17 Apr SoulCollage ® -The Council Suit
All the images in the “Spring” SoulCollage ® Card are Public Domain, Copyright-Free images from The Collage Chronicles™. Each edition is a collection of free to use images, symbolism, inspiration & more for all those SoulCollage® fans out there.[divider pre_color=”red” type=”solid” width=”100%” height=”1px” hex_color=””]
[info_bg pre_bg_color=”red” pre_text_color=”white” width=”100%” text_align=”left” hex_bg_color=”” hex_text_color=””]SoulCollage ® is a fun and creative process for self-discovery. By creating and intuitively analyzing a personal deck of collaged cards, SoulCollage ® participants, “SoulCollagers” can come to know and accept themselves at a deeper level.
All of you is worthy and worth knowing better. ™[/info_bg]
“You are made up of many individual experiences, energies, and unique qualities. Your experiences have created who you are, and each is a piece of the mosaic of your life… All mosaics need color, shadow, shapes, and different textures to create the masterpiece… To get the full value of your personal mosaic, study a piece at a time and then step back and see the value of each piece to the whole.” ~ Charlene Tosi, “Discover Your Woman Within: Journey to Wholeness“
SoulCollage ® Cards are made by tearing or clipping images (often from magazines) and then combining them into a collaged card. Most SoulCollage ® decks consists of four “suits”:
- The Committee Suit is made up of cards that represent aspects of our own personality and life experiences.
- The Community Suit cards represent friends, family, pets, figures, and even very special places that are influential in our lives.
- The Companion Suit consists of the one card per major Chakra that is partnered with a specific animal “companion” through guided meditation.
- The Council Suit is made up of cards representing archetypal energies that are significant in our personal journey.
While, Committee and Council cards are often made quickly and intuitively, Community and Companion cards are generally created intentionally.
SoulCollage ® Spring Card by JJ Creates
Committee versus Council SoulCollage ® Cards
[info_border pre_border_color=”red” width=”100%” text_align=”left” hex_border_color=”” hex_text_color=””]“One person recently asked me to clarify the distinctions between the suits, and particularly the difference between the Committee and the Council. You’ll have to read the book for the basics on the suits, but, for those who have read it, I agree that there is often an overlap in these two suits, and some cards may include images for both. There could be an image for an inner self part, like the inner artist, as well as the archetype that grabs and directs that part, like the Creator. There can be, perhaps, a sense of the hidden and mysterious force of the archetypal Creator present, even if not explicit or developed. A Council card actually created for the archetypal Creator will be more mysterious, the images more mythic or symbolic. There will be a sense of necessity and passion emanating from a cosmic, eternal, and unavoidable energy. Often a person does not know when they are creating a Council card; it simply has to be made. Thinking about it comes later. Usually with Committee cards we are more clear of who it is we are depicting. Some Council cards might have an image for the inner self (Committee) on it as well as the archetype. For example a Warrior card might have on it an image for the ‘political activist self’ who is grabbed by and driven by the passion of the Warrior archetype. The Council member image might be standing behind the Committee member image as if sending it out into the world to do its bidding.” ~ Seena Frost [/info_border]
What is an “Archetypal Energy”
“The inner guides are archetypes that have been with us since the dawn of time. We see them reflected in recurring images in art, literature, myth, and religion; and we know they are archetypal because they are found everywhere, in all times and places.” Carol S. Pearson, Awakening the Heroes Within: Twelve Archetypes to Help Us Find Ourselves and Transform Our World
Seena Frost, creator of SoulCollage ®, describes Archetypes as, “the invisible guides, challengers, creators, and destroyers, known across time and cultures by many names, yet being somehow universally in the collective unconscious of the human race.”
Archetypes are recurring patterns that occur in mythology, religion, cultures and stories across time and geography. They hold universal meaning and common human experiences. They can evoke unconscious choices in our lives. They can help us understand and connect through their common characteristics. They are generally understood across all communities and times.
When used in personal growth work and interpersonal development, archetypes can be used as guides on our life journey. Each archetype holds its own golden and shadow characteristics. Most have historical imagery, symbols and colors associated with them. Some even have special places, essential oils or songs they are connected with. How we view and act in our world is often directed by what archetypal energy is dominating our thoughts and decisions. Being able to connect with our archetypes through our SoulCollage® Council Suit can help us come to understand our motivations and help us find balance and inner peace.
Gallery of Example Archetypes
List of Example Council Suit Cards in SoulCollage ®
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- Sun
- Moon
- Shadow
- Seasons
- Harvest
- Death
- Sickness
- Birth
- Renewal
- Water
- Sea
- River
- Whirlpool
- Garden
- Tree
- Threshold
- Underworld
- Caves
- Tunnels
- Islands
- Desert
[/col_3][col_3]
- Fire
- Sphere
- Egg
- Yin-yang
- Path
- Journey
- Task
- Fall
- Battle
- Sleep
- Rebirth
- Aging
- Hero
- Loner
- Outcast
- Innocent
- Mother
- Father
- Grandmother
- Child
[/col_3][col_3]
- Adolescent
- Infant
- Warrior
- Magician
- Protector
- Healer
- Crone
- Sage
- Witch
- Sovereign
- Fool
- Serpent
- Orge
- Virgin
- Temptress
- Bully
- Leper
- Guide
- Destroyer
- Lover
- Creator
[/col_3][/row]
Links to other interesting lists of archetypes:
- 99 Archetypes and Stock Characters Screenwriters Can Mold
- The Ultimate List of Archetypes (Over 325)
- Caroline Myss Archetype Gallery
JJ Creates SoulCollage® Council Suit
Making SoulCollage® Council Cards
There are two types of SoulCollage® cards, those that you approach and create with a purpose to represent a predetermined aspect and those that you make with no pre-planning – allowing the images to come to you and the card to manifest from your intuition and unconsciousness.
Intentional: Making cards intentionally means consciously choosing what the card will represent. Creating a card intentionally would mean choosing to make a card that held a specific aspect and finding the specific images you want to use in the card. Community Cards, like a card for your childhood pet and Council Cards, like a card for “Birth” are most often created intentionally.
Intuitive: When you simply shift through your gathered images and find a handful that you are drawn to in the moment and then use those images to make a card, you are making that care intuitively. Council cards can be made intuitively as well. They often identify themselves as “I am the one who is The Creator” versus “I am the one who is your Creator” which can be helpful in identifying an intuitive card as a Council Card.
Want to dive deeper into SoulCollage® and all the Suits in your deck? My Intro to SoulCollage® course offers a comprehensive introduction with step by step instructions, easy to use resources, and gentle & nurturing guidance so you can begin or further your SoulCollage® right from home today.
Continue to Explore Archetypes for your SoulCollage® Cards: