Sometimes I like to start my journaling with the prompt “I am here to…” instead of “I am the one who…”Ā This works well with mystery cards (cards I don’t know the meaning of) as well as cards I’m familiar with it.
Try it yourself and see!
Here are a few examples from my own deck.
Meditator
Meditator
I am here to close my eyes
to experience the stillness
to savor the moment
to clear my mind
I am here to be still
to be at peace with who I am
to smile
I am here to wrap myself in silence
and connect my body, mind, and spirit
with the One who holds us all
I am here to keep one foot on earth
and the other foot in other Realms.
Father
Divine Father/Male Energy
I am here to hold you
to protect you
to love you
I am here to bring you balance
to laugh with you
to show you the power of your masculine side
I am here to guide you
to give birth to you
to bless you.
The journaling that I did with this card sprang from the writing exercise contained in Nancy Weiss’s book, MeCards4Kids.Ā As this card was a mystery to me (made totally intuitively), doing this helped me get a little closer to its meaning for my life.
I am playing this light.
I am guarded by a blue feather.
I am sitting on a bridge.
I wonder who will hear my Light Music.
I hear Light Music all around me.
I see nothing but this Light.
I want others to hear and to know this special, unique, Light music
I am making Light Music.
I pretend I am playing for a large audience.
I feel like this is what I am meant to do.
I touch people with my music.
I worry that no one will want to listen.
I cry to think that I might not be able to share this with others.
I am very present when I am making my music.
I understand that this music is mine to make, to create.
I say nothing. No words are needed, just the music.
I dream of light and music.
I try to carry this music with me always.
I hope to find others who will make Light Music with me.
I am content to sit here and play.
We are the ones who are leaning forward so you will pay attention. We are the ones who are all wearing the same mask so that you won’t get distracted by our face and bodies. We are the ones wearing identical silvery/white robes.
We are the ones who move the night to morning. We are the ones who call the daylight into being.
We are ancient, young, innocent, and wise.
We are the Keepers of the Silence.
We are here to remind you to keep Silence more often.
Sometimes we will have a message for you, some wisdom. Sometimes we will be singing you a song. Whatever you need to hear…
But mostly right now we are here to tell you to keep silence with us. This is the way to more and more wisdom and deep personal change. This is the way to raise your vibration. Silence. Stillness.
In her amazing book, How to Make MeCards4Kids, SoulCollageĀ® Facilitator Nancy Weiss offers a series of short prompts that children can use with their collages. Today I’m sharing with you a few examples from my own grown-up deck.
And I challenge you to try this exercise with one or more of your own cards. You might just be surprised at what you discover!
SOLITUDE
I am the one who is curled into myself.
I wonder how I can give myself more alone time.
I hear the soothing sounds of the ocean.
I see my inner world.
I want more time alone.
I am soft and centered and at peace.
I pretend I am in my Inner Sanctuary.
I feel so so sooooo good.
I touch my soul when I am still.
I worry not.
I try sometimes.
I am whole.
I understand that I can choose to claim solitude every day.
I say I LOVE TO BE ALONE!!!
I dream of peace and quiet.
I try to give myself more times of slowness and stillness.
I hope that everyone can have this deep peace.
I am home.
Inner Homebody
HOMEBODY
I am the one who loves to be at home.
I wonder how I can clear my schedule so I can be home more.
I hear my heartbeat.
I hear my beloved cats’ purring.
I hear the birds outside my window.
I see beloved art surrounding me.
I want to stay here.
I am safe.
I pretend that I never have to leave.
I feel comforted.
I touch my inner life more deeply from home base.
I worry about what happens when I am not here.
I cry because some people don’t have a safe home like I do.
I am in love with my home.
I understand that I can’t always be here and that my work in the world has to take me away form my home.
I say this is good.
I dream of a day when no one is homeless.
I try to stay home as much as possible.
I hope to spend more time at home this year.
I am grateful for my home.
Suzy, Now
I am still your beloved dog even though my body is not with you.
I wonder how long ’til you join me.
I can hear everything again; I am no longer deaf.
I see everyone and everything so clearly now; I am no longer blind.
I want you to know that I was so happy with you.
I am still happy with you.
I pretend sometimes that I am chewing on my bone in the living room.
I feel loved, even now.
I touch your heart as you touched mine.
I worry that you don’t understand how close I still am to you.
I cry no more.
I am healed and whole now.
I am clear.
I understand the Love.
I say I love you all ways.
I dream of being together here with you.
I try to remind you of my presence.
I hope you feel me in your heart.
I am still your Suzy.
ANCESTORS
We are your family.
We hear you.
We see you.
We want you to have a good life.
We are who you came from.
We feel happy and excited that you have connected with us.
We touch all hearts.
We worry that we will be forgotten.
We cry no more.
We are home now.
We understand how much you are loved.
We say what a beautiful life you have created.
We dram of honoring you.
We hope you will continue to lean on our understanding and wisdom.
I am the one who feels overwhelmed, squashed flat, buried. I am the one who sees no way out. I am the one who despairs becasue no one notices that I am being squashed flat, buried. I am the one who feels so alone even though I see that others are also buried. I am the one who feels helpless.
Me: What is overwhelming you?
O: Your never-ending to-do lists. All the things you want us to “do” this year. All of your efforts at self-improvement.
Me: What is overwhelming you MOST of all?
O: (sighs) These other Neters (parts) who say mean things to us, who don’t want us to feel whole and happy… all the Neters who are keeping us from letting go of what needs to be let go of. Especially Killjoy.
Me: Thank you for letting me know. How can I help you?
O: You can help me by SLOWING DOWN on the to-do lists. You can help me by slowing down the pace of your days, weeks, years, life. You can help me by calming down Killjoy. Talk with him, will you please? Give him some attention. Find out why he is influencing you so much these days.
Killjoy
Me:Ā Okay, I will! Killjoy, please join me.
KJ: Yeah? What you want, lady? (pokes finger in my chest)
Me: Hey! (removes finger) It’s me, the one whose mind you inhabit. Let’s sit down. So I hear you’re having a big effect on some of my other Neters (inner parts).
KJ: (gruffly) So what?
Me: So… I need to know what’s going on with you.Ā Your energy is out of balance and it’s making all of us uncomfortable.
KJ: (folds arms across chest) I don’t care.
Me: I’m sorry to hear that. I’m remembering, however, that you used to care. I’m remembering that you have been an integral, good force in my life and that when you are in balance you are an excellent Security Guard, protecting me from unnecessary influences. Do you remembering having that responsibility in my inner world?
KJ: (not meeting my eyes) Yes.
Me: Good, good! Can you tell me why you left that security guard post? And why you’re back to harrassing me? I really want to help you.
KJ: Why aren’t you pissed off at me and trying to kill me?
Me: Because you’re an important part of my life. And I love and respect and care about you. I want to know what’s thrown you off balance so I can help you get back to your best self.
KJ: I don’t know… I guess it’s easy to go to the dark side when you’re not paying attention to me.
Me: I’m sorry. You’re right. The second half of last year I was so distract because of Suzy’s (our dog’s) decline and death, and all of my work obligations, and everything else.
KJ: Yeah, well, I’m sorry about that and all. I’m really KJ- KEEPER OF THE JOY. KJ-KILLJOY is my worst self. When I feel unloved and unwanted, I start killing the Joy instead of keeping it.
Me: Oh! Right! I see. I see. And I hear you. Thank you for telling me all of this.
*****
Afterthought: I am seeking images for a Keeper of the Joy card and will post it here when I have completed that. In the meantime, I can continue to dialogue with KJ when he’s out of balance in order to bring him back to Keeping the Joy instead of Killing It.
PS As a result of this inner dialogue, my Overwhelmed Self became much less overwhelmed!
