Soul of Compassion

Last night I attended a powerful "Muse Studio" with facilitator Alia Calendar. The theme of the evening was "Nature as a Force of Healing." Using soul collage techniques, we created art that spoke to the ways in which we felt nature can be healing. The above piece is one of the three cards I created last night. The woman in the piece is Kuan Yin, goddess of compassion and mercy.

After we created our pieces, we wrote in the voice of an aspect of one of our cards. It was a powerful exercise to enter the images in the card to understand the meanings. I had no idea that what I had created would have so much to teach me. Here is the voice of Kuan Yin as expressed through my freewriting:

I am the gentle soul who cares for all beings--
open heart, welcoming eyes, eternal.

I bring you inner peace, letting you know that,
like the earth, you are resilient.

I ask that you let go of the need to force change. The sun rises
each morning, doesn't it?

Hold the birds close to your chest, listen to the patterned
footsteps of the rabbit, watch the moon wax and wane.

Know that the first act of compassion
is compassion toward yourself.