Day 16 - September

a Soulcollage card

You must give

birth to your images.

They are the future

waiting to be born ....

fear not the strangeness

you feel.

Just wait for the birth .....

for the hour of new clarity - Rainer Maria Rilke

Earlier on in the Thirty Days with Mary I asked you to collect

images.  I collect calendars and buy glossy art magazines and books

on sale for the purpose of creating Soulcollage cards.

(Soulcollage(R) is a copyrighted term www.soulcollage.com. 

Soulcollage is a 'therapy' put together by Seena Frost.)

These collages are powerful, simple, easy to make,

and, when used with conscious awareness,

they are wonderful guardians and guides on

the journey within the Self.


An ideal size of card to create your collage on is
20x25 cm.

Create a picture from the magazine cuttings that appeal to you.
Do not try to analyse as you work.  The more you can get
into your creative zone the better.  Allow the process to surprise you.
You may start off thinking you know what you want to put together
and then all of a sudden the images have their own plan.

The Swan Card 

I am the One who takes you on a safe passage through the transitions.  I offer you sacred companionship; the promise that I will never abandon you and the reminder that you always belong to the community of your Soul and of Spirit.

Here is my process of creating the Swan card. 

I was in the process of transition and of making changes in my life.

I became aware of continually being drawn to images of a boat;

as well as a small boat crossing a lake;  even cruise liners!!

So I started looking for images that resonate with me right then
 and I immediately chose swans.

Years ago, when I did some Jungian studies, I had many visions and dreams of swans and I have painted quite a few iconic and mythological images of swans.  Then they meant something completely different to me.  The one thing that remained a constant, though, is that they represent Soul or Spirit.  

As I gathered these image, I learnt a few things about swans.

They are hardly ever seen by themselves.  They are usually in pairs, or as a family unit.  I know that swans mate for life.

Swans carry their chicks on their backs.  How absolutely beautiful is that!!

I keep a notebook, writing down my insights during the process of making a card.  These insights are invaluable and very pertinent to one's inner journey.  You may pick up other things that are specific to your history and circumstances.

Some more pertinent insights about swans :

the colour white which represents purity, purification, initiation, Spirit;

the throat area is emphasised by its long neck :  throat chakra, called Vissudhi in sanskrit; Vissudhi means purification.

So, a process of letting go is of importance here. 

They swim across the waters.  Waters represent the emotions, the world of the Soul.  So, again, transitions, journeys to new horizons.

And this is the card that I made :

As part of the SoulCollage process, you 'climb' into the card, mentally and emotionally, and you let the neter (the archetype) of the card speak to you.  You always start the process with "I am the One who ....'

I am the One who takes you on a safe passage through the transitions.  I offer you sacred companionship; 

the promise that I will never abandon you.  I am the one who reminds you that you always belong to the community of your Soul and Spirit.

The gifts of this card is sacred communion.

The shadow of the Swan is the stressful times of transition that can take you back into childhood memories of being the Ugly Duckling!

You may even consider creating your own tarot cards.


blessings on your journey of Thirty Days with Mary
Hettienne