Your state of consciousness is the most important factor in your life -
because your state of consciousness determines how you perceive the world,
what actions you take, how you react to events and circumstances,
and the quality of your relationships.
Eckhart Tolle
Dear Creative Friends,

I hope you are making time for quiet, creative time this Summer. I try to follow a rhythm in the summer - early morning walks on the beach, followed by a day of play in my studio (which includes some work - you do need to attend to admin stuff when you run retreats and trainings but the "research and development" part of workshops is really about getting into a creative flow), and then an evening walk on the beach, preferably at sunset. Of course, my intentions often get pushed aside for other things, but I like to have a vision of what I'd like my day to feel like. Even the thought of a walk on the beach seems to calm my nervous system. A short meditation can have the same effect. Below is a short 5 minute meditation that can help choose your energy for the day.
The video invites you to find one word (like calmness, peace, or vitality) that represents a quality that you would like to bring into your day. Then, in your mind's eye, see what your day will be like when that quality is there to support you. You could also do this with a labyrinth walk, walking with the quality or feeling you'd like to invite into your day, week or month.

Another way I sometimes begin my day is with a piece of music. One of my favorite classical pieces for this is Debussy's Clair de Lune - the music evokes a feeling of awakening and flowing in me. If I feel like words, the song Awakening by Mitten and Deva Premal (from their album called Soul In Wonder) is another way to start my day.
We became the universe's way of looking at itself.
We invented telescopes and ice cream, mathematics and music,
not one of which had to exist.
To me, that is the daily wonder of being alive.
Maria Popova
I have recently returned from the International SoulCollage® Conference in Sorano, Italy. The Summer Solstice ritual was magical, the excursions were fascinating, and the thermal paths were a perfect place to meet and play! I loved teaching each group how to use their cards in creative ways. And the best part was connecting in-person with people I have not seen for many years. The BEING together was the highlight.

The photo below of SoulCollage® Trainers from Brazil, the Netherlands and Switzerland, visiting Pitigliano for gelato during the Trainers Retreat shows the joy we felt being together again!
To set out on a pilgrimage is to throw down a challenge to everyday life.
Huston Smith
I'm looking forward to more in-person interactions soon. I head to France in September to teach and expand my own growing edges. My travel seldom includes big cities that are on the list of large tour companies. I thrive best in small towns where I can wake up early and walk the empty streets with my camera, eat in small restaurants that are quiet, and feel part of the everyday life of the town. And, right now, in France, the big cities are in a little bit of chaos (as happens in many places from time to time) so knowing that I am heading straight from CDG airport to a calm small town destination well away from crowds makes me very comfortable about traveling.

Chartres is a place which is best known for the labyrinth in the Chartres Cathedral which was built around 1200. But there is so much more to this beautiful little medieval town. It is a place I have spent a lot of time exploring over the past ten years.
We'll be offering talks, discussions, the SoulCollage® process and more. Our theme is working with the Imagination. Imagination might be the most powerful tool we have to make a difference in this beautiful world of ours.
The highlight of our week together is a candlelight walk on the Chartres Cathedral labyrinth.
A journey of the spirit only starts with somewhere wondrous.
It continues wherever we are, through the doors that wonder has opened.
Pico Iyer 
Every night in September the Chartres Cathedral and other buildings
in the town of Chartres are illuminated with light shows. It is a sight to behold!

Exploring new places is a way to learn to see more deeply. You will learn how to make photographs that connect you to your senses and your soul as we explore the local seaside landscapes and villages.
The creative act of photography is complemented with creating in our visual journals with color and collage.
A trip to the nearby town of Morlaix on market day will provide more photography experiences to practice what you learn.
Registration closes soon as accommodations need to be confirmed.
I plan to send out one more newsletter before the end of the year, and hope I get to be in community with some of you before the year is over.

Let me end with a poem that speaks of what happens to me when I travel, especially when I allow myself to stay in one town for a while and really drink in the experience.

Love and gratitude to you for being part of my community,
Catherine
Infused

When I
came here,

I was
an ordinary human,

full of
ordinary
human cares.

Now I am
infused
with blue of sky
and green of tree,

with song of bird
and hum of bee.

Although
my form
may appear
unchanged,

inside it’s clear
I’m not
the same.

Kai Sidenburg


I'm offering one SoulCollage Facilitator Training this year and it starts on July 23rd and will be in North Carolina.
There are still two spaces available.
Registration closes at midnight on Sunday, July 9th.


I know your time is precious.
If the content of my newsletters are no longer relevant to you,
please unsubscribe using the link below.