so many references to so many healing things. In fact, Cory tells me he played a healer in his game. He also was a warlock but I really just don't get it all. And of course, now I have digressed.
`
Let me wikipedia light spikes........ nothing.....
`
Think I'll let it simmer awhile. Or wait for it to come up in a reading. I think it's definitely archetypal. Something like The Messenger..
`
"I am the One who brings a message that sheds light when you least expect it. Don't let yourself be caught unawares. I am the One who won't let you be a target. I am the One who will bring you the message of when to surrender and when to take cover"
`
Or something like that.

Monday, December 03, 2007

2008-12-09T08:39:00.001-08:00

Weekend with Soul
Our SoulCollage Retreat this weekend was amazing. CBF is such a great spot to hold an event. Even though it was chilly, we bundled up and did our meditation on the beach. With the waves gently splashing in, birds calling in the distance, mmmm.

The sun was amazing. Merrill Center is a solar heated building with huge panels just soaking in all the heat. At one point, we even had to open the door and let in some cooler air, it was so nice and toasty.

The group was a true test of Sheree & my passion and teaching since we didn't know 4 of them and only 2 of the whole group knew each other. It's one thing to teach to your friends and family but quite another when it's complete strangers. Plus, they came from all over, one even came from Springfield, VA! One of our students made a card with a goat on it that got Sheree & I off on a tangent about the goatman which to anyone from Bowie is just a known part of history-- everywhere else? Not so much.

Anyway, it still worked. It was still wonderful. Everyone really seemed to enjoy themselves and "get it". The cards they made were beautiful, so imaginative and inventive. It was so interesting getting to know who they were and where they come from, such varied stories. We were blessed with their honesty and openness. Each of them found a chakra animal-- even one who had never meditated before! Power of the water.....

Lunch was so easy and nice. We had soup in a crock pot and large buns. Lots of muffins, banana bread, fruit and of course, chocolate. We really are getting quite good at making this process easy and taking the whole thing to a level where even we get to relax and enjoy ourselves too, instead of running around working frantically. The slide show presentation on the big screen was quite fun too. All in all, a great day! We came home and right away planned the next one!

Here's one of our participants walking on the beach wrapped in a blanket during free time:

You should have seen the water glistening in the sun....Liquid light. So nice. Thanks CBF! What a beautiful setting for a beautiful day of soul searching....

Friday, November 30, 2007

2008-12-09T08:38:00.000-08:00

The Witness

*
" The Witness"
Out beyond all ideas of right doing
and wrong doing,
there is a field.
I'll meet you there. ~ Rumi
*
I updated my Witness card. I find the idea of the Witness to be extremely intriguing. In my yoga classes I introduce this concept quite frequently. It's a tough concept to grasp because of course, the moment you grasp it, it's gone. It's one of those things that makes others think you're nuts when you start talking about it. "Witness, what the heck? I am Me, there's no witness!"
*
"Then who's the One watching the breath?"
*
When we use the Witness in SoulCollage it's very powerful. At the facilitator's training we each got a chance to be the four corners of facilitating; Witness, Reader, Facilitator, Scribe. While each part was fascinating, I found Witness to be the most powerful. Watching the process without forming opinions, judgements or feeling any need to interact or "perform" was amazing. When the reading was over, the insights the Witness had were so telling that sometimes just a single word from them put the whole reading in perspective.
*
There is comfort to be found in witnessing and in being witnessed. Sort of like the ancestor's memories, keeping watch, being able to pass on. Words like unbiased, accepting, not trying to change anything, experiencing, come to mind. How many times do you experience something without trying to change it? Or label it? Have you ever looked at a tree without categorizing or naming it? What about an animal? Or a person?
*
This is a powerful meditation. Try it. Allow yourself to witness a tree without naming it. Staying with it and watching without trying to change that moment by going to the past or future. What is the tree in this moment? What are you in this moment? Silently witnessing. The breath comes in. The breath comes out. No need to analyze. It will do it of it's own accord. Most things will if we just allow it.
*
Relax. Breathe. Feel. Allow. Watch (Witness).
*
from Stephen Cope's Wisdom of Yoga
and Yolinna's Yoga Wall

Thursday, November 08, 2007

2008-12-09T08:34:00.000-08:00

AHA Moments

One of the things that is really cool about SoulCollage are those AHA moments. At the facilitator training someone actually went around with a name tag that said "looking for AHA moments". I've had many, many, long before Oprah decided to coin the phrase. Yoga is really good at giving you that sudden breakthrough, you do the same pose a hundred times and then suddenly, one tiny muscle lets go and you see the Universe and all It's possibilities and all It's glory.

Course you have to really stick with yoga to get that and you have to understand it isn't all about the physical poses. I feel really sad for people who think you can dabble in things and get those AHA moments, they rarely come without some consistency and hard work. And unfortunately, when things get busy, often the first thing to go is the tools that help you to be productive, calm and happy and that give you those AHA moments. The next thing you know you're sitting on a couch deciding that a glass of wine and tv is your path to enlightenment. And it gets harder and harder to get off that couch.

So sad.Although having said that, let me tell you this: I don't know if it's because of all the soul work I've already done with yoga and all my various studies BUT I have had more AHA moments with SoulCollage in a relatively short time than I have with anything else. Now, it could be I'm just open to it. I have a student/friend/coach that is experiencing the same phenomenon. She's a Gestalt psychotherapist so she may have a leg up too but she's very blown away at the possibilities and the rapidness of the AHA's too. The onion is peeling rapidly....

I've made enough cards now that I could cover the backs and actually separate them into the 4 suits; Committee, Community, Companion & Council. They are beautiful. I like to just look at them. I did a reading the other day with the suits for the first time. Wow. I had one card that I made that I just really had no idea what it was about. Of course it was the first card to come up.

When you do a reading the first thing you do is ask a question. My question was concerning my son. The card to come up was the one where the boy is catching the ball while the older one is watching with glee, hands covering her mouth.AHA!

It is very cool when you just allow the process to go through you without asking why. Sometimes images come together and it makes no immediate sense. And then down the road the card pops into a reading or even just into your head....and it's just like with all insights...you knew it all along. Like the Buddha says, "ten thousand doors open and you can see in all directions and you realize you always could, it is older than you." Enlightenment. If only for a moment. That "knowing" is a powerful soul-finder. And an even more powerful God finder. And it really helps when you are making decisions if you can come from that "knowing" God point inside of you and not some exhausted crisis mode outside of you. Takes some practice though. And consistency. And being comfortable with "knowing". And honoring what your real path and journey through life is.....and most of all, quietness. Mindfullness instead of Mindlessness....

Peace be with you. Really with you.

Thursday, October 25, 2007

2008-12-09T08:31:00.000-08:00

Flighty
So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more dangerous to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. The very basic core of a man's living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun.

Christopher McCandless American Adventurer

When I was a kid, my mom used to say I was flighty. "you switch from one thing to the other based on whatever character in a book you are reading". Guilty. I LOVE to read and I do immerse myself in the book and sometimes I really identify with a character and find myself becoming that person. I'm reading a book right now called "Eat, Pray, Love", that my friend said I MUST read. It's kinda frightening because I don't have to even think about it--this character is me. The shadow me. The one who needs to be free and travel and explore and learn.The flighty one.

Now don't get me wrong--I love my kids, my husband, my friends--but never in a million years would I have thought this is where I would be. I never wanted to be married, never wanted to have kids, never wanted to live in the suburbs. Wanted to travel the world, live in New York in a penthouse (I know--I HATE New York), wanted to be rich and write novels and dance and sip champagne from a silver slipper ( I know--I HATE champagne)

I wanted to sing, to dance across the sky, to make a difference in the world and most of all to travel, to climb Mount Everest, to visit poor countries like Mother Teresa and touch the faces of those who need healing. I wanted to float on my back in the warm waters of Bali and ride an elephant in the deserts of Africa.Isn't it just supreme irony that I married a man who resists change and likes routine, live in BOWIE for goodness sake and as a friend once told me, take every opportunity to trap myself into the staid and concrete? Just trying to avoid being flighty.

For some reason, the last SoulCollage card seems to go with this dreaming and I can't figure out why.

I thought it was the One who dances on the edge of possibilities but why does it seem to go with this wistful flightiness? Maybe the edge is the clue. Perhaps it has to do with playing the edge. Doing as much as I can to feed the inner flighty one without falling off into the abyss. The eye is the One who watches and the hawk must be the one who is overlooking the possibilities. She doesn't really look afraid though, in fact, she seems to like playing the edge.Maybe she's flighty.....You know, flighty isn't necessarily a bad thing--we all need that sense of adventure and we all need to play our edge sometimes.

What do you think?

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

2008-12-09T08:28:00.000-08:00

Keep on growing....
No Card Today. But I do have some random SoulCollage thoughts. I promise eventually I will stop obsessing and balance soon.....I just am very excited about this process!

Believe me, I have done all kinds of workshops and inner work. Therapy, Tai Chi, Yoga, Reiki, Chi Gong, BioSpiritual Focusing, tarot reading, journaling, meditation and on and on, but I don't think any one thing has sparked me the way this has. And I think that statement is the reason.

It's like Seena took all of those wonderful tools and placed them into one toolbox. We were chatting last night at yoga about how hard it is to really make people understand what SoulCollage is. Sheree was saying that depending on the audience it is important that you hit their niche. Like to arty/crafty people you talk up the collage portion and to seekers/spiritualists you talk about the soul & mystic side of it. Trying to publicize the workshop has been a challenge--coming up with the right wording. The way I understood it before I went to the training was that you were making your own deck of tarot cards. That was my spark of interest because that's something I understand. It turned out to be so much more.

Seena sent me an email yesterday with a guideline on how to use the cards as prayer cards. Which is something else entirely and yet another "tool"....

"For people of faith, theology matters. Their orientation toward and relationship with the Mystery we call God shapes the way they see, experience, understand and speak about the activity of God in creation and in human life—both mysterious and personal. By offering SoulCollage in the practice and language of prayer, the mysterious interaction between image and maker with the Mystery we call God, is named and acknowledged.

From a SoulCollage Prayer Card point of view, selecting images, making cards, journaling, contemplating, sharing is all prayer. For example, images are selected and cards made in contemplative silence; "reading" becomes meditative prayer along with journaling; the "interpretive dimension" is the deep place in the human psyche/soul/body where dreams and wisdom come from, the place beneath our conscious knowing where the Mystery of God meets us in our interior and our human story for transformation and healing; contemplative prayer is entry into further depths (in God); sharing with another becomes both "Holy Listening and Holy Witnessing" to another’s lifestory. " Marjorie Smith --Presbyterian Minister, Spiritual Director, BioSpiritual Focusing Facilitator

This is just fascinating me. I don't mind telling you. My path has crisscrossed some of these great women, we have shared some of the same healing tools and it just feels so.....I don't know the words.....right to have stumbled across this now. I've been at a point in my career where I feel like I'm just going nowhere and I've been trying to tell myself that I am where I wanted to be, to just accept my gifts and use them and not expect anything more. But I'm a grower--that's why I garden, that's why I teach, that's why I read. I cannot be stagnant--I love to learn, I love to explore and I love to share.....Ooops, think I found my next card.

The Beginning

2008-12-09T08:20:00.000-08:00

Looks like Blogger is going to be difficult about transferring my posts from my other blog soooo, we will just go from here. However, I would like you to see the beginning.... and some very relevant posts as I see them:

Monday, October 08, 2007
SoulCollage

I had the most amazing weekend. Have you ever had one of those experiences that you know is going to change your life while you are in the middle of it? Like you step out of the experience for a moment and witness yourself changing? At one point, we all laid down the new cards we made in a large circle and walked slowly around viewing each other's work and it hit me, this is something far bigger than I ever imagined, what a community we created and how exciting to have the opportunity to take it back to our communities and share it!

Wow. Let me back up. That's Seena Frost in the middle of the circle. She created and developed SoulCollage. SoulCollage is part art, part therapy, part good old fashioned wisdom. You create cards with images that you cut out of magazines or books or pictures you've taken and you paste them onto a sturdy 5x8 card and then you let the images speak. The process is amazing--I have done many, many forms of healing; BioSpiritual Focusing, therapy, tarot, yoga, meditation, tai chi, prayer, etc and I have NEVER had an experience as safe and enriching as I did this past weekend. And that says a lot, I have had some amazing "mountaintop" events in my work and in my life. The potential for helping people from all walks of life to REALLY get in touch with themselves and get some guidance and wisdom as they learn to trust their own intuition is enormous. Plus, the whole art side of it gives a remarkable opportunity to pass on a real legacy of your life.....who you are and where you've been. What a gift to leave behind.

SoulCollage is being used by hospice workers, art therapists, bereavement counselors, ministers, spiritual directors, the list goes on and on. Anyone who works with people who ...... well, who are people, I can't think of ANY group who wouldn't benefit from this. Kids, teens, people getting married, people having children, people getting older, people in all stages of life and death, the list goes on and on.

I was in a group of 60 women, Reiki Masters, Ministers, Hospice Workers, Therapists, Psychologists, Artists, Counselors, Teachers, Writers....It was unbelievable. Just to be a part of it was an overwhelming gift. The energy brought me to my knees. At one point, my "pod" mate, Martha, and I had our backs up against the wall, tears in our eyes, shaking with the intensity of the positive energy of all the various voices in the room. We all laid all our cards out in a large circle, the "One" Source card as the center of the circle and then the "Many", all of the other cards that everyone of these women have made as spokes in this great wheel of voices...

There are no words to describe the feeling of the many different parts of our souls combining and sharing at the same time. It is futile to try. After we laid ALL these cards, hundreds, we got to walk into the center of the circle with our "Pods", 4 of us who became real Soulmates after all we shared this weekend, we quietly, reverently, soaked up the energy of the cards while all the rest of this amazing group of healers sent energy to the center and to each of us. It is an experience I will never forget for as long as I live.

That's all I can say right now. Talk amongst yourselves.....

If you do nothing else, do this. It will change your life in a way that you could never imagine.

Monday, September 10, 2007
The Crone

Did you ever watch the Cybill Shepherd show? I think it was called the Cybill Shepherd show or maybe just "Cybill", can't remember. I used to love it, she had *name escapes me* Big Broadway star? Umm, Marilyn? Whatever, the two of them were hysterical. Marilyn? was this very bitter, wealthy, hard drinking divorcee who was dedicated to torturing her ex husband and Cybill was a happy self discovering divorcee who was still friends with her ex husband. She had a very cynical, hysterically funny daughter as I recall, who was always mocking her efforts at enthusiasm but Cybill remained happy and kept trying to grow. Hmmm...wonder why I'm attracted to this now? JK?

Anyway, some of the funniest shows were when Cybill was going through menopause. It may have been the first show that really let you see what women go through during the "change". Digression: I love that word, "the change". It's like Duh--are there any parts of our life when we are not going through a change? That's just called everyday round here.... So when Cybill began to realize that she was well into the change, she decided that she should celebrate it and commemorate it the way the Native Americans did. She went into the desert with her friend MARYANNE! and they sat around a fire and chanted and called to the great Crone spirits and she rejoiced about her becoming a Crone.

Now, of course, all the people in her life thought she was nuts. Who would want to be a Crone? Images of old ugly wart nose witches come to mind. But she understood that Crone was not about what you look like--no one can hold on to the beauty of youth forever. Crone was something inside, it's the wisdom that you receive when you stop all the running around, all the worrying about what you look like, when you realize that you are a Goddess and that the inner beauty is what is important, the wisdom of experience that can be seen in the crow's feet around your eyes.

To be a woman is a very special thing. We go from being nurtured to being the nurturer and back again. We get to fully use our bodies, for strength, for joy, for pleasure, for birth, for food, for nurturing, for expression. We can be soft and hard at the same time. It's an amazing experience. Crone is the ultimate expression of that experience. To be mothered and then to mother and then become the Great Mother, the one who knows all is a marvelous thing. I have always been willing to embrace this Crone image. And yes, people think I'm nuts.

Now, I know I'm not really even half way there but I really want to be aware during the journey...I want to enjoy each part and not dread the next one. I am looking forward to Crone. And truth be told, I have some incredible examples of aging beautifully in my life. I just won't call them Crone, they may not like it LOL! Here's my next card, which celebrates the Crone:

I am One who embraces the transformation of full flowering to autumn. I am one who sees the beauty of women as they journey to the Goddess wisdom of Crone.

Hello!

2008-12-09T08:11:00.001-08:00

I will be moving all my SoulCollage posts to this blog. Bear with me....

Stay tuned!