SoulCollage Inspiration

We’re well into autumn now here in eastern Massachusetts, and our thoughts are turning to Thanksgiving and gathering the colorful fallen leaves that are collecting on our lawn and driveway.  When I drew this card today, I was reminded to think on other things that can be gathered, like. . .for instance. . . blessings!

I love having this card in my deck to remind me to notice and actively collect blessings (that for which I am grateful) all year long, not just at Thanksgiving and the holidays.

The last few years have been difficult as we said good-bye to our beloved feline Seymour as well as Jeff’s mom, Connie (she was 93!) I’ve been turning more steadily to a practice of gratitude and it’s been helpful as I’ve been wading through streams and rivers—and some days seeming oceans—of grief. Practicing gratitude doesn’t necessarily lessen the grief to any extent, but it makes it easier to carry.

Who are you?

I am the one who stands in a field of flowers. I am the one who gladly picks the flowers and gathers them into my big bowl.

I am the one who is grateful for every blessing that comes my way, every single one.

I am the one who notices my blessings, who takes time to savor each one as I gather it in.

I am the one who is thankful for each and every moment of the six and a half years that Seymour graced my life.

I am the one who feels blessed for the love and presence that he blessed me with.

I am the one who is grateful for my relationship with Connie and the love that she so generously showered us all with.

I am the one who continually looks around my garden of blessings… I am the one who carries the gratitude alongside the grief.

NOTE: I am offering a SoulCollage® self-study program called Healing Hurt Hearts at the Holidays. If you are carrying any hurt or grief that makes the holidays difficult this time of year, check it out. We have scholarships available too! More info here.

Today’s the day!

Sea Glass Memories is in the world at last and I am full of joy to share this new release with you all.

This is the second book in my Seahaven Sunrise series, but it works beautifully as stand-alone women’s fiction.

A cozy novel with the charm of small-town life
and the reassurance that we are resilient
and capable of love…

I love this quote from the Independent Book Review site because Elana Jeffries, along with Aunt Kit Gilmore, show tough yet tender resilience in the face of difficult losses. And they both discover, at their own pace, that they are indeed capable of loving and being loved again.

As Leah St. James says at Elana’s first Together-Not-Alone support group meeting:

“When we experience grief, instead of feeling whole, it can feel as if we’ve been broken into pieces that are tumbling around inside us like shards of glass in the ocean. The sea glass helps us remember that the pain of any kind of loss—any kind of brokenness—has the potential to soften if we allow ourselves to be with it. Our tears, our rage, our denial, our anguish—over time—can smooth the rough edges of our grief. I also believe that we can hold onto the sea glass as a reminder of what we have lost as well as how we survived it.”

If you have ever lost a beloved, did you think your life was over, that you would never love again?

Do you remember that feeling of being broken into pieces?

How did you get through it?

Can you see how the metaphor of sea glass can be helpful to you in difficult times?

My biggest wish for Sea Glass Memories is that when you read it, it will weave some surprising hope and even the teeniest ray of possibility into your day, no matter what life has thrown at you.

After seeing the original movie “Avatar,” one of the many things that captured my spirit and imagination was the way the creatures of Pandora greeted one another. Upon crossing paths with another being, they would pause, touch their heart, and say “I see you.” And they weren’t speaking of a superficial “seeing.” They really were pausing and looking into each other’s eyes as they said it.

“I see you.”

They were acknowledging the presence and the soul of the other.

I’ve been thinking how wonderful it would be if we did that here on earth. What a different world it would be if we each paused just a few seconds on greeting another, just a few seconds to really see each other, to notice the underlying beat of Spirit that connects us all as One.

At that time in my life, I was working in a bookstore, so I decided to try this there. My path crossed with many people in the course of a day at the bookstore, and I was amazed at how this practice calmed my own body and made me smile on the inside. Of course, I didn’t say “I see you” out loud to everyone, but I did say it on the inside and it made a huge difference in how I helped them, and in how open my heart was that day.

It’s also a beautiful thing to do with the people in your inner circle, people whom you see and welcome into your heart on a daily basis. Instead of just hurrying by with a quick kiss on the cheek, how about pausing for a moment and acknowledging their presence? You don’t have to say “I see you” out loud. It’s just about taking a moment to remember who this person is to you, to recognize that spark of their soul that speaks to your soul.

If you enjoyed this short wisdom essay, there are lots more in my book
Through the Eyes of SoulCollage®, available here.

Since I was a little girl in the sixties, I have always been drawn to the television. To me, it always seemed to be a temple of magic- a way to get to know people I ordinarily wouldn’t meet and to visit places that were beyond my family’s reach at that time.

As I grew older, I came to realize that certain TV shows were similar to the books I loved to read- portals into other worlds, a vivid, visual, visceral means of StoryTelling.

I made this card to honor this part of me who loves discovering new TV shows that make me laugh, make me think, make me cry, and connect me to fascinating ideas and ways of looking at the world.

Who are you?

I am the one who watches television and who is brought into new portals, new worlds.

I am the one who is entertained by the shows I watch, but I also learn so much about myself and the world around me.

I love being captivated by the STORIES I see.

What do you have to say to me today?

My message for you is this- Sometimes I blend with you. Sometimes I take over. I work with Addiction to shield you from anger and loneliness. I don’t want to hurt you, only to protect you and keep you entertained. Just let me know when I am taking over and I will step back.

Whenever I lead an Introduction to SoulCollage® Workshop, participants are thrilled with their first card and eager to know more. When I was first starting out, I would try to explain all the wonders of SoulCollage® that awaited them, during that first class. As you can imagine, that got quite frustrating!

Let’s face it, there is a lot that awaits us if we take SoulCollage® by the hand and allow it to lead us. There’s journaling, getting to know our inner voices, learning about archetypes, doing readings, discovering animal guides, deepening our relationship with community . . . The list goes on!

Nowadays I tell excited newcomers that the process of SoulCollage® is like the ocean and what they have done by making their first card is merely to dip their big toe into the water. If you’re still new to SoulCollage® you can probably identify with this. If you’ve been practicing it for a while, think back to that very first workshop you took, the first card you made. You got one toe wet . . . and then . . . you wanted more! So you took another class, made some more cards, found our Kindred Spirits community (see link below) online, learned how to dialog with your cards, made some more cards, did a reading, and so on.

You waded into the infinite waters of SoulCollage®. Some of you are still wading, on the ocean’s edge. Some of you are now knee deep, and some are already swimming. Many of you have even set sail for deeper waters and are scuba diving, way down deep. You can choose to only skim the surface, or you can decide to dive down deep. Once you have been diving for a while, you can choose to skim the surface again if you want to. There are no rules. It’s all about the exploration!

There are no limits to the gifts this SoulCollage® Ocean will give us, no limit to the depths we can explore within its reaches. If you think of it this way, you’ll be more patient with yourself, and you’ll give yourself all the time you need to explore. There is no need to rush.

Think about your journey with SoulCollage® up to now as a visit to the ocean. Where are you in relation to the “waters” of SoulCollage®? Write about this in your journal.

Give yourself permission to be where you are as you explore the SoulCollage® Ocean. Remember, it’s not a contest; it’s a journey.

Did you enjoy this essay and challenge? There’s lots more where this came from in my popular book of essays, Into the Heart of SoulCollage®.