0611

Can't See For Lookin'

My Dad never took himself seriously. Sometimes when he was looking for something and it was right under his nose, he would say "I can't see for lookin'." It always made me smile, and even moreso now that I'm older, because I'm noticing lately that I also miss the obvious more often than not.

Searching the house frantically for my keys? They're usually already in my purse. Looking for my glasses so I can watch TV? Uh oh, they're pushed up on the top of my head!

When I lived in Salem, I always dreaded a certain intersection because there was no left turn, and I had to turn right every time, which took me a few precious minutes out of my way. I lived there for several years before it finally dawned on me that even though I couldn't turn left, that didn't mean I had to turn right. I had another option and it was right in front of me the whole time.. go straight!

Last fall while on vacation my gym bag zipper got jammed in a plastic bag. On arriving home, I was able to get most of the plastic out of the zipper, but the tiniest bit was still there, and no matter what I did, I couldn't zip the bag shut anymore. I was really disappointed because I love that gym bag- it's a bright shade of turquoise with white flowers and it always makes me happy to look at it (which is especially lovely when I'm faced with going to the gym, an event with frequently doesn't always make me happy!).

Occasionally I picked the gym bag up and tried to unjam it, but to no avail. Then one day I went to struggle with it and... voila! Like magic, the zipper closed. I thought it was a miracle, and was about to alert the news media when I really looked closely at the gym bag. Guess what I saw? It has TWO zippers! And I'd been so busy frantically working on the one with the plastic stuck in it, that I hadn't even noticed the other zipper.

Reflection activities for the week: Is there something that you are struggling with today? Something simple like an idea for a birthday present, or what to serve for a special dinner? Or maybe something a little more complicated, like a relationship issue or a career change? If there is, I urge you to take some time this week to simply stop and be still and look, really look around you (on the outside and the inside). I can almost guarantee that the solution is right there on the border of your current vision, just waiting to be seen.

SoulCollage Expressions

Idea of the Week

I buy wallpaper border rolls in home improvement stores and use them for the backings of my cards. You don't have to spread glue on them because they are already self-adhesive.
---fromLorraine inBritish Columbia

Question of the Week

What should I do about animals I'm attracted to but aren't showing up as Chakra Companions? Do other people have animals on their SouLCollage cards that aren't part of their Companions suit?

Yes, you can certainly make cards for the other animals as well- it's totally up to you. You can collect images of these other animals and save them in your images pile/folder/drawer and just wait and see where they want to "land." Or you can intentionally make cards for them now. I have a wolf and an owl in my Council suit, and I put them there because they've been "with" me for as long as I can remember and they seem to be beyond any of the chakras for me.

I also had a wonderful experience with a ladybug on a recent retreat at Kripalu and have a few images saved to make a card for Ladybug. Even though I have already discovered my own 7 chakra Companion Animals, I am going to make a card to remind me of the lessons I learned that weekend from her! I also have an affinity towards dragonflies, and they have "landed" on a few of my other cards, but it's always been in the back of my mind to create a card just for Dragonfly. Who knows... one day it might just take the place of one of my Companion Animals too!

Soul Friends

The voice of a different Kindred Spirit each week!

I got divorced in 1999. That was the start of many things to come. Sometime after my divorce I decided it was time to explore and learn new things about myself. The local art center (Crossings at Carnegie) was offering an Artist's Way group that met on Sunday evenings. I found that doing "Morning Pages" did not fit into my lifestyle - my days get started early enough, thank you!

Another group that I joined at Crossings evolved into a Sunday Evening Ladies Group (about 10-12-women) which is how I was introduced to SoulCollage. We acted as a self-directed group as we followed the chapters in Seena's book. We met for 12 weeks and then we weren't ready to stop, so we added another 10 weeks. Since that time we have gotten together for other projects (personal shrines and The Secret), but the process of SoulCollage helped cement us into a group of women who need to touch base with each other occasionally.

The time spent together was time to rip pages finding just the images we needed or helping others find the images they needed. Making cards and writing about them was also part of the process. With that first group we would take sections of the book to read during the week and then discuss the next Sunday while we were organizing images. As we were moving into the following 10 weeks, we began to explore more the writing about the cards and what the cards meant to us (Have you suited your cards yet? How are you distinguishing your suits? Wrapping paper, art paper, what works best?).

During this time we also began to wonder more about making the cards part of our everyday experience. We were looking for more information and found the KaleidoSoul website. I found it interesting and felt like I had more to learn, so I joined the Kindred Spirits about a year ago. One of my friends, who earns her living as an artist, is much more satisfied by the collage making process and hasn't felt the need to go beyond the enjoyment and comfort of card making.

I have found that I enjoy the card making process. I still am not much of a writer, but looking for the inner story or connection to the cards and images has helped me find myself and be accepting of those parts that do pop up occasionally and need to be dealt with. In addition to my divorce, I have had a health crisis where I was diagnosed as diabetic and I have also had breast cancer. The SoulCollage process has helped me "center" my thoughts and feelings as I go though these events.

My training is as a medical technologist, but my artistic side has led me to teach many different community education art/craft classes over the years. I now work full time as a medical technologist for Mayo Medical Laboratories, and I have a craft shop occupying the first level of my home which is open 15 hours a week. I also teach several craft classes for Rochester Community Education during both the fall and spring sessions.

At this point, SoulCollage is something that I do for me. It is some of that alone time or girl time that needs to be part of my life. My collection of images probably far exceeds the amount I'll ever use, but you just never know which image will be your favorite, so you need to grab them when you see them! I find many of my images in magazines that I probably wouldn't routinely find in my home. Our public library has a free bin that I check on a regular basis. I like to see images I have selected being used by others. As I view other cards I am always drawn to look closer at those that are using images I recognize.

I am the one who deep inside wants to have fun, balances on the edge of craziness. The light that shines deep within gives me life and sparks of imagination.

I am the one who says Yes Yes Yes!
I am enthusiasm and adventure. I love the wind and motion and feeling alive. Call me Wind or Wild or Nellie! When you dance I am with you.

I am the one who screams delight into the million glowing colored lights of the city. I am the one who dances with abandon.

I am the magic in your night sky. I fill your heart and enchant your soul. Dance with me. Be with me. Breathe me in.

I am the one who takes life on life's terms- dance to the music. I am the one who sees possibilities, dreams dreams, grabs life by the tail.

I am the one who enjoys life, who takes the leap of faith to leave the past behind when the future isn't known. I am the one who enjoys concrete ideas, but also embraces abstract notions.

Books, movies, music, & websites to support your inner work as you dive deeper into your soul....

Books:

Ten Poems to Set You Free, by Roger Housden.
I picked this little book up at the bookstore because its cover was simple and beautiful. I also picked it up because while I love the idea of poetry, the reality is that I never seem to be able to slow my mind down long enough to really read a poem, immerse myself in it, discover its meaning from within, digest its beauty into my soul. This book helped me to do that with poems by artists: Polish Anna Swir, Greek Constantine P. Cavafy, Spanish Miguel De Unamuno, Turkish Rumi, and the Americans Jane Hirshfield, David Whyte, Mary Oliver, Stanley Kunitz, Naomi Shihab Nye, and Thomas Merton.

Gift of the Red Bird: A Spiritual Encounter, by Paula D'Arcy. If you're interested in faith, nature, creation, animals as kin, and trees as friends... then you will love this little book. It's the story of one woman's three day vision quest in the hills ofTexas. And it is also the story of so much more. This is the second of this author's books that I have devoured in one sitting, and now I'm seeing how many more I can read!

Contemplative Photography, by Howard Zehr. If you love taking photographs and have often wondered if there is a place for it in your spiritual practice, this is the book you've been waiting for! Its subtitle speaks volumes: Seeing with wonder, respect and humility. Filled with practical exercises such as: Tuning Up Our Eyes, Receiving an Image, Exploring the Ordinary.. and many more. Excellent gift for someone in your life who loves taking pictures, and who has the gift of "seeing" in more ways than one.

Music:

Journey to the Goddess, by Lisa Thiel. This CD was recommended on another site and I've been listening to it ever since I got it a few days ago. There is a separate song/chant for each goddess... and they are all uplifting and inspiring and soothing all at the same time. I love this cd, and think you will too!

Websites:

Arcane Nonesuch- There's a lot to see on this cool site, but I want you to click on "Custom Jewelry." Rebecca DeVries, whose site this is, will take any piece of art and turn it into an awesome piece of jewelry. I sent her .jpg's of two of my SoulCollage cards and she created a beautiful silver pendant that I absolutely LOVE wearing. (If you can choose two of your own favorite cards) you might want to consider having Rebecca create a one-of-a-kind piece of jewelry that will allow you to take some of your beautiful SoulCollage work with you everywhere you go.

Self-Love- Awesome little Wisdom Flash by Shara Gardner. She also has a cool course called Aphrodite's Mirror which is a spiritual weight loss journey.

PDPhoto.com- Thousands of public domain photos. You'll love looking around this site for images for your SoulCollage cards.

PaPaYa! - Their tagline is "creative abandon..." Don't you love it? If you love sending colorful things in the mail (envelopes, cards, post cards, love letters...), you'll love everything you see on this colorful site!

More Resources For You

Inner Surprises Blog: Anne Marie's blog full of an intimate glimpse into her SoulCollage Deck. There also are bimonthly SoulCollage Challenges posted here. You can read past Challenges by clicking on "SoulCollage Challenges" in the right column.

Soul Songs, Your Fr*ee Monthly SoulCollage Newsletter:
The June issue is all about the Student archetype and the Teacher archetype. Features articles by Anne Marie, as well as Karen Mann, SoulCollage Facilitator in Melbourne, Australia.

KaleidoSoul Community Yahoo Group: This is a safe place where you can post your cards (if you want), ask your questions, and virtually "meet" other Kindred Spirits.

Spinning the fragments of your world
into wholeness and beauty
through SoulCollage®