In Chapter 15 of
SoulCollage® Evolving: An Intuitive Collage Process for Self-Discovery & Community, Seena Frost encourages us to continue individual SoulCollage® work with an ongoing practice of gathering images, adding new cards to our decks, and drawing "Neters-of-the-Day" to consult (p.130). To maximize our cards' potential to be powerful tools of personal reflection, discovery, and guidance, it is essential to "Make Time To Create Cards," as Seena's Chapter 15 subtitle advises. Equal in importance to making cards is taking time to explore and contemplate our Neters' meanings and messages.
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Cancer Survivor (Committee Suit)
by Lisa Handley
I Am One Whose cancer journey has been a catalyst for unforeseen gifts. I Am One Who has a greater awareness for the precious gift of life itself.
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I first discovered SoulCollage® in the Healing Art Retreat program at my local hospital while receiving treatment for a rare form of blood cancer. Collage has always been my favorite medium, but the realization that my collage work could have a profound impact on my emotional and physical well-being didn't emerge until my cancer experience and introduction to SoulCollage®. Due to my anxiety in medical situations, my blood pressure often escalated when I first arrived at the Cancer Center for an infusion. I brought art supplies with me, and once I began collaging a card, the nurses were surprised at how quickly my blood pressure returned to a normal level. Expressive art and SoulCollage® became sources of strength, solace, and healing during a scary and unsettling time in my life.
I continued to collect images, make more cards, and draw Neters for guidance as Seena advised. As I delved more deeply into my personal practice, I was amazed by how perfectly SoulCollage® aligned with my longtime love for collage, and pursuit of mindful living. I became so passionate about the process that I trained as a Facilitator in order to personally and professionally share this passion -- and inspire a similar passion for SoulCollage® in others!
Our ongoing individual work can contribute to personal wellbeing and ripple outward to the wellbeing of our communities and our world. We can think of it as the One process and its Many beneficial possibilities! When we continue to expand and work with our Neters, they can offer us an unlimited supply of inspiration, motivation, encouragement, support, self-awareness, personal growth and transformation, guidance, stress relief, healing, profound insight, perspective, and sometimes just simply enjoyment. I am grateful for experiencing all of these benefits in my individual work with SoulCollage®.
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Incubator: Inner Healer (Council Suit)
by Lisa Handley
I Am One Who protects the womb of well-being. I Am the incubator's vigilant caretaker, tending the birthing spot of healing and growth.
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Making a Card for the Inner Healer
(p. 133-134)
Seena recommends that everyone create a Council card for the Inner Healer archetype who can assist us in our own self-care and achievement of "better physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health" (p. 133-134).
My Council card for the Inner Healer archetype was made intuitively and was initially mysterious and vague in its expression. Mysterious Neters may require a greater amount of attention and coaxing to divulge their wisdom. My understanding of
The Incubator gradually unfolded over two years, as I began to sense its healing nature when drawing this card in different readings. The defining moment of confirming this card's true primary energy as the Inner Healer archetype was an "aha" revelation that occurred as I was considering which cards to share with this very article!
Working with Health Issues
(p. 134-136)
Each of the four suits can include Neters with the capability either to support or to sabotage our health. By making Committee cards for our illnesses or health challenges, and giving voice to our hurting, suffering parts, we can explore their stories, struggles and needs. "We can learn to call on the energy of certain Neters in our deck to lead us back towards a healthy balance" (p. 134).
My
Cancer Survivor Neter has helped me acknowledge and accept this reality as one of my Committee parts. This card provides me with a sense of strength and empowerment, and its background gives me a visualization of healthy red blood cells.
Meanwhile, there are many Neters in all four suits of my deck that support me in maintaining a healthy outlook. For example,
The Nectar Collector, a Companion card (my root chakra's Zebra companion), reminds me to collect and cherish life's healing "nectar" for safety, stability, and a strong inner ground.
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Nectar Collector (Companion Suit, Root Chakra Zebra) by Lisa Handley
I Am One Who collects, savors, and shares each drop of nectar for body, mind, and spirit. I Am One Who provides sustenance for your soul's foundation.
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Finding Themes and Patterns in Clusters of Cards (p. 142-143)
The practice of periodically laying out all of our cards and reviewing them for themes, patterns, and connections can be fascinating and revealing. We may learn "something about [our] unique
SoulEssence" (p. 142). Seena suggests reviewing one's entire deck on a birthday or on New Year's Day. I have found each seasonal Solstice or Equinox to be another occasion conducive to this practice.
With my tendency to be detail-oriented, I am constantly searching for connections among my cards. After a four-card reading, I typically take a second look at all the Neters together and jot down in my journal any common themes or patterns. I often find synchronicity among all four cards, such as a dominant color or shape, the same object (moon, for example), or animals that share features such as wings or the sea as their habitat. I also review my journal writing and underline or highlight connections among the different Neters' responses to my question. These techniques enable me to uncover another layer of wisdom, or to distill the main message of the reading into an easy-to-remember short phrase or mantra.
Chapter 15 also covers many other possibilities for using SoulCollage® in individual work including prayer and meditation, psychotherapy, addiction, nonverbal communication, poetry, and the ritual of laying out all our cards and "singing over the bones" (p. 144). I recently started transforming some of my journal writing into poetry, and "singing over the bones" is on my list of personal goals. The possibilities for enjoying the evolution of our SoulCollage® practices are endless!
Lisa Handley trained as a SoulCollage® Facilitator in March 2014 and offers workshops on the Monterey Peninsula in California. She is also a collage artist and instructor for both children and adults, and she handcrafts her own line of Plumeria Papercraft designs. Lisa facilitates and teaches at Pacific Grove Art Center, The Carmel Foundation, Papillon Center for Loss and Transition, The Lyceum of Monterey County, and Community Partnership for Youth.