Mary's Place By-The-Sea is very special, a retreat house a block from the Atlantic Ocean on the Jersey Shore, where women with cancer seek respite from their battle, and receive compassionate understanding that heals body, soul and mind. The women arrive already open to engaging with those parts of themselves that are hurting, terrified, hopeful, and defiant, and they enter into deeper relationship with all aspects of themselves to be better equipped for their cancer journey.

Protectoress (Council Suit) by Maryann Frantz I Am One Who is a loving mother, who will accompany you on this journey and offer you protection, guidance, and a safe place to unburden all that troubles you. Remember, you have a Divine Mother to whom you can turn in times of crisis.

I have been offering SoulCollage® workshops at Mary's Place for the last year. I have been privileged to witness firsthand the transformation of strength that takes place when a women discovers her inner Warrior Woman - that aspect of self that chooses the alternative to despair, which is the courage to hope - and those supportive others who stand beside her.

During the women's crisis, the dynamic of relationship intensifies, and brings to the forefront of everyday experience an "anxiety of uncertainty." A cancer diagnosis shakes one's world. Like the shifting of tectonic plates during an earthquake, it sends vibrations and aftershocks long after the initial quake. How we strengthen ourselves to withstand these emotional reverberations determines the outcome of every battle we must wage. This applies to those with cancer, their caregivers, and their healthcare staff alike.

The metaphor of battle is commonplace when we speak of cancer. If we see cancer treatment as a battle, we ask, What battlefield strategies do you employ? How do you acquire the armor to engage in battle? And who are those comrades in arms who stand beside you?

 

Warrior Woman (Committee/Council Suits) by Maryann Frantz I Am One Who is determined to engage the battle with cancer uncertain of the outcome. I choose instead to don the armor of courage and hope to combat the fear and helplessness that would vanquish me. You are equipped for this battle. You have strength and courage, and you are surrounded by people who will take up your battle standard when you need to rest.

 

Vessels (Committee Suit) by Maryann Frantz I Am One Who is like a vessel that contains the essence of my SELF. Its contents are the source of my strength. I diligently tend its contents, adding nourishing self-care when needed and gratitude when it overflows with blessings. I want you to remember that this struggle can easily deplete your resiliency. It is important for you to be a diligent steward of the gift of yourself.

In her poem "Sanga," Danna Faulds wrote,

To take one step is courageous:
To stay on the path day after day
Choosing the unknown, and facing
Yet another fear,
That is nothing short of grace.

Go In and In: Poems from the Heart of Yoga (2002)


I define Courageous Alternative as the path we choose, not because it is easy, but because it is hard and is right for us. A choice made when we have no fear is a choice without the earth-shattering consequences cancer presents. In the context of our warrior metaphor, it is grace, as Danna Faulds wrote, that summons the Warrior within to choose the Courageous Alternative. When we are fearful but act anyway, we have truly chosen on our own terms. Grace implies a bubbling up of strength from the wellspring of Soul.

Courageous Alternative does not mean that you enter the battle alone or unarmed. You engage this battle with many other people, who support you in unique ways. SoulCollage® cards help women bear in mind that their supportive community is lining up to stand beside them. These friends bring to them the different parts of the warrior suit of armor that keeps them safe when they are assailed by doubt, fear, fatigue, grief, etc.


 

Kintsugi (Committee Suit) by Maryann Frantz I Am One Who is stronger in the places where I have been broken. I am a beautiful masterpiece. Like Kintsugi artisans, I will examine the broken piece, honor and show it compassion, and welcome it back into the whole. You are no less beautiful because you have scars. Rather, your battle has meaning and has created -- like the process of Kintsugi -- a more beautiful YOU.

Perhaps loved ones bring the breastplate to protect the heart, or a helmet, a shield, a steed upon which to ride. "Who brings joy in living each day to the fullest?" I ask the women in my workshops. "What gives you hope? What and who are you grateful for?" This card expresses a beautiful and heartening reframe to an issue many cancer survivors face. Kintsugi  ("golden joinery") is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with lacquer mixed with powdered gold:

Maryann Frantz, LCSW, is a Clinical Supervisor and became a SoulCollage® Facilitator in 2016, having first experienced its transformative power at an art therapy conference on bereavement in 2013. Maryann values SoulCollage® as an adjunct therapy in her private practice and a way to increase awareness and promote healing and ethical competency for healthcare professionals. For additional information, email her.

The opinions expressed in the SoulCollage® Community Update are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent SoulCollage Inc. Authors retain the copyright to their individual articles. Please send feedback and questions to info@soulcollage.com.