I am the one who lets the flow of life surround me.
I am the one whose fingers point UP even when life brings me DOWN.
What is your message for me today?
My message for you today is this: breathe into the moment., breathe into the day.Ā Allow whatever comes to flow around and through you. Fighting against “what is” only causes more stress and heartache.
Questions to Ponder
Feel free to explore one or more of these questions in your journal, or respond in the comments below.
1. What message does my Radical Acceptance card have for YOU today?
2. What does the phrase “radical acceptance” mean to you?
3. How do you point your spirit UP when life brings you DOWN?
Do you ever feel like giving up on a goal or a dream? I think it’s common ground for most of us, so when I found myself drawn to this image of these people on the ground, I resonated with this part of me who sometimes wants to give up.Ā
It’s important to remember that this Neter is only ONE PART of me whole, kaleidoscopic self!
Who are you?
We are the ones who are tired and discouraged. We are the ones who want to give up. LIFE IS HARD, we say.Ā Writing is hard. Sometimes being kind is hard. Stopping over-eating is hard. We just want to stop it all and give up. Please don’t make us keep going.
What is your message for me today?
Our message for you is this: we know you want to be on this journey with your new book and with your Eating Less journey, but we are tired and it is hard. Could you please give us some love and encouragement instead of being mad at us for wanting to give up?
Same Card, Different Day
Who are you?
We are the ones who want to give up. We are weary and tired from trying to make all these changes. We feel cracked and dry and parched. We are the ones who are trying to stop you from achieving your dreams.
What is your message for me today?
Our message for you is this: We NEED you to HONOR our fatigue. We need you to reassure us that we can rest first, before moving on. We just want your acknowledgment that this is hard for us. We need you to notice that all the Trying makes us want to give up sometimes. We want you to not push us away.
We don’t REALLY want you give up… we just need time to rest before going any further.
Questions to Ponder
Feel free to ponder these questions in your journal, or respond to one or more of them in the comments below.
1. Is there a part of you who sometimes just wants to give up? If you were to ask this part “What do you want most right now?” , what might it say to you?
2. What does this “let’s give up” part of you look like? What does he/she/they need?
3. Sometimes it is important to let go of a dream or a goal because it just isn’t realistic any more. How can you tell the difference between Giving Up and Letting Go?
When I first started SoulCollaging in 2005, I created a card for Trust that was rather simplistic in nature. I can’t find the card right now, but it showed a little girl walking across a thin pole, balancing herself high up in the air, and two adults on the ground below, poised to catch her if she fell.Ā
Recently, I put all of these images together onto a card and found that they were also speaking to me about Trust.
Who are you?
I am the one who walks ahead, who follows the path.
I am the one who sometimes leaps.Ā
I am the one who rests easy… because I know that I am held.
I am the one who knows that I am safe and that is why I trust that I am held by larger Hands than my own. That is why I trust that I am guarded and guided. It doesn’t mean that nothing bad will happen to me. it just means that I am always, always held.
Why have you shown up for me today?
I am here today because you are learning much about trusting and safety and being held. I want you to slow down and activate Trust particularly when it comes to your writing. It is also my message today for you to activate Trust whenever worries and fears about Death (your own and others’) come up for you. Know that these worries and fears are normal, that everyone experiences them at one time or another, and that your breath work, mindfulness practice, and EFT Tapping are brilliant tools that can help you turn your fears to Trust.
Questions to Ponder
1. Whatever is going on in your life today, is a specific word or phrase from this Neter’s message meaningful for you?
2. Do you have a hard time trusting? If so, why do you think that might be so?
3. What are some tools in your own spiritual Tool Box that can move you toward leaning into trusting that youāyes, YOU!ā are held by Hands larger than your own?
I drew these cards in my every-other-daily readings this year, a few months apart from each other. They had a similar message that might just resonate with you today, wherever you are on your own Life’s Journey:
Dancing on my Grave
Who are you? I am the one who is performing an elegant ballet on top of my grave. I am the one who isn’t buried in the ground yet. I am the one who holds flowers in my hand. I am the one who is ALIVE! I am the one who isn’t dead yet. I am the one who is dancing in the facee of the sunrise.
My message for you today is this… you are not dead yet, dear one! Keep reminding yourself that you are ALIVE!!Ā EnJOY your life.
Savoring the Moment
Who are you? I am the one who is swinging on my swing. I am the one who is happy when I am near the ocean. I am the one who loves fresh, ripe strawberries! I am the one who is content to do nothing but swing and play.
My message for you today is this… take some time today to just sit and BE with yourself. Find a way to bring play and joy to your life today, if only for ten minutes. You don’t always have to be DOING something!
Questions to Ponder
Feel free to play with these questions in your journal, or respond in the comments below if you feel so led.
1. Do either (or both) of these cards have a message for YOU?
2. Can you find ten minutes in your day today to stop moving, to stop DOING things, and to simply BE?
3. How does it feel to pause and to remind yourself that you are ALIVE?
When I was growing up, I learned that life is hard work. My father worked two jobs when I was small, just to make ends meet. My mom worked hard at being a homemaker. She cooked and cleaned and looked after my brothers and I. And then she cooked and cleaned some more.
When she did spend time doing what she loved (writing letters to her pen pals, creating hand-decorated stationary), it was with apology and guilt. Each of my brothers worked their way through high school and college, and then so did I.Ā I never saw people living a life that was grounded in joy. “Joy” was a frivolous “extra,” something talked about only around the holidays, and then never in connection with a personal life.
I made this card soon after I began SoulCollaging in 2005, as a way to give image to this old belief that I was buying into.Ā This Neter says:
I am the one who believes that life is full of difficulty, sorrow, distress. Life is hard, I tell you! Everyone has a hard life and a sad story. There’s no way around it.
Now that I’m older and creating my own life story, I find myself filled with the desire to live my life in the tempo of joy. For a long time, I struggled with this, because the “life is hard” idea was ingrained so deeply inside of me. But I am slowly learning to let go of that old belief, and as I do, I find that I’m able to experience more and more joy.
And do you know what? When I allow the Universe to flood my soul with joy, the world doesn’t explode and the Guilt Police are nowhere to be found!
Here are some questions to think about/journal with this week:
What are some self-definitions that no longer serve you?
Can you create an intention to let go of one (just one!) of them this week?
What would happen if you let go of this outdated idea of yourself?
Make a SoulCollageĀ® card for the part of you who already knows how to live with ease and joy.
Who are you?
Feel free to explore one or more of these questions in your journal, or respond in the comments below.
