SoulCollage® Community Suit: Karen Maezen Miller Sensei

 

I am one who shows you your life as it is. I introduced you to Zen Buddhism and the "cushion of kindness." I share wisdom so you can be the mother you are, and I invited you to see your life as a spiritual practice. I am one who teaches and learns. I am your dharma mother.

What is your gift or message for me?

Buddhists are imperfect, and awakening is a process that requires practice.

What do you want me to do?

Make the commitment to put the practice on the cushion at the front and center of your life.

Why did you show up today?

To keep you company.

If you have a shadow, what would it be? Or, what light do you offer?

The shadow is deluding yourself that you are practicing simply because you know me.

SoulCollage® Community Suit: Hazy Moon Zen Center

I am one who represents an intention. I am one who calls you from a distance to practice zazen. I am the home of your teachers, Maezen, Nyogen, Maezumi, and Buddha.

What is your gift or message for me?

The purity and integrity of Zen teachings flows through established lineages. At Hazy Moon we are not playing at being Buddhists.

What do you want me to do?

Don't pretend. Take the steps in your practice as you are able. Come to us when you can. Becoming officially Buddhist isn't as important as becoming, through practice, a Buddha.

Why did you show up today?

To honor the path you find yourself following.

If you have a shadow, what would it be? Or, what light do you offer?

The shadow is being pre-occupied with the idea of legitimacy and in judging other centers as not real or good enough.

SoulCollage® Community Suit: Green River Trail

I am one who gave you hope. I am one who sheltered your dreams and nurtured them. I am one who gave you space to play and begin making art. I was the ground in which your love with Alex was planted. I am one where the homemaker in you came alive and was given expression. I am one you left for new adventure but remain rooted in your heart.

What is your gift or message for me?

You asked, and you received.

What do you want me to do?

Remember me fondly.

Why did you show up today?

Because you are honoring your community, and I am part of that.

If you have a shadow, what would it be? Or, what light do you offer?

The shadow is pining for the past.

SoulCollage® Community Suit: Fremont Street

 

I am one who welcomed you to California. I am cozy and small and taught you to downsize your life. I witnessed your creative flow with making art and knitting. I was the chapel for your wedding. I am one who held you through two miscarriages and the third successful conception. I taught you the beauty of light and gave you a garden to play in.

What is your gift or message for me?

I was rejected by you at first glance, but I turned out to be exactly what you needed.

What do you want me to do?

Remember to look more closely at what you are tempted to dismiss.

Why did you show up today?

To make you smile.

If you have a shadow, what would it be? Or, what light do you offer?

Light is always present.

SoulCollage® Community Suit: Diane Marie Way

I am one whom you chose in the desperation of first-trimester exhaustion and nausea. I had four levels and 28 steps and was not ideal for a new family, but you bloomed within me nonetheless. I sheltered you through first steps and emerging teeth, through hundreds of hours of cuddling. Because I was a rental you had no fear of doing crafts and cooking with a toddler. I had a teeny backyard patio, and I was surrounded by pavement and traffic, yet you found ways to be outdoors. You thrived as a family here for three years, and many precious memories are entwined with me. 

What is your gift or message for me?

Ideal circumstances are not required for growth.

What do you want me to do?

Work with whatever is at hand.

Why did you show up today?

To give you a chance to have happy memories.

If you have a shadow, what would it be? Or, what light do you offer?

The shadow is allowing constraints and difficulties to be a reason to shut down.

SoulCollage® Community Suit: Books

 

I am one who finds companionship in books. I am one who is sustained by the worlds that words create. Books have been part of my life since birth. Books are friends.

What is your gift or message for me?

Keep reading and absorbing. There is vast treasure to discover. Relax, because you won't get to read all the books.

What do you want me to do?

Share community. Give books. Pass them on when you are done with them.

Why did you show up today?

To celebrate with you!

If you have a shadow, what would it be? Or, what light do you offer?

The shadow is hoarding books instead of introducing them to the wider community.

SoulCollage® Community Suit: My Sunshine

 

I am one who brings light to your life. I am one who sparks your creativity. I am one who lives as your heart outside of your boy. I prove that miracles happen. I am your teacher of surrender. I am your love and your life.

What is your gift or message for me?

You are the perfect mother for me, and together we will find the way.

What do you want me to do?

Pay attention. Remember that we are born every second, and love me with all your power and imperfection.

Why did you show up today?

Because I am a force that will not go unnoticed.

If you have a shadow, what would it be? Or, what light do you offer?

The shadow is inclination to control. The light is simply celebration of her.

SoulCollage® Community Suit: Catholic Roots

I am one who was your first faith community. I taught you the importance of ritual. I was your first introduction to death. I was the one who took you in, who showed you how not to be in your spiritual journey.

What is your gift or message for me?

To remind you that Jesus and the Catholic church are not synonymous, and that there can be truth in imperfection. Messengers are fallible, but that doesn't mean the message is worthless. 

What do you want me to do?

Appreciate the foundation I provided. Continue your journey exploring the connections between Christ's message and those of other spiritual paths. Go to mass once in awhile and participate in communion with me.

Why did you show up today?

Because you miss that part of yourself. You want to connect with the girl who believe and with the holiness of ritual.

If you have a shadow, what would it be? Or, what light do you offer?

The shadow is getting swept up thinking about the heinous crimes the church has committed and forgetting the original message Christ communicated. 

SoulCollage® Community Suit: Ed Shirley

 

I am one who teaches and loves the questions more than the answers. I love laughing and playing music. I am comfortable with uncertainty. I am one who understands that the teachings of Buddha and Christ are connected. I am one who unites with the Mystery and understands it is possible to miss people one has never known in this world. I am one who left incarnation suddenly and without warning, but I remain. I am one who recognized the hero savior's journey int he Harry Potter series, and taught the parallels between Potter and Christianity. I am one who is fearless about death: "After all, to the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure."

What is your gift or message for me?

Intangible treasures exist all around you, but you need to see with the eyes of a beginner.

What do you want me to do?

Remember me as a touchstone on your journey.

Why did you show up today?

Because you honor and remember me, and in doing so you do real good in the world. 

If you have a shadow, what would it be? Or, what light do you offer?

The shadow is intellectualizing the journey.

SoulCollage® Community Suit: Austin

I am one who beckoned you with home and possibilities. I provided opportunities for learning, suffering, growth, and love. I am one who made you courageous. I proved the quote you held precious -- that inspired you to more 1,800 miles sight unseen, with no job or residence arranged in advance -- was true. "Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth that ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur that would never otherwise have occurred." -- W. H. Murray

What is your gift or message for me?

You are powerful and brave.

What do you want me to do?

Keep taking leaps of faith.

Why did you show up today?

To congratulate you and celebrate you.

If you have a shadow, what would it be? Or, what light do you offer?

The shadow is clinging to the past in nostalgia.

SoulCollage® Community Suit: Alex

 

I am one who journeys with you. I am one who joins you in the quiet places. I find encounters with nature spiritual. I am one who glows with joy in the woods. I am one who is as steady, massive, and centered as a sequoia. I am an old soul. 

What is your gift or message for me?

Cherish the journey and the companionship.

What do you want me to do?

I want you to engage on the journey and do more than come along for the ride. Pay as much attention to the trip as you do to the destination.

Why did you show up today?

To say hello and warm you with a reminder of my presence.

If you have a shadow, what would it be? Or, what light do you offer?

The shadow is passive, stuck.

SoulCollage® Companion Suit: 7th Chakra - Crown - Eggs

 

I am one who exists before beginning. I am unhindered by the material world. I am one who is being, becoming, generation, and flow. I am formless and contained in all.

What is your gift or message for me?

Don't allow your senses to confine you. As you were in the beginning, you are in the end. 

What do you want me to do?

Bathe in connection.

Why did you show up today?

You are changing, and I emerged.

If you have a shadow, what would it be? Or, what light do you offer?

The shadow is intellectualization and disconnection from the unseen.

SoulCollage® Companion Suit: 6th Chakra - Third Eye - Owl

I am one who perceives using intuition. I am one who envisions that which is hidden. I sense movement and can detect it from a distance. I fly high enough to see from a broad perspective. I symbolize wisdom. 

What is your gift or message for me?

To open your third eye, be sure all other senses are in balance with their corresponding chakras.

What do you want me to do?

Recognize the difference between perceptions and data gathered by senses and intuitive knowledge. Keep listening and seeing through your energy. 

Why did you show up today?

To reinforce your progress. 

If you have a shadow, what would it be? Or, what light do you offer?

The shadow is elevating the third eye above all other chakras. They are all integral.

SoulCollage® Companion Suit: 5th Chakra - Throat - Humpback Whale

I am one who is social and thrives in community. I am one who dances to the rhythm of the moon and tides. I am one who dives deeply and lives in the Mystery. I am one who sings even if no one is listening. I am a Presence to be reckoned with. 

What is your gift or message for me?

You were given your body and mind to use, so use them. You have a right to voice your ideas and to sing. It may seem that no one is listening, but have faith in the joy of the act and that someone is benefitting.

What do you want me to do?

Develop, cultivate, nurture your communities. Listen to the wisdom of the rhythms in your life. Keep diving deep.

Why did you show up today?

Because you asked for a reminder to use your voice.

If you have a shadow, what would it be? Or, what light do you offer?

The shadow is an echo chamber, a closed loop.

SoulCollage® Companion Suit: 4th Chakra - Heart - Caterpillar Butterfly

 

I am one who begins life in one form, and through the miracle of metamorphosis, transforms into a radically different being. Although I am completely changed, I also remain the same. I enter life crawling and die flying. I unite the tangible and mystical. The symmetry of my form reflects the perfection of unconditional love. 

What is your gift or message for me?

Transformation is possible.

What do you want me to do?

Trust that life has a purpose, and trust the metamorphosis. 

Why did you show up today?

As a beacon during your process.

If you have a shadow, what would it be? Or, what light do you offer?

The shadow is intellectual or spiritual flightiness.