Fall brings the dimming of the light; we can feel the darkness growing. Yet I love the dramatic autumn skies, especially the dark background stark against the rays of sun bursting through. Gold and Shadow, right in front of me.

I don’t think I even knew what the term shadow meant before I found SoulCollage®. I enjoyed the chapter in Seena’s book, but it took me a while to make cards for those challenging parts. She describes shadow as energies that are either too much or too little, energies that are out of balance. This made it easier to understand, rather than labeling them bad or ‘negative.’

I found out about SoulCollage® by tumbling down a rabbit hole online in 2011. After spending a summer making cards, I became a Facilitator the next year. At the time, I was leading journal-writing workshops for women from my home, focusing on themes like midlife, what it means to be a woman, the dark and light side of the family, and the cultural heritage that shapes us. Once I introduced my journaling workshop participants to SoulCollage®, they loved it!

I began to be brave enough to explore the scary or shadowed parts. It seems that as soon as I name a part and claim it’s energy as mine, it stops biting me in the behind! This is because I am becoming aware of and acknowledging its existence. For instance, after I became a mom, I struggled with feelings of anger. It used to be easier for me to cry than to express anger as a child. Once I had two kids, I felt myself losing my hold on explosive emotions. Fatigue and exhaustion made me more reactive.

My childhood role as ‘little mother’ gave me certain skills, but it also placed an unfair burden on my shoulders. As an adult, I took many parenting workshops to learn how to deal with anger. Therapy and the SoulCollage® process have helped me understand where the anger was coming from. Naming and claiming are big parts of SoulCollage® for me; I find it so therapeutic.

Recently I spent over a year in therapy– my mother had died and old baggage resurfaced. I felt stuck, unable to move forward with my projects. The therapist used SoulCollage® to help me see the split between my mind and body – how the mind seeks to be perfectly in control, while the body simply feels what it feels.

Inside of me there was a frozen child with mummified hurts, crying out, I won’t and I can’t. My mind was pushing me to get back to work, to be productive, to have it all together. But the heart of the child first wants and needs to feel safe, to be loved and cherished, to be seen and heard. I am learning how to listen to my body’s need for rest, to allow down time, and not see myself as a failure if I stop pushing the river.

When these cards pop up in readings, they shine a light on my vulnerabilities and allow me to ignore self-doubt and practice self-compassion. I begin to hear and accept that frozen child and her feelings. I rock her and listen to her.

Allowing myself to be vulnerable, to acknowledge what my body and heart needs, not just what my mind wants, is becoming easier with practice (and age). I need to remember to mother that inner child, not scold her. If I slow down to the pace of what my body feels and my heart longs for, I can begin to be gentle with myself.

The beauty lies in shining a light on the darkness, on the parts that feel neglected. To witness my shadow in card readings is difficult, but it always ends up bringing me closer to peace. With practice, resilience grows, and I allow healing to happen. I make cards for my difficult emotions. I also make cards for being just “enough.” I call on my Good Mother archetype to help me mother myself,and see the sun peeking out behind the clouds.

Jennifer Boire is a poet, author, SoulCollage® Facilitator, and Facilitator Trainer. Visit her on her website.

How will you practice self-care (aka soul-care) in the New Year?

In this course, you’ll meet and work with 7 goddesses to guide you as you enter 2023. You’ll make a vision board and SoulCollage® cards, plus celebrate Brigid's Day with the goddess Herself. (She will guide you with some fun writing prompts as writing is one of her super-powers.) These 7 goddesses can help you explore... * New Beginnings * Creativity and Play * Dreaming and Planning.

Come join the fun with a group of like-minded creatives!

Are you ready to transform your life into something magical? Nowhere in the world will you find a place like this with so much knowledge, art, the Temples of Humankind, and a very special energy. We will work intensively with the different Temple halls; each Temple is unique with a specific, dedicated energy and meaning. Combined with SoulCollage® we will dive deep into our own inner magical places and make our lives even more inspiring, magical and uplifting.

Brooke Shaden Art- Brooke is a story-telling artist who calls herself an “intensely anxious, powerful little creative soul.” This page has a bit about her story and you can see her art by tapping on the thumbnail images on the left side of the page

Shedding Skins- Take a few minutes to really listen to and breathe with this powerful song by Fia.

Living Questions- Here are some deepening questions you might try journaling with, or creating SoulCollage® cards from. I found this on “This Quotable Life,” another website you might like exploring!

Soul Treasures is brought to you by KaleidoSoul.com,

SoulCollage® cards are made either from one's own art or from images found in materials which have been bought by or given to the SoulCollage® card maker. These collaged cards are used only for the cardmaker's own inner exploration.

SoulCollage® cards are not sold, traded, bartered, or copied (except as a back-up for the card maker's own use) as is stated in the Principles of SoulCollage®.

Where SoulCollage® cards are available to be seen by others, it is for the purposes either of demonstrating the SoulCollage® process of sharing the card maker's inner process in the context of community.

SoulCollage® is grateful to the artists and photographers who make this deep awakening process possible and in all ways SoulCollage® seeks to be respectful of their rights.

Soul Treasures is published by

Inner Journeys, copyright 2022,

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