This card honors my oldest brother, Joe.  He is ten years older than me, so we weren’t close until I was an adult.  But when I was in my early teens, he always took the time to do things with me.  The biggest thing he ever did for me was introduce me to the theatre.  When I was 12 he and his wife Karen took me to see a production of Man of La Mancha at the University of Connecticut, and I fell in love immediately with everything about theatre.

Joe is also a teacher, and a photographer/film maker, but his biggest passion is reading.  I believe I have captured the essence of my big brother and my relationship with him here on this SoulCollage^® card, which honors him in my deck.

Who are you? I am the one who is your big brother.  I am the one who took you places when you were little and who introduced you to the theatre.  I am the one who loves taking pictures and filming documentaries, who loves books. What do you have to give me? I give you a special bond, a special brother-sister relationship.  I give you curiosity and validation and unconditional love.  I give you a shared history and a love of reading and writing. I give you a sense of family and support in whatever you undertake.

I made this Community card to honor my group of friends (Elaine, Pat, Lis and Susan) who meet with me one Sunday afternoon each month to make SoulCollage^® cards and do readings and get to know one another soul to soul.  Pat has aptly named us “Soul Sisters.”

Note that although this card is honoring real people in my life, there are no photos of them on it (no, that’s not really them in the bathtubs!).  I just chose images that represent how this group feels to me.

Who are you? We are your Soul Sisters.  We are the ones who meet every month to practice SoulCollage^® together and to talk about our lives as we cut and snip and paste and create.  We are the ones who form a shelter of serenity, a haven from the “real world.” We are the ones who offer you freedom because we listen to you with love and acceptance.  We are the ones who are relaxed,who are fully enjoying the process of soaking in our own soul’s warmth and cleansing beauty.  We do this each in our own way and on our own inner journeys, yet in full and unconditional accepting witness of one another.

What do you have to give me? We give you support, encouragement, a safe space to be yourself, freedom, kindness, and non-judgmental witness to your own soul’s unfolding.  We give you a deep and present sense of community.  You are a part of us and we are a part of you.  You belong here. What do you want from me? We want you to continue to be there with and for us.  We want you to continue to unfold and grow and witness your own beauty.

Tara Brach’s book, Radical Acceptance, literally changed my life.  I read it the year before I started SoulCollage^®, and knew immediately after my first workshop that I wanted to create a card to honor this wonderful, compassionate teacher, counselor and author.

Who are you? I am the one who wrote the book Radical Acceptance.  I am the one who teaches you to accept your self and life and everything about it- to accept it completely, utterly, radically, freely, no matter what.  I am the one who teaches you to pause, to listen within first.  I am the one who teaches you to breathe, to move through life slowly and with conscious awareness.  What do you have to give me? I give you the deep joy and peace that comes from fully accepting yourself.  I give you a sense of completeness, wholeness, and beauty that you didn’t have before. What do you want from me? I want you to accept yourself, to love yourself deeply- all of you, to live consciously, to not hide, to truly accept and love your radiant blossoming self.                                                                                                                       *************

This card has shown up a few times in my Daily Readings as well… and with profound messages for me whenever I’ve drawn it.

3/11/06- What I say to you today is this: sit and rest with yourself today.  Enjoy your own company, BE your own best friend.

9/23/06- It is no coincidence that I have shown up in your reading today, Dear One.  You are struggling with your body image all week.  I am the one who says that the pathway to joy and wholeness is a deep, abiding self-acceptance.  I am the one who is passionate about living in the moment, about being aware.  I tell you, you are not a failure.  I tell you, the road to true self-acceptance is a journey and you are a traveler on this road.  It’s not somewhere to “get to.”  The journey itself is the point.  See?  Look at yourself in the mirror today and instead of seeing how heavy you still are, see the ten pounds that are already gone.  Stand back from ______ today and don’t judge yourself for criticizing him and wishing he wasn’t the way he is… see instead how far you’ve come that you were able to turn to your SoulCollage^® cards today for support and advice and encouragement.

I just realized that I have posted 4 of my Community cards from my deck, but they’re all female!  So here’s my SoulCollage^® card for my husband, jeff.  And since tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and he is the one for whom I am MOST thankful, I will celebrate by sharing his card with you today! 

This is one of the first cards I made, and I found it to be a very interesting process speaking from the card as if I were Jeff!   It gave me a whole new perspective on our marriage.

NOTE: If you click on any of the images on this blog, you will be able to see them a little larger. Who are you? I am the one who loves you unconditionally.  I am the one who is fun and easy-going and loves to laugh.  I am the one who is strong and stable and steady.  I am your rock.  I am the one who is hard-working and dependable.  I am the one who loves people and who always believes the best of people. I am the one who embodies positive living.  I am the one who is a good father and who wants the best for my children.  I am the one who manifests abundance by the way I live and think.  I am the one with a big, wide heart.

What do you have to give me? I give you abundance of love and support and kindness and grace.  I give you the knowing that you are unconditionally loved.  I give you my everything.  I give you financial security freely and with no strings attached because I love you. What do you want from me? I just want your love, and for you to be kind to my children and to my mother.  I want you to be there for me, and to have fun together with you on our many vacations.

Here’s an example of a Community Card I made for someone NOT in my immediate circle of friends and family.  Geneen Roth is an author and speaker whose focus is breaking free from compulsive eating.  I’ve been reading her books and listening to her tapes/CD’s since the early 90’s.  Her work has had a huge effect on my life, and an intense effect on my relationship with food.

You can see some of Geneen Roth’s books here. Find out about Geneen’s workshops and retreats here.

I was blessed to be able to attend Geneen’s 4 day Retreat at Kripalu Yoga and Retreat Center earlier this month.  While there, I gave her a copy of this card along with a printed page that explained why I chose the different symbols on her card.  She spent several minutes talking with me about it, and was visibly touched as she received it from me.

I strongly suggest that if you’ve made a Community card for someone, you find some way to share it with them.  It will strengthen and enhance your sense of connectedness and community.

Here is my interpretation of this card, which I made a year ago.

Who are you? I am the one who lost the weight and kept it off with my practice of intuitive eating.  I am the one who listens to myself with kindness, curiosity and compassion.  I am the one whose writing opens new doors for you.  I am the one who pulls up a chair to myself and listens fully.  I am the one whose words and ideas give you wings to fly. What do you have to give me? I give you wings to soar above your old self-definitions. I give you a peaceful heart. I give you freedom. I give you books and tapes to remind you that you can do this too. What do you want from me? I want you to remember that losing weight is a process, an inner process, and that it takes time. I want you to be gentle with yourself. I want you to listen to your inner voices. I want you to remember, first and foremost, that you have choices.