0625

Embracing Your Inner Villains

I saw Shrek the Third last month and want to share my response to it with you. Besides being flat out funny, this movie also has a very imaginative subplot that all avid SoulCollagers should pay attention to.

In this subplot, Prince Charming is upset because he hasn't gotten his own "happily ever after." He makes his way to the Poison Apple Bar (don't you love it?!?) and finds a diverse group of storybook "villains" who have been banished forever from the Kingdom. Now just try to imagine this... every "bad" character you've ever come across in a story has been sent to a dark dreary land, and they are NOT happy about it! These "villains" include: a Big Bad Wolf, a Wicked Stepmother, Captain Hook, an Evil Queen, the Cyclops, Rumpelstilkskin, Mabel the Ugly Stepsister, the Headless Horseman, and assorted Black Knights and Magical Evil Trees (remember The Wizard of Oz?).

The villains are angry and unhappy because they feel that no one has ever listened to their side of the story.

Read that sentence over again because it is really important! The villainous characters have been banished from the Kingdom, and they are furious and miserable because they've not been allowed to tell their side of the story.

Immediately, this storyline makes me think of my own inner ~~Kingdom~~ Queendom, and of all the shadowy, villainous parts of MySelf that I tend to banish from my general field of vision. I really love the happy, bright and shiny, perky little parts of my Self, (who doesn't?) and am always more than ready to listen to them. But I don't like looking at these darker parts, the dreadful and unpleasant pieces of my psyche. I don't often sit down with my own inner Captain Hook, my secret Evil Queen, my buried Black Knight, my concealed Ugly Stepsister... or any of them.

Why? Because they scare the heck out of me!

Frankly, who wants to admit that they have an "Evil Queen" in their inner family, an Evil Queen who sometimes is full of hate and longs to get her hands on a poisoned apple (or two)? Who wants to acknowledge there's a Big Bad Wolf that takes over their personality and bites peoples' heads off now and then? Absolutely no one. If there's a felon or crazy person in your family tree, you're probably not going to be talking about them with everyone who crosses your path. Best to keep family members like that hidden from view. And we do the exact same thing with our inner family, our inner Committee.

But I have found that the only way to make peace with these villainous parts of MySelf is to:

become aware of them
visualize and name them
sit down and listen to their side of the story

This little three-step process is way easier said than done, of course. But we have such a marvelous gift in SoulCollage! Through the creative process and our SoulCollage cards, we can become more aware of these darker shadowy parts of ourselves. We give each part an image and maybe even a name, and then through the I Am The One Who... practice, we sit down now and then and let it speak. One of SoulCollage's biggest gifts to us is that it allows our darker, more villainous parts to open up and tell their stories in safety.

At this point (I've been practicing SoulCollage for two and a half years), I have worked in depth with about six of my own inner villains. This kind of work takes time and gentleness and an inner acceptance that isn't always present with me, so I have learned to allow it time and space. BUT... I have found that when I pay attention to an inner villain, when I really can put aside my fear and sit down close and really listen, then that inner villain is much less a villain and more like a friend.

Meanwhile, back at Shrek the Third, Prince Charming (who has also been banished for being too perfect!), convinces all of the storybook villains to join him in battle for their own "happy ever after."

I'm not saying anything more... just that if you do go to see it, remember your own inner villains and ask them what they have to tell you!

Reflection activities of the week: Look again at the list of storybook villains listed above. Do any of them resonate with your own inner world? Are there any more that need to be added to your own list? Make a list of some of your own shadowy aspects that make you uncomfortable (some of mine include: greed, selfishness, a quick temper, and negativity). Then seek out images to use on a SoulCollage card for one of them. Remember, these shadowy parts are not to be feared!

SoulCollage Expressions

Idea of the Week

I use a Xyron machine to glue down my images on a card. You can buy cartridges that apply repositionable or permanent adhesive. ---- from Michele in MA

Question of the Week

I live in a really small space and I don't have room to spread out my SoulCollage "stuff." What do you suggest?

I purchased an inexpensive bed tray and bring it with me to the living room or bedroom when I want to work on my cards. It fits beautifully on my lap and has 2" sides all around it so little images don't fall off. ---from Cheryl in IL

Soul Friends