SoulCollage® Community Update

December 2017

Twenty-five years ago I took part in a woman-honoring class at a local Unitarian Universalist Church called "Cakes for the Queen of Heaven." This religious education curriculum, created by Rev. Shirley Ranck, offered me an eye-opening exploration of pre-Judeo Christian cultures that worshiped the female as divine. The biggest revelation was that I could have my own direct connection to the Divine Feminine. This revelation continues to shape my life and spiritual path in many ways.

Over the years, I have connected with the Feminine through community, nature, ceremony, ritual, journaling, music, dance and art. I have been guided down a path with many twists and turns, but all have led to an expansion and deepening of my relationship with the Divine Feminine. It was no surprise that I would be introduced to SoulCollage® and that it would offer me yet another way to connect. How fitting that it was my mother, a Goddess in her own right, who made the introductions!

Kuan Yin (Council Suit) by Stephanie Chissler I Am One Who wears a headlamp as I climb from the depths of judgment and criticism. I Am One Who is sees this situation from the underside, who does not have the full view. I Am One Who is on a journey see what Kuan Yin sees. I Am One Who is guided to hold the rope and keep climbing so that I too can find the blessings and feel the compassion that Kuan Yin knows.

Like many SoulCollagers, when I first began making cards I intuitively made cards that were calling to be created. I read my cards to seek guidance and to tap into my inner knowing. What I soon realized was that the Divine Feminine was speaking to me through my cards. The images and Neters that were showing up when creating and reading my cards were continually reminding me to connect with the Divine Feminine. My cards became the visual representations of Goddess energies I needed to access within myself more intentionally -- both the light and the shadow.

Recently I had been judging others
and myself, so I turned to my cards. One of my cards honors Kuan Yin, Goddess of Compassion. When a difficult issue with a co-worker came up, Kuan Yin appeared in a reading.

Journaling with this card reminded me that I had not practiced my loving-kindness meditation in many months. I sensed Kuan Yin's guidance and resumed a simple loving-kindness meditation over the next few weeks. Though it was difficult at first, I included my co-worker when I sent out loving kindness. After a week of this meditation, Kuan Yin helped me to reach out and connect with my co-worker. Our relationship improved dramatically.
 

Dark Goddess (Council Suit) by Stephanie Chissler I Am One Who is traveling to the Underworld to visit the Dark Goddess. I Am One Who wears a snake image of transformation on my chest, reminding me to shed what is no longer needed. I Am One Who is being given the golden knowledge I need and who is draped in the gold of this treasure. I Am One Who will return to the world filled with renewed wisdom. I Am One Who must trust the journey.

Just last year when I felt the Underworld bringing me into the depths of loss and sadness, I intentionally created a card for my altar. I knew I would be on a journey to visit the Dark Goddess in her dim shadowy world of sadness, grief, loss, and letting go. How to be in the presence of the Dark Goddess is not something many of us are taught; in the past when I had been on this journey, the emotions had been all-consuming. By having the Dark Goddess card on my altar and journaling with her energy, I was reminded that I am familiar with her territory and I was able to take the plunge into the depths with less fear.


Sometimes I intuitively create a card and realize - ah, a Goddess has arrived who has a message for me! When this next card was created, I didn't immediately recognize her as a Goddess. After a few readings with her guiding me to embrace the abundance and prosperity in my life, I realized she was the Goddess of Abundance speaking to me.
 

Goddess of Abundance (Council Suit) by Stephanie Chissler I Am One Who reminds you to connect with the natural world, to retreat and rest in the abundance all around you. I Am One Who fills your life with bounty and richness and comes to celebrate this bounty with you. I Am One Who brings beauty and brings joy for the simple pleasures.

Over the past 25 years, my spiritual journey has been strengthened and richly influenced by my Divine Feminine connection. With SoulCollage®, there is now even greater beauty and depth. The next spiritual expansion I see is an emerging knowing in the collective consciousness that we need the Divine Masculine in equal partnership with the Divine Feminine. We need both the feminine and the masculine for wholeness and balance in ourselves, and our relationships, institutions, and culture. Seeking this balance in myself, I look forward to creating Divine Masculine cards as part of my SoulCollage® deck.

SoulCollage® is a powerful and rich practice that allows our multi-faceted Divine expression to shine. I invite you to look through your deck and find those cards that represent Divine Feminine energies and bring them out into the light to be seen, acknowledged and honored.
 








Stephanie Chissler became a SoulCollage® Facilitator in 2013 and emerged as an Alchemical Creation Priestess in May 2017. She has created her own unique relationship with her inner wisdom through aligning with the natural world and pursuing various passions. She offers soul nurturing and transformational SoulCollage® workshops in Eastern Massachusetts and online workshops for SoulCollagers around the world. Find more information about Stephanie's work here.

Read This Archived Article from the May, 2013 SCU:
A Facilitator's Journey to SoulCollage® by Paula DuVander