self discovery

Opening New Channels of Awareness through Art Journaling

Posted by Barbara Techel
Opening New Channels of Awareness through Art Journaling
My first art journal page

My friend and fellow blogger, Lori, with her great post on Finding a New Creative Outlet and Finding Your Passion After 50 reminded me I wanted to share my new creative adventure with you.

While I believe what Lori shared in that trying something creative may help guide us to our passion, I also believe creativity opens channels of awareness and can bring about a new perspective we’d not have considered. If that leads to a purpose, that is wonderful. But if it also helps us to pause and learn more about ourselves for the sake of gaining strength in who we are, or wish to be, then how cool is this?

I really can’t explain it, but about two months ago I felt this calling to play with art journaling. It began when I came across something called blackout poetry.

I love words and the first time I tried blackout poetry I was surprised what came from it. It definitely was a way in which to put words and sentences together I’d not thought to do. I also believe what I wrote was speaking to a part of myself that had insight to offer. This is when the idea of art journaling entered the picture as I wanted to combine what I’d written through blackout poetry with collage, which led to opening to the idea of art journaling.

I also like the idea of art journaling, because it oftentimes combines collage with other mixed media such as paint, paper, stencils, you name it, it can be put on an art journal page. I enjoy putting different images together, which often speak to the subconscious parts of myself. This is something I stumbled upon during a time of seeking and then felt called to become trained in a process called SoulCollage® in 2014. Collaging on 5 x 8 cards, my SoulCollage® cards have definitely helped me along my life’s path, often serving as an insightful guide as I’ve worked through different transitional times in my life. My love of using oracle cards as a self-discovery tool, no doubt plays a part in this also.

So many of us sense life in a visual way and art journaling, SoulCollage®, oracle cards, etc. can guide us to see our stories in motion and how it is playing out, and how we can best move forward when we are feeling challenged or stuck. And it helps to strengthen our intuition muscle.

Combining my love of all of this and writing too, well, art journaling feels like a natural fit for me right now. It’s helping me step out of my comfort zone in working with paints, inks, etc. When I made this first page I’m sharing with you today, it was two hours later, and a half hour past Gidget’s dinner time, that I hadn’t even realized how much time had gone by. I was in another world and my soul was full of abundance! And luckily, Gidget forgave me for her late supper.  🙂

The quote that came through the blackout poetry I wrote is meaningful for me as it speaks of letting Spirit do its work through me, but in partnership with, so that I may remember the importance of inner work as necessary to free my heart when I feel fear or overwhelmed, and expressing it, whether through my writing or some other creative outlet such as art journaling.

Do you do art journaling? If so, I’d love to hear about resources that have inspired you, or if you wish to share a page from your art journal, I’d love to see it. I’ve been addicted to watching videos on others doing the process of art journaling also – so meditative!

Here’s to creativity for opening us in beautiful ways,

XO

Barbara

Kangaroo’s Poignant Message about Guilt We Feel with Our Pets

Posted by Barbara Techel
 
Recently I talked with someone who was struggling with the guilt of having to put their pet to sleep. Then just this morning, I talked with someone whose older pet just had surgery for a ruptured disk in her neck. And the difficulty is that the pet owner needs to go away for a week in the next few days and the guilt has him full of worry.
 
Guilt can be such a tricky thing and can weigh on us like a ton of bricks. I completely understand this having been through it so often myself in various ways with my own pets.
 
After talking with my friend whose pet is coming home today, but then he must leave out of town soon, I’m happy to say I was able to provide him some comfort and be a reflection for him that he has covered all bases in making sure his dog will be in the best care while he is away.
 
After I got off the call I kept thinking about this more and wondering why it is we have such a difficult time with feeling guilty.
 
So I decided to turn to the Power Animal Wisdom Oracle card deck, as I often do, when I ponder my own challenging questions. It’s my hope that by sharing this and what the card that revealed itself had to say that it will help others facing this feeling of guilt that can oftentimes consume us.
 
So I asked this question: What do pet owners need to know about feeling guilty? The card I got was Kangaroo, which is about gratitude and being grateful for all you are blessed with.
 
Reading into this message further, thinking about my friend feeling guilty for having to leave his dog after surgery, Kangaroo confirms that gratitude, not guilt, will help us to ease our worries, which more than often those worries never come true.
 
Kangaroo reminds my friend how blessed he is to have someone he trusts, who his dog has stayed with many times before, and who has taken care of dogs before after surgery, and who will be looking after his dog. How blessed he is to have this person in his life.
 
Regarding having to put a pet to sleep – one of the most difficult, heartbreaking decisions we face when having a pet, is that we will likely have to say goodbye to them for their time here on earth is so much shorter than our own.
 
Kangaroo’s message of gratitude is so fitting for this because she is reminding us how very blessed we were to have had that love and joy in our life from out pets. We can’t have one without the other. This is the reality of loving a pet.
 
I truly believe with every fiber of my being, and the many teachings I’ve received from my own pets, that our animal friends don’t want us to carry this heavy burden of guilt. As I shared with my friend today, and something I’ve come to understand, is that he can still connect with his dog even when he will be away from her.
 
I shared with him that he just needs to talk to her in his mind, and she will feel that connection and love. She already knows he loves her and she does not want him to feel guilty.
 
Guilt causes worry and worry won’t change anything. And we worry because it feels like then we are in control and if we are control we feel like it assures us of a desired outcome. The reality though is that we aren’t in control. But we can be grateful for all that we are blessed with and give thanks for that -that is a choice that we always have.
 
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Trapped Inside My Writing Cottage

Posted by Barbara Techel

Trapped Inside My Writing Cottage

This is new.

This darling little fellow.

Who just recently started to sit upon the birch tree branch I have outside my half-moon window of my writing cottage.

He caught my eye as I was doing my yoga practice this morning.

Sitting there so content and might I add, so dang cute!

And he sat, and sat and sat.

So unusual for a hummingbird to sit so long.

It had me reflecting on how Hummingbird has shown up quite often lately in my animal wisdom oracle card readings.

And just two days ago listening live on Facebook as life coach, Cheryl Richardson shared the news of Louise Hay, founder of Hay House Publishing, who passed away at the age of 90 on the very same day that Dr. Wayne Dyer passed away two years ago. As Cheryl talked about Louise and her dedication to helping people heal, a hummingbird landed right outside her window…

and it just sat, and sat, and sat as Cheryl talked so lovingly about Louise.

And this is the thing…life is truly magical. Hummingbird showing up just then as Cheryl talked about Louise reminding us that joy is our birthright…

in life… and in transition.

And while the title of this post is ‘trapped inside my writing cottage’ because when I wanted to walk back in the house after my yoga practice, this little fellow had returned again to sit upon the birch branch.

And he sat, and sat and sat.

His message to me that life is to be savored and enjoyed. That there is no need to rush, but to take in all the joy that abounds.

And so I waited, and waited and waited until he decided it was ready to move on with the day. And then I too opened the door and made my way into the house.

And taking with me the lesson that I am only trapped when I make that choice. But when we make the choice to pause and capture what is right in front of us that the real magic happens and with it comes so much joy.

So much joy.

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