Foolish Me

Waiting for inspiration

Last week I was in my dance class Nia, and we were dancing The Fool. All of a sudden I realized the Fool in my SoulCollage® card was slumped on the ground. Of course Andy Goldsworthy is tossing red earth into the air – he is on his feet. Yet this other character is so earthbound. “I am the one who is of the earth. I come from the earth, and I return to the earth. "

You know, I don’t think this is my Fool after all. It is something/someone else. I will wait to learn more about this card.

I was listening to Seena's radio interview on HeartsArt yesterday. She reminded me that we often don't know what our cards are about. Sometimes it can take a long time to get the full message from a card we have made. I would be foolish not to wait....and see.

Wangari Maathai is outraged! And so am I.

This incredible photo came from a Vietnamese website. Since I don't read Vietnamese, I don't know who to credit. Here is the link.

Archetypal Energy - Wow! Pow!

In Seena Frost's July column on the SoulCollage® website, she talks about the difference between Committee cards and Council cards. She suggests that sometimes there is a fine line between them. At our gathering on Saturday in Davis I made a card called Sprouting Hope. It depicted Wangari Maathai, last year's Nobel Peace Prize winner. Sara Post mentioned that there may be a fine line between a Community card and a Council card, and that my card for Wangari might be a Council card.

Looking at the card (see Show Off!) I thinks it lacks some of Seena's criteria such as mysterious images. In my experience of the card I do find elements of archetypal energy.

• The minute I heard about Wangari--only a couple of weeks ago--I knew I had to make a card for her. And since making the card I've been compelled to do more about the terrible situation in Darfur in the Sudan. Compelled and energized to take more action.
• And I'm taking actions that aren't typical of me. Last night, after a very busy day, I drove to the Varisty movie theatre to ask if I could hand out flyers in the lobby after Hotel Rwanda let out. They said no, but I will do it outside. I'm printing petitions which I will take around my neighborhood. This is way more public than my usual style of "keyboard activism".

So my sense is there is some link between my experience of Wangari and The Keeper of the Children's Fire (Warrior) archetype. As Seena has said, sometimes you aren't clear what suit a card belongs to--if any. Sit with it. Or, in my case, run with it.

Does any of this talk about suits really matter? I think that being aware of what energy level we are engaging with can be quite valuable. The cards are expressing much of what we don't yet know about ourselves. Suits are just just one more way to "know thyself".

SoulCollage Facilitators in Davis after a delicious lunch.
Top row L to R: Sara, Lisa, Sheila, and Susan
Bottom row L to R: Karen, Sharry, and Sue

Fantastic Weekend in Davis, CA

This past weekend Sheila Filan and I traveled from Ashland, OR to Davis, CA for two wonderful SoulCollage® events at the home of the beautiful Sara Post (or was it the beautiful home of Sara Post?). Both fit.

On Saturday we made Community suit cards. I made the first card for someone I don't know personally, Wangari Maathai, the recent Nobel Peace Prize winner. You can see that card on my card gallery site Show Off!

On Sunday we met other SoulCollage facilitators from the Sacramento/Davis/ San Francisco area. Karen Lawrence, Sue Cross, Hannah Hunter, Lisa DiPlacido, Susan Osborn plus Sara, Sheila and myself had a wonderful time sharing cards, ideas, and observations. Mighty nice.

Thank you, Sara.

Poor Me - Committee
I am the one who is left out and feels sorry for myself. I am the one who creates my separation and then forgets I am it's author.

Low tech - High tech

This post is in response to Karen M's comments to January's post Letting Myself Be about making SoulCollage cards in the traditional cut and paste method versus the computer. Since that post, I have made two cards. Poor Me (done with cut and paste- above) and Clyde (done on the computer- below).

I have decided that cut and paste is best for my Committee cards. It's like writing in my journal by hand. Playing with the images, cutting them out by hand--I think I get closer to the hidden aspects that the cards help reveal.

For Community cards I still prefer the computer. I am after a certain feel. It is certainly more premeditated, but I am creating a visual alter to my loved ones--I want to convey my sense of them as closely as I can. The added flexibility of the computer helps me do that. I find it quite tactile also. I use a wacom tablet. Erasing is like coloring. Cutting is like tracing.

A special THANK YOU to all the wonderful photographers and artists whose images have inspired us to recreate and discover our inner and outer worlds.

Clyde - Community
I am the one who lives my life just as I am.

This card is in honor of my grandfather--Clyde Bruner--who lived surrounded bluebonnets in Navarro Country, Texas. My mother says of him, "He never traveled out of Texas and never wanted to." He died not far from where he was born at the age of 96.

flyer for upcoming class

Geri Esposito, Sheila Filan, and I are offering Introduction to SoulCollage® March 19 in Ashland, Oregon--a great place to visit for art, plays, food, music. You're invited. (541) 488 -8016 or sharryb@mind.net for more information.

Luna - Community

Cats

Clara's SoulCollage® card pulled at my cat love heartstrings. If you want to know about helping out kittys in Southern Oregon check out this article. It's from 2003, but still timely. http://www.dailytidings.com/2003/news1218/121803_n1.shtml Another great site is Cat News http://www.catnews.com/ The princess cat at our house is Luna Muna.

My friend Sheila also showed me a site where, with a click of your mouse (kittys take note), you can feed animals in shelters. It is called The Animal Rescue Site.