Soulcollage cards made on retreat
Nov. 15th, 2009 01:34 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
pegkerrLong time readers of my journal know that I've written extensively about the issue of choosing the heart of flesh vs. the heart of stone. This was one of the cards I'd specifically intended to make when I left for the retreat. I had searched for specific images to use for it and had them all printed out and ready. On a walk the second day I was there, while I was mulling over this theme (it turned out to be the theme for the entire retreat) I happened to glance down at my feet and I discovered this (click any picture twice to see it close up):
So as soon as I finished my walk, I went in and made this card:
Every soul collage deck should enclose a Source card, the One from which everything springs. You may interpret it as God or the Big Bang or the heart of a flower, or what you will. Fiona insouciantly noted that the sillouette looks like a fat cat tipped over on its side.
I was quite pleased with the birth card. The figure below is Clotho, one of the three Greek fates to measure out each human life (she's the one at the beginning of life who spins the thread.) I liked the sense of ageless wisdom and compassion on both her face and the midwife's.
This card was fun. It was all about cramming in as much color and texture as possible.
Ah, if only I knew how to get here reliably.
This is the first card I've made that I really don't like. And I'm not entirely sure what it means. I've gone through episodes, when I've gotten severely depressed, when I can slip into a state rather like catatonia, and this card reminds me of that. Perhaps it's not so much the realm of the heart of stone, but the heart of ice, like the crystalline deadly palace of the Snow Queen. I'm not even sure whether the card's entirely finished. Perhaps the woman should be looking at something specific at her feet, such as a broken mirror? The sinister figure over to the right insisted on being included. I tried to keep it off, but it just kept muscling its way in obnoxiously. I do not like it at all, nor do I entirely know its meaning. A warning example, as of someone who has been there for a long time, until rendered blind, deaf and mute? Or is it a malevolent spirit or genius of the place? And what about the snow fox? It, too, insisted on being included, along with the remote moon positioned exactly above its head. I find the fox to be more benevolent, ready to guide the woman out of there, perhaps, if she can pull herself away from her daze.
I was actually wary about showing it to the girls, since it seems so creepy and disturbing. I needn't have worried. Fiona took one look at it and blurted out, "I like it!" I guess there's no accounting for taste.
 |
So as soon as I finished my walk, I went in and made this card:
 |
| Heart of Flesh vs. Heart of Stone - Council Suit I am the One who offers you the choice between being fully human, able to feel pain as well as joy, and being remote, perhaps more powerful and untroubled, but absolutely untouched by human emotion. Choose carefully |
Every soul collage deck should enclose a Source card, the One from which everything springs. You may interpret it as God or the Big Bang or the heart of a flower, or what you will. Fiona insouciantly noted that the sillouette looks like a fat cat tipped over on its side.
 |
| Source I am the One that is the Source for the All. |
I was quite pleased with the birth card. The figure below is Clotho, one of the three Greek fates to measure out each human life (she's the one at the beginning of life who spins the thread.) I liked the sense of ageless wisdom and compassion on both her face and the midwife's.
 |
| Birth - Council Suit I am the One who brings a new soul into the world, giving life while simultaneously guaranteeing that some day will come another death. I comfort with calmness through the deepest pain, until pain can be swallowed up in joy. I measure out the thread of each new life with boundless compassion. |
This card was fun. It was all about cramming in as much color and texture as possible.
 |
| The Gardener - Committee Suit I am the One who plunges her hands into the earth each spring to help bring forth flowers and food. I do not shy away from hard work, and I delight in the freshest smells, colors, tastes and textures. I am a good steward of the earth who welcomes each season of the year for its part in the cycle of life, death and rebirth. I am happiest when I can share the bounty with others. |
Ah, if only I knew how to get here reliably.
 |
| Serene Heart Center - Committe/Council Suit I am the One who is fully centered in body and soul. I am calm and balanced, and at peace with all. I dive deep into my resting mind and reside in the deepest recesses of the heart. |
This is the first card I've made that I really don't like. And I'm not entirely sure what it means. I've gone through episodes, when I've gotten severely depressed, when I can slip into a state rather like catatonia, and this card reminds me of that. Perhaps it's not so much the realm of the heart of stone, but the heart of ice, like the crystalline deadly palace of the Snow Queen. I'm not even sure whether the card's entirely finished. Perhaps the woman should be looking at something specific at her feet, such as a broken mirror? The sinister figure over to the right insisted on being included. I tried to keep it off, but it just kept muscling its way in obnoxiously. I do not like it at all, nor do I entirely know its meaning. A warning example, as of someone who has been there for a long time, until rendered blind, deaf and mute? Or is it a malevolent spirit or genius of the place? And what about the snow fox? It, too, insisted on being included, along with the remote moon positioned exactly above its head. I find the fox to be more benevolent, ready to guide the woman out of there, perhaps, if she can pull herself away from her daze.
I was actually wary about showing it to the girls, since it seems so creepy and disturbing. I needn't have worried. Fiona took one look at it and blurted out, "I like it!" I guess there's no accounting for taste.
 |
| The Frozen Wasteland Within - Council Suit I am the One mysterious place where nothing grows, where all warmth turns to cold. I tempt the unwary to gaze into the ice until blindness and deafness creeps over them, and the limbs are frozen into place. If you do not move, you will be lost before you realize it. |