Sacred Contracts

Chart of Origin created according to the method given in Sacred Contracts: Awakening Your Divine Potential by Caroline Myss (the title links to amazon.co.uk see amazon.com for the same book in the US).

All the images used here are ones created with creative commons licenses that allow remixing. Their attributions will be given with bigger versions of the cards as I describe them.

I forget all the different things that were signaling me to get this book - but I listened and ordered it. CM says that we only have 12 archetypes so rather than mix these cards in with all my other SoulCollage® "archetypes" (currently about 60 in my pack!) I've made a special suit for them. A suit of Guardians.

CM sees everyone as having the following four archetypes, whether you want them or not:

• Child - there are a variety to choose from: Orphan, Wounded, Magical/Innocent, Nature, Divine, Eternal Boy/Girl - the Child is your Guardian of Innocence
• Victim - the Guardian of Self-Esteem
• Prostitute - the Guardian of Faith
• Saboteur - the Guardian of Choice

My other eight primary archetypes, the ones I chose for myself, are:

1. Goddess
2. Artist
3. Seer
4. Liberator
5. Wounded Healer
6. Pioneer
7. 21st Century Shaman
8. Well-Wisher

CM has for some reason associated each of these 12 with a 12 house model that is used in astrology - not something I know much about. She suggests that to find one's "chart of origin" one puts the names of the 12 onto pieces of paper in one pile and the numbers 1-12 on 12 more pieces in another pile then with due ceremony (see the book for details) pull a number and an archetype from each pile. So this process has less to do with astrology and more to do with synchronicity which is something I love!

I used both the archetype and its house to inspire the making of my twelve guardian cards.

House 1 - Ego and Personality

(Remix of: Mary, Queen of the World by Sighthound, The Brimstone by dippybiscuit, Brimstone Side by Strange Ones)
I was surprised to find that my Goddess energy ended up in the house of my Ego. But it really is a good way to help me understand some of the clashes of personality that I've had...

One of my reasons for choosing it as one of my twelve was that when my mother named me she called me "Caroline Diana Felicity" with the Diana part being specifically after the Goddess Diana. So perhaps in this respect I did already identify with a certain Goddess energy.

It has made me warier than ever about things which are likely to over build my ego - I'm on an introspective path (hence the reflection I put in here) but the idea of that is to know oneself better, not to be egotistical.

House 2 - Life Values

(Remix of copying Monet (West Wing) by robin.elaine and A rainbow of dyes , Pots of colour , and Coloured dyes all by Dey)

I was delighted that Artist came up here!

One of the things CM says about this house is it indicates what one most needs to feel grounded. And I already knew that making art is one of those things.

It is also the house that is meant to show one's appreciation for the physical nature of life - and looking at things with an artist's eye certainly does that for me.

And aren't those tins and bags of pigment yummy!

House 3 - Self-Expression and Siblings

(Remix of Rusty Plumb-Bob by apes_abroad , run, caroline, run by magullo, reflective balls by goandgo, microphone by Leo Reynolds )

This is where Seer turned up.

I see my Seer energy as being that which guides me even when I don't really understand why I'm going the way that I am.

It does make the expression difficult though... when I did maths, finding the answer was always much easier than explaining the reasoning... mathematicians are notorious for saying "clearly so and so" which means that they know the answer is right but it'll take the whole lecture to prove that step if you question it!

I don't know yet how to relate this to my siblings. Maybe not directly.

House 4 - Home

(he haunts me ... by k-girl , Sydän (Heart) by mwri, Annie's Corset by spaceninja, {dpad} is heart obsessed by {dpade1337}, lock and key by Zoe52 - tiny green blob is Relaxation Teacher)

In the fourth house, the house of home the first of the compulsory four came up - Saboteur - the guardian of choice.

Certainly early on in my life I was aware all too often of the truism that we hurt those we love the most. And in my past relationships with partners (prior to Jim) I certainly backed myself into corners with no way out... except the drastic one of leaving which of course in the end I did...

I've put Relaxation Teacher into this card as the place I most need to learn to relax in, as its the one I spend most time in, is my home. Also the place, again as I'm here more than elsewhere, that I'm most likely to sabotage myself...

House 5 - Creativity and Good Fortune


(Remix of Nagahama Hachimangu well by MShades and four leaf clover by Greencolander)

Here is where Liberator appeared. I see Liberator in terms of one day becoming enlightened (whatever that means) and helping others to become so too.

Luck is an energy that I've become aware of over the last few years - Jim and I have an equal number of premium bonds but very, very different track records with our wins. I'm not sure how to improve one's luck consistently - but I'm working on it!

Having made this card the encased four-leaf clover looks a lot like a slice of lime being added to a drink!

House 6 - Occupation and Health

(Remix of: when's the last time you played THIS? by nats, Lynn's Star Circle by Fort Photo , Pole Star by daita)

Now this is where I started to sit up and pay attention.

I'd already had to come to terms with CM's description of what a Wounded Healer is - something I'd always refused to even read about before because I disliked the name so much! - but I got into Health Kinesiology and other subsequent therapies because I was ill and I slowly became aware that the only way to get myself better was to treat myself.

The biggest problem, from the point of view of this house system, is that the training I've had requires me to get "energy permission" to work on others - and currently I'm not getting that in the standard context of 1-1 - I do get it for distance work in general though not very everyone (that's one of the reasons for checking in the first place - not everyone is ready to accept healing even if they have asked for it).

These images of stars that I've put in are to show life paths... and how following several is beginning to show me where the still point in the middle might lie.

House 7 - Marriage and Relationships

(Trailblazer by AlbinoFlea www.flickr.com/photos/albinoflea/. Also the Eagle Nebula by NASA. The very small image in the upper right is my Council-As-One card.)

Now this one I really don't understand - this is Pioneer and its come up under Marriage and Relationships...

The best I can do is to refer to the test of one's political leanings that Andrea posted yesterday - I came out as the Dalai Lama and Jim came out as Nelson Mandela - clearly a marriage made in heaven!

On the image I was searching for images that had something to do with pioneers and when I saw this footprint it felt exactly right - I've no idea why yet.


House 8 - Other People's Resources

(Remix of rosita by schaaflicht, Empathy by Lastexit, double-helix-coin-060422 by rabinal, TWO POUNDS by Leo Reynolds, Heart with Flowers Pendant by Bob.Fornal )

Here is another of the standard four - the Victim - guardian of self-esteem.

"Other People's resources" are explicitly defined to include one's genetic heritage and any other form of inheritance (or not) that one might have.

I see one of the values of victim in this house as a way to have empathy with others.


House 9 - Spirituality


(Remix of Hand prints by Xipe Totec39 and berlin bar by julkastro)

And here in the house associated with spirituality is my 21st Century Shaman - hurray!

I see the 21st Century Shaman as a newly emerging archetype that consciously draws on all the energies of shaman throughout the ages and world-wide - finding a way to make these spirituality experiences available and relevant to the 21st century.

A good placement!



House 10 - Highest Potential

(Remix of Wishes to Buddha by Suviko and Chorten and Ama Dablam by Sam Judson)

This is my Well-Wisher - one who inspires distance healing. And this has come out as my highest potential!

Well-Wisher is not a standard archetype. I put it in because long ago I got a strong message that one of the things I would one day be able to do is wish for others. So far this has been translating into doing some distance healing. And just like wishes in fairy tales it has to be very specific - not just sending good thoughts but well identified energies.

I think all those coins that have missed the fountain show just how many goes its taking to get it right.



House 11 - Relationship to the World

(Remix of Pieces of Tibet by lecercle, Our World by MarkyBon, Leap by amortize, Astronomical Clock by simpologist. The bottom of the small images on the right is a mini-mix of these two:Say what... by djking, Bald Man Graffiti, Edinburgh by treefell also the topmost small image on the right is The Healer)

My Child turns up here - I'd decided that my most frequent child personality is the magical child though, naturally, I have other forms too.

The child is the guardian of Innocence and where does one need that more than in relation to the world as a whole!

Incidentally I love this dancer image - someone who is dancing to remove all the negativity!


House 12 - The Unconscious

(Remix of Street art | Tea ceremony (Sado, 茶道) by tochis and squared circle: compass rose by thomwatson)

And here is the last of the four "compulsory" archetypes - the Prostitute - Guardian of Faith.

I really do not like the name, Prostitute. And when I need to represent something whose name I don't like I look for a way to make it more beautiful so that I won't reject it.

I decided that the most beautiful form of prostitute image is that of geisha who are not as much prostitutes as all that (though selling one's virginity to the highest bidder and living off men does seem to me to put them in that category) but at least geisha have many talents that are related more to their role as entertainers and hostess than to pure sellers of sex.

Strangely though I do have a great deal of faith in my not conscious self... so this one fits too.

I've not done the "I am One's" for these cards yet. I'll add them to this blog whenever they do come up.

The Shaman & The Relaxation Teacher

4th Member of the Rainbow Council - The Shaman by Caroline
with a Creative Commons License that allows non-commercial use and further remixing provided all attributions are given and a similar license is given on new images.

Images used in this remix include from flickr with appropriate CC licenses:
Sunlight Under a Live Oak Tree by Old Shoe Woman
Regal Queen by laszlo-photo
Malachite Butterfly by rich66
Aspiring to Lucha Libre? by alumroot

I am One who is able to shift energy by shapeshifting.
In shadow, I am One who gets lost by shifting and forgetting I am me.
I am One who wants you to use shapeshifting to increase your strength, not deplete yourself.

For the sharp-eyed amongst you the above card has certain similarities with the Illustration Friday image I did for green in my other blog. That is a related but different card:



5th Member of the Rainbow Council - The Relaxation Teacher by Caroline using Corel Painter IX

Images used in this remix include from flickr with appropriate CC licenses:

Here Be Squirrels by Nyx
Fluorite octahedron by MShades
Regal Queen by laszlo-photo
morning glory by only alice
nuez (a tropical nut) pendant with malachite inlay by kafka4prez
Graphium sarpedon by melop

I am One who relaxes by shapeshifting into things without emotion, or different ones.
I am One who uses the energies of my companions to increase my ability to relax.
In shadow, I am one who is so relaxed I do nothing!
I am One who wants you to be moderate in your use of this power.

---

If you are wondering if I really think I am bird or a tree or something like that, no, I don't mean that.

But have you ever used a relaxation tape that suggests you become a tree?
That is what I mean.

I've found it really important to not become a tree alone but to intend to be both a woman and a tree (or whatever) and once done to actively intend to be just a woman. And in the case of being a tree - 30 seconds is enough!

Council: Mother of Transformation

Mother of Transformation by Caroline
with a Creative Commons License that allows non-commercial use and further remixing provided all attributions are given and a similar license is given on new images.

Image used in this remix include from flickr with an appropriate CC license:
Human Skull In Canyon De Chelly by Sublime Dharma
and a butterfly I took myself.

---

I noticed that the current challenge on KaleidoSoul Inner Surprises is to take inspiration from others. Rather than look through the yahoo group images again I went to soulcollage.com to see if the synchronicity of a reading would produce a useful starting point.

This is the reading I got:
Mother (Housewife), Success, Death, Achiever (click on the links to find out what the cards mean and who made them - these links are all to the soulcollage.com site)

The soulcollage.com site keeps on giving me death cards - I've had as many as three in a reading recently - at least I'm down to one here. I take all these death cards to show that I'm in a phase of rapid transformation. Currently I have one actual death card in my pack and also a couple of world event cards that can be interpreted that way (9/11 and Tsunami 2004).

As I was recording this reading I heard wings flapping against the window - I looked and saw a peacock butterfly that had just come in through the open door. My camera was handy so I took a photo of it then gently caught it and released it back outside. Looking at the butterfly's markings I saw that some looked a little like skulls - that inspired me to find an appropriate picture of a skull to use to emphasize this. All that seemed necessary apart from this was a black background - and then I realised that the card I've really been inspired by all through this is one that Imelda made last weekend - Going into the Deep.

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I am One's for Mother of Transformation

I am One who reminds you that all life is changing. Life is change. Life is transformation. Death is one of the processes of change that is part of life.

In shadow, I am one who clings to things as they are and is not ready for change, yet that does not stop change happening, it only makes the process less comfortable and more scary.

I am One who wants you to open your arms to change and accept the transformation that is coming your way.

The Healer & Review of Imedlda's workshop

7th Member of the Rainbow Council - The Healer by Caroline
with a Creative Commons License that allows non-commercial use and further remixing provided all attributions are given and a similar license is given on new images.

Images used in this remix include from flickr with appropriate CC licenses:

• Sea at Night by magnusvk
• A Red-spotted Purple by The Horned Jack Lizard

and, from the Hubble Telescope:

• Hubble Refines Distance to the Pleiades Star Cluster by NASA

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On Saturday I went to Imedla's SoulCollage® workshop in Letterkenny, Ireland. (GreenishLady and SoulFragments)

Imelda put on a wonderful workshop - I was very impressed with how she encouraged everyone to get into making cards so easily and also with the cards that everyone else present made. I loved the way Imelda encouraged us to start by choosing an image with which we then did an "I am..." statement as part of our introduction of ourselves to the group - this started the day as she meant it to continue and was very successful. I've never thought of doing this directly with an image without having made it into a card first.

Although I have made many, many cards this was my first experience of making them directly with scissors and glue, also my first experience of making them in a group. I have however used collage often in the past so the experience of using scissors and glue is not in itself new - it was however interesting to revisit it after so much digital work. At first I found myself frustrated by not being able to shrink my images and other limitations of not working digitally. But that was the only real difference for me about the mechanics of the process. What made the major difference for me was working in a group.

I made two cards, and, as these were from magazines I won't be posting them here. (I am too conscious of copyright.) What was only clear to me at the end of the workshop was just how much I'd been influenced, unconsciously, by the women on either side of me. I know that I am an empath and pick up things very easily. I feel that the cards I made, whilst being relevant to me, were also ones that resonated with my place in the circle. It also feels potentially like revealing other people's things to go into that more deeply; but for me the main message of the workshop was to increase my awareness of how I resonate with others.

The atmosphere whilst making the cards was that wonderful intense concentration that I've often loved in art classes - with everyone's creative juices flowing and very little chit chat.

In the afternoon we did a "gallery walk" around the cards which was too slow - that would be my only criticism of the day - it was truly at a snail's pace!

We then split into groups and did some "I am ones" about our cards, not always easy but interesting.

But it was only when we were back in our circle again and we each showed one of our newly made cards and said something about it that I realised how much what I had done reflected where I had been. As a normally solitary maker this was quite a revelation to me. If I were to belong to a group that made cards together I'd be sure to also make cards on my own too.

I felt that Imelda facilitated very well - she also provided an abundance of varied images to choose from and she allowed everyone to make their own cards at their own pace - I think some people made only one, whilst others made five or six.

The room we were working in was a wonderful space for such a workshop too - a very light airy room - so a great choice of venue.

Another great joy was to look through Imelda's lovely cards. Such a privilege!

So all in all an experience I greatly appreciated and enjoyed and one I'd recommend to anyone interested in starting, or continuing, SoulCollage®.