by Karen Mann, SoulCollage® Facilitator
As the deadline for submitting this article to Soul Songs approached, I was struggling with writing it. Inspiration just wouldn’t come. I emailed Anne Marie to tell her I was struggling with the article (and life) this week. Then I added a bit of news about my life in general.
I told her about a new, very strict diet I had begun this week, which has left me feeling tired and lacking in energy, and also a little hungry and deprived. I told her about my new job, but then complained that the pay raise I’d been excited about had unfortunately not been as much as I’d hoped. I also told her that my son had gotten his braces this week, which was another added expense.
It was only after I’d written the email that it became apparent to me that I was currently caught up in a mindset of lack and scarcity. What a terrible place to be in. What a bleak way to view the world. And I recognized it as a destructive pattern of beliefs I used to engage in often. Not enough food, energy, inspiration, money or time. Oh woe is me…
I have a SoulCollage® card called “Unlocking Abundance” in my deck which depicts these thought patterns (see above). Some of my original journaling about this card said: I am the one who wishes I could unlock the secret of abundance and let it in. I am the one who is sad that abundance doesn’t come easily. I believe if I can learn to let go, abundance will come into my life.
Even though this card is called “Unlocking Abundance” it still had a fairly depressing outlook. While this card shows a lock and a key, showing that although theoretically I could be “unlocking” abundance, it never used to feel like it would actually happen for me.
Luckily I have made a few more cards around the theme of abundance. My favourite one is “Joyful Abundance.” I made this card intuitively (gluing together images that felt right, without initially knowing what the card meant). Then when I realised that this card was also about abundance, I wondered if I really needed another card about abundance. (Is there such thing as too much abundance in a SoulCollage® deck?)
This card says to me: I am the one who is grateful and joyous, blessed and overjoyed. I have more than enough of everything I need. I am free and spontaneous, no longer held back by thought patterns that are not useful. There is always enough. I am always grateful, gracious and generous.
This card reminds me that a key step in attracting abundance into my life is that I must be grateful for what I already have. And really, I have so much to be grateful for. I’m going through a period of massive change in my life and so many wonderful things are happening for me.
Did I tell you that I’m on a great new diet, where I’m losing weight with ease, steadily and constantly, and am especially thrilled because I have the support of my wonderful partner as I make this lifestyle change? I have a great new job, which is interesting and challenging and pays much better than my last job, and they have allowed me to maintain part-time hours which I love.
Also I’ve been able to assist my son by paying for him to have braces so that he will have a fabulous smile, with benefits that will last a lifetime. Life really is wonderful. I’m so grateful for all the great things I’ve achieved recently and I feel like everything I’ve ever dreamed of is becoming a reality.
What a shift in attitude and a change of outlook. The “Joyful Abundance” card has reminded me how I want to be and act. I am going to leave this card out on my altar for a while, to serve as a reminder to stay joyous and grateful and enjoy my current levels of abundance.
Karen Mann is an artist, art teacher, Lifestyle Coach, yoga and meditation teacher, and SoulCollage® facilitator. Karen has been working with SoulCollage® cards for more than three years and facilitates a variety of SoulCollage® Groups. She also is a creativity coach and works one-on-one with people using SoulCollage® and a variety of other tools to encourage personal growth and creativity. Karen is based in Melbourne, Australia.