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®.

Years ago I made this card at an Introduction to SoulCollage® workshop I was facilitating. I wasn’t particularly drawn to any of these images; I had just grabbed them so I could demonstrate to the group how to lay out and glue down a card.

After I’d made it and they’d had their “lesson,” I could viscerally feel in my body the power and importance of this card. But… no matter how many times I journaled with it or set it out on my bureau to assist me through my day, I couldn’t really get a grasp on what this Neter’s meaning for me was.

Then, not too long ago, I heard someone say something and as soon as their words hit my ears, I had a bright image in my mind of THIS card.

That “someone” was Alan Cohen and what he said as part of an online class on Prayer was this: Don’t drop the baby. He was referring to taking tender loving care of our inner little one, our inner child, that part of us who is still so vulnerable.

And the next time I journaled with this Neter, here is what it said:

Monks: We are the ones who are listening, facing forward, learning and absorbing the lessons of mindfulness, the lessons of life. We are, at various times, serious, intense, light-hearted, introspective, laughing.

Our message to you today is this: accept all the many aspects of yourself. You too are learning the lessons of mindfulness, the lessons of life. Here’s the crux of our message: DON’T DROP THE BABY. The “baby” is many things: your tender, compassionate heart, your mindful spirit, your deepest desires, your innermost vulnerable child. So don’t drop any of that! Don’t let go of your most precious Self. It is too easy to give it away to others, to food, to boredom, to distractions. Don’t drop the baby!

Marble-ous Men

I made this card several years ago when I realized I’d been collecting images of marbles for reasons unbeknownst to me. Those images seemed to fit together with these happy older men, especially since (synchronistically) one of them seemed to be wearing a shirt with a marble motif!

It was quite perplexing to me… I was thinking “What can a card like this possibly have to say to me!?!”

But… when I asked the men to tell me about themselves, a timely message came through…

Who are you?

We are the ones who have been saving all our marbles.

We are the ones who love collecting marbles in all sizes and colors.

We are older and we are male but we are comfortable with our love of wearing bright colors and don’t care what anyone thinks about our hobbies or our wardrobe choices.

We are the ones who haven’t “lost our marbles!”

We are the ones who have carefully gathered our marbles so we are sure to never lose them.

Our gift to you today is the knowledge that as long as you keep your body and brain active, and stay true to your path, you won’t lose YOUR marbles!

I made this card totally intuitively. I’d been holding onto the rainbow-colored, light-filled flowers for a loooong time before finding the right other images to fit with them. Finally, the card came together!

I’m still not sure that “Go For It” is the “right” name for this card, but it will have to do for now.

Who are you?

I am the one who is reaching for the light.  I am the one who is delighted to get my hand around this unique, colorful, lit-like-a-rainbow flower.  I am the one who is reaching for the mystery and the magic.

What do you have to give me?

I give you permission to reach for the brightness that is rooted in your life.  I give you delight and joy in the seeking and the finding.  I give you mystery and color and bright full magic, all of it is yours in your life.

What do you want from me?

I want you to breathe deeply, smile and reach for your dreams… reach for the magic and the mystery that is all around you.  Let your life be as colorful and exciting as you want.  Let yourself feel entitled and deserving.  It is all there for you to take!

NOTE: A friend of mine saw this Neter of mine and she thought it looked pretty cool held vertically too! 
Try holding one of your cards vertically as well as horizontally. What happens? Does it change its meaning for you or enhance it… or none of the above? No right answers, whatever is right for you!