Unexpected Journeys:
Using SoulCollage® as a Tool
During Times of Illness



3 Week Online Class Series
Easily to participate by telephone and email.
All sessions recorded so you don't have to attend "live."

Starts January 18, 2014  

This online workshop is for you if:

* you have ever been diagnosed with cancer or another serious illness

* you love someone who is going through surgeries or treatments for a serious illness

* ever wonder how you can deal more creatively with the myriad of difficult feelings that accompany an unexpected journey such as cancer, MS, Alzheimers, heart disease or other illness

* would you like to get out some scissors, glue and magazine pictures and give image to this Unexpected Journey that has claimed you

My name is Catherine Anderson and I'm a SoulCollage® Facilitator and Trainer from Charlotte, NC. I am delighted to be adding my voice to Soul Songs and hope that my words inspire you to look more deeply into your deck of SoulCollage® cards.



The Circle of Balance

"If you want to balance your life then you must learn to have fun in your life no matter what."
                                       --- Anastasiya Goers

When I think of balance in my life, the vision of a see-saw (which you might know as a teeter-totter) in a child's playground comes to mind. Perfect equilibrium seldom exists. Balance is an ongoing effort which requires my conscious thought and attention.

Recently, I have discovered that when I view my life as a continuous spiraling of the seasons with times of outward action and times of inward reflection, times of growth and times of birth, rather than a linear journey to a place where all is perfect, I am able to see more clearly where I need to focus my attention to bring things back into balance.

However, for years my life was completely out of balance, and I was unaware that there was a different way of doing things. It started in the 80's when I believed I could live the "superwoman" myth, and I could be a wife, attorney, mother, daughter, friend and more, without anything in my life suffering. I was eventually forced to come to the realization that I was the one who lost out as I rushed around being everything to everybody. In my attempts to attend to everything that needed to be done, I forgot that my body and my soul also needed attention. It was only when my body decided enough was enough, and forced me to spend two months in bed as a result of chronic fatigue, that I realized how out of balance my life was. Life had become a chore, with no time for the things that fed my soul as I madly and constantly rushed around trying to keep my many balls in the air.

I have learnt that giving my body and my soul time to relax and play is the most important gift I can give myself and the people in my life. It has taken me some time to let go of the guilt I felt when I was making art and creating things that made me feel happy. I believed I needed to be useful and productive and playtime seemed like an indulgence.

Making art, playing with color and texture, seeing the beauty of the world through the lens of my camera, renews and replenishes me in ways that are life-affirming, and ensures that I have time to listen to my inner voice, rather than rushing headlong into action. I have learnt that time for reflection and conscious attention to my life journey is, in fact, my most productive time. And yet, I still constantly have to give myself permission to take time alone, to sit quietly, to create, to read, to think and to do nothing.

I've discovered it requires vigilance to live a life of practical balance. Without time to consider what I want my day or my year to look like, I am not able to choose how to fill my days with things that enliven and invigorate my spirit. If I want balance, I need to make conscious choices that support the life I want to lead. I need to consider what is necessary on all levels of body, mind and spirit. As a reminder to myself, I created a SoulCollage® card which I call The Circle of Balance. This card reminds me to find balance in respect of my physical, emotional, spiritual and mental needs.

"I am one who is made up of many parts, all of which sustain and support me, and all of which are equally important for me to live a life of wholeness and balance.

I am one whose spiritual needs include time for creativity, time in open spaces, time for being totally focused in the present moment, as these activities connect me to the knowing that I am not alone and there is purpose in everything.

I am one whose emotional needs include time to play and have fun with family and friends, time to relax and enjoy those around me.

I am one whose physical needs include time for activities that move my body in a joyful way, time to rest and rejuvenate body and mind, and time to nourish my body so that it supports me in all that I do.

I am one whose mental needs include time growing through reading, through writing, through learning and through inter-connections with others who inspire and encourage me."

This card reminds me to make time and space in my life for the things that are not just important, but necessary for my well-being. Am I able to live like this every day? Unfortunately not. But knowing what does sustain me, and knowing when I am totally out of balance helps guide me back to where I'd like to be.

What parts of your life are you forgetting? Consider creating your own Circle of Balance SoulCollage® card to remind you of what is really important in your life.


Catherine Anderson believes in following her passions. She is the author of The Creative Photographer, The Creative Photographer, is a SoulCollage® Facilitator and Trainer, a Labyrinth Facilitator and a Chakradance Facilitator. Catherine teaches photography and creativity workshops and retreats in the USA, and in South Africa, Italy and France. Catherine's website is www.catherineandersonstudio.com.
 

Brave New World
Committee Suit
Judith
Maryland

I am the adventurer who stands poised between the past and the future. I am the one who is sure enough of my footing to step out of my comfort zone and leave the outdated structures of my life behind. I move confidently forward into a new, exciting, transformed, futuristic world.




Balance
Committee Suit
Chloe
Colorado

I Am The One Who tries to maintain a center of balance in my core. I Am The One Who tries to balance what I am doing. I Am The One Who knows how precarious this can be. I Am The One Who relies on Mother Earth and the Universe to hold me in their arms, for I know they are the Masters of Balance.




Balance
Committee Suit
Rosann
Alberta, Canada

I am the One who reminds you that balance comes from within. I am the One who asks you to slow down, find your centre, that inner place of stillness. Begin there. Then, no matter what is happening around you, you'll approach it with serenity and calm.




Happy Spender
Committee Suit
Karen
California

I am One who is light-hearted about money, who reminds you to be joyful as you choose to keep the abundant energy flowing. I help you balance between saving and spending, releasing sweet delight in the act of exchanging money for that which is of value.




Balance
Council Suit
Denise
California

I am the one who seeks to keep everything in my life in balance. I pull down on the right and push up on the left. When everything is in balance I am no longer in a cloud of stress and confusion. Everything comes easily to me.

 

Facilitator Trainings: Information about content and dates/locations of upcoming trainings of SoulCollage® Facilitators.


SoulCollage website - Seena Frost created the process of SoulCollage®, and this is her website.


KaleidoSoul - Spinning the fragments of your world into wholeness and beauty through SoulCollage®.


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