David and I decided to choose just a couple of areas which could be cleaned out ~ I am notorious for getting inspired by a project and going all out with it.  David’s wisdom (and previous experience) tempered that for me and we only worked on a selection of areas.  We had to do all the tops of the wardrobes because we needed all the space to put things back.  We have almost no storage area in our house as we are built on a concrete slab and have cathedral ceilings.

A few hours later, toys and games and junk were strewn across the loungeroom floor.  I called a family meeting and everyone was instructed to vote Yes or No about keeping different things in the piles.  Mostly we cleaned out old board games and jigsaws.  The kids were fantastic remembering their ’special’ keepsakes which had all been stashed into one or two boxes together and therefore beyond my memory of which thing belonged to whom.

After time off for lunch, David, Kels and I popped out to buy 6 large plastic tubs with lids and came home to pack up the ’goodies’ we had decided to keep.  Now they are sitting neatly in the tops of the wardrobes, safe and tidy.  We have 2 large garbage bags of rubbish to throw out and a few tubs of keepsakes for the kids to take with them when they start their ‘independent’ lives.  All in all, a job well done.

But, most importantly, the energy in those areas is Clean and Crisp and Energised.  It’s just like putting the crystals outside for a Full Moon Energy Bath … they come back in sparkling with health and wellbeing.  Now our ‘dark’ corners of the house are experiencing the same thing.  And, WE are feeling better, too!

Norma spent some time explaining the process, after we’d done a meditation to ‘get in the groove’, then we each chose a magazine picture from a huge stash spread out on her table.  We were to choose one which ‘called’ to us ~ in a positive or a negative way.  Then we had to look at the image, imagine ourselves inside the image and answer the question “I am the one who …”.  Wow!

It’s a bit tricky until you get comfortable with the process but once you are there it’s like asking your own Soul for answers to all your questions.  Definitely working from the Heart Space and hugely authentic!

Basically, the card making process involves collecting images from magazines or the internet, or wherever, and cutting them out to make a collage on a card 5″x8″ in size.  I started with a main image each time I began a new card  then fossicked in my stash of images for others which ‘called’ to me.  And they do ‘call’.  The image and the energy of the card really develops a ‘voice’ and that voice tells you which images to include and whether you are finished with the creation. 

Once the card is made, you go through a question and answer session, asking the card (your Soul) and receiving answers from the card (your Soul) about whatever you need to know from that card.  We did a partner exercise asking these questions and it was profound.  It was like going through a journey where I connected with the card, was given gifts from the card, then knowledge, then acceptance.  I learned about Nurturing Myself by listening to my Heart.  It was incredibly Empowering.

And, boy!  Norma knows how to nurture us!!!  We had lots of time to make our cards, with lovely morning tea provided to sustain us ~ SoulCollage uses a LOT of energy ~ then we had lunch of vegatarian food cooked and prepared with LOVE (we even had champagne flutes as our water glasses!!), followed by dessert delivered to us while we went back to card making.    The scrumptious dessert was served in a teacup!!!  Ooh La La!  Then, to top it all off ~ and for a bit of a reward (I think of it like that because we had to work really hard right before afternoon tea) we had cake!

We finished the day with asking a question and taking one of Norma’s cards to find the answer.  After quite an emotional partner exercise, I chose to ask an upbeat question ~ How Grand Am I?  Decided I was a bit cocky for doing it, but then decided ‘who cares?’   I Was Blown Away.  Did you know that my Soul told me that I am GRAND IN ALL WAYS?!

Visit Norma’s website and check out SoulCollage (make sure you check out her Gallery, too).  You will Be Inspired!

My recent stamping projects are very reflective of this process.  I have used up a lot of my stash of cards, in recent times, and noticed that, apart from birthday cards, the category in my stash which was most depleted was the ‘miscellaneous’ selection.  They’re the cards I use to Say Hello … or Thank You … or to Acknowledge a Friend.  The next MOTHER EARTH DREAMING workshop is all about Sacred Space and Norma and I will be sharing tips and processes for Decluttering.  As is the way when I am planning a workshop, the process is one which I seem to have to actually participate in, too.  Very appropriate at the moment because I have heaps of stuff in my Stampin’ Stash which really needs to be used up ~ so there is plenty of space for the NEW product available in the Autumn Winter Mini Catalog arriving in April!

I decided to create a bunch of ‘Pot Luck’ cards.  I call them ‘Pot Luck’ because I thought if I was offering a workshop for this project we would use whatever Designer Series Paper was in my stash, regardless of whether it was old or current product.  I chose a layout I liked, the stamp set which coordinated with the paper and Voila!  8 cards, 4 different sentiments, 2 colour combos.  Instant supply of Friendship Cards!

The Cleansing part of life involves sifting through ’stuff’ – physical and emotional – and working out which things need to be ‘decluttered’, which need to be ‘deleted’ (like all the old posts on Joy Express, or all the scrappy bits of paper and cardstock in my Stampin’ Stash), and which can be ‘recycled’ into something purposeful (like new cards from old product, or new ways of seeing old situations).

I LOVE Decluttering!  I’ve decluttered some ’symbolic’ things, this week; things which represent emotional baggage – Very Empowering!  In fact, at lunch yesterday, I gave Lovely Bernie an Archangel Oracle Cards Deck and suggested the ladies all took a card for themselves as the first part of readings over our meal.  My card was “Take Back Your Power” – Woo Hoo!  A timely reminder!  After a while, clutter builds up, in the craft room especially, and I find myself less able to think clearly.  So, a DECLUTTER is called for and, after a flurry of activity, peace and harmony reign supreme … and clear thoughts present themselves again.

Clear space and cleansed energy is the recipe for NEW ideas.  They formulate like seeds germinating in rich soil … they inspire a journey into new areas.  I really, really enJOYed creating one of the projects from UStamp With Love 2010 that I was inspired by at the time, but hadn’t made ~ a Designer Series Paper Card Holder and Matching Note Cards by Jenn Picard.  The process was new and challenging and thought provoking and a little bit complex but also very simple.  The outcome was FANTASTIC!  And, I think I have Fallen in Love all over again with the Pink Flamingo DSP from Stampin’ Up!

The same energy is going into my Angel Business.  This week, a flyer came from my local printing business and I am formulating new business cards.  I have decided to incorporate Fundraising for Charity into my events, to Give Back to Mother Earth and support the Environment and the Animals.  I have 3 one day workshops planned, with fabulous co-facilitators, to take place during the next 6 months, and meetings have been arranged so we can organise content and processes.  I have a wish list of Events to Attend ~ other people’s workshops which interest me and will allow me to access a whole lot of new information and concepts.  And, I have tentative dates for “Michelle Time”  which involve time out, nurturing & pampering sessions, and TRAVEL!

Cleansing and Clearing are a necessary part of Good Health and WellBeing.  They are a constant process … just when you get comfortable with the harmonious space, the cleansing and clearing process seems to need doing again.  I do think that comes from being a craft indulgent person.  LOL.  So, I put on some Fabulous Music, grab my Feather Duster, and dance through the cleansing/clearing/decluttering process ~ knowing I am actively working on Being JOYful!

My Week of Angels has been fabulous ~ as always.   

Lunch was lovely, gentle, inspiring and uplifting.  All of us had great readings, both those we received and those we gave.  And, our meals were Superb!    We are so Blessed to have such a fabulous venue in our local area and I am thrilled that we can support the Eltham Glasshouse, in return.

The key message of my reading, from lunch, is that I am over the worst of the grieving process.  YAY!  It’s amazing just how a little message like that can give you Hope.  I shared with the ladies that a couple of us were grieving, therefore totally not responsible for any outbursts of tears – LOL – should they appear at inopportune moments throughout lunch.  Lots of the messages which came through for all of us, time and again, involved “Divine Magic” and “Positive Energy” and “Worthiness”. 

In the ‘old’ days, before I had folks who are interested in what I am interested in, in my life, I use to struggle so much with being positive and happy, and self worth?  What was that?  Now, I can hang out with like-minded people who are happy to spend time talking about Angels and sharing messages of Love and Hope and JOY.  We really are all Blessed.  It’s so comforting to know that there are a bunch of us out there who think alike!  Each month, when we have Angel Lunch, it’s like meeting a whole lot of new friends, and reconnecting with a whole lot of old friends.  Ahh, Bliss.

So, following on from the messages I received at lunch, I have really started planning my next 6 months of events.  I am very excited!  The first ‘change’ I am incorporating into my schedule is Donations to Charity.  My charity for this period is the World Wildlife Fund.  I was So Excited to be able to send off a donation this week, for over $60!  Woo Hoo!  That money was raised from the Sale of my Handmade Cards (check out the Gallery to see what I’ve been creating) and donations from the ladies at Angel Lunch.  Thank You!

I LOVE what I do!  And, I do what I LOVE!  Woo Hoo!

How often have you done something which would have been considered a ‘poor choice’ by those around you, and then been ‘reprimanded’ or ‘humiliated’ for it?  I have had that experience many times.  In fact, after another bout of ’soul searching’ with David over the weekend, I realised that so much of my grieving process involves reliving exactly those kinds of experiences.

One of the things I have really been struggling with since Dad died is the revisiting of the life we had before leaving to live overseas … David and I moved when we were pregnant with Daniel, to the US, for a 3 year contract.  It was only after we left Australia that I realised how toxic life was for me, living caught up in a dysfunctional family.  Now, it’s like I am stuck in an eddying back water, reliving all the issues I have faced since coming into this world.  Jan summed up my experiences when she shared her feelings that the little girl with the ‘broken’ icecream was verbally and emotionally abused.

These days, Angels are such a part of my life that I don’t always realise how much I talk with them and rely on them.  In fact, I recall someone telling me that they always ask the Angels for help, talk to them everyday, and make time to be with them … I was so blown away because I thought I didn’t do any of that, to that degree.  I laughed when I realised that I do all of that, too, but it’s so much a part of who I am and what I do that I don’t have to consciously make “Angel Time” a priority each day.

When I pass a broken-down car on the side of the road, I always ask the Angels to assist.  When I am sitting huddled in the corner of my bedroom, grieving, I ask the Angels to be with me.  When my kids are out and about, especially when they are away from me, I ask the Angels to keep them safe.  Angels allow me to exist in a space where I firmly believe, and accept, that I can Be All That I Can Be … the times I doubt that, those times when my early conditioning and treatment are having the highest impact on me, are the times when I forget to connect with Angel Energy and Love.  Those are very sad times.  I am So Glad that my ‘career’ path involves living and working with Angels because the ‘other’ part of my life, the grieving part, really sucks.

Today, make a point of asking the Angels to help with whatever you are doing.  Remember to connect with your Source of Unconditional Love and Share the JOY with whomever you meet. 

Thanks for the reminder, Jan!

I copied this cute card from the Summer Mini Catalog – Gosh, there are so many great ideas in our catalogs!  I confess to this design ‘doing my head in’, a bit, to start with but I love the end result.  I sent it off to Lovely Jenny who has just signed her first Stampin’ Recruit.  YAY! 

There are lots of things I love about Stampin’ Up!  One which fits really well with attending Angel Lunch, today, is the fabulous energy which ‘pops’ out of the box when I open product I’ve ordered.  I find a HUGE SMILE crossing my face whenever a box arrives from Stampin’ Up!  Being ‘energy sensitive’, I LOVE finding Great Energy to bask in.  It’s really obvious when I receive mail from someone in an emotionally tumultuous state – the mail carries it through to me.  That’s why my cards are always given or posted with Great Deliberation … so only positive and loving energy is attached.

Another thing I love about Stampin’ Up! is the Statement of the Heart:

To Love what we do and Share what we love,

as we help others enjoy creativity and worthwhile accomplishments …

in this we make a difference!

Isn’t that fabulous?!

While I don’t ‘teach’ others about Stamping, I do “Love what we do” and I do “Share what we love” … in the making of my cards, and in the giving of them, too.   I also apply this Statement of the Heart to my Angel world:

To LOVE what I do and Share what I LOVE,

as we Share the Warmth and Strength of Journeys Travelled

Hand in Hand.

Cool, huh?

Living Your Passion involves LOVING what you do; Doing Something which Makes Your Heart Sing.  It’s what comes through Stampin’ Up!  It’s what I share when I “Talk Angels”.  I am Living My Passion.

I love surfing ‘Angel Space’.  Playing with Oracle Cards, talking with others who like playing with Oracle Cards, hanging out in that metaphysical energy which allows me to see that there really is a grander scheme than I can see on a day to day basis, in place.

And, every so often, we have a visual reminder that Angels are with us, all the time.

I think I am going to make it a policy to get the camera out, ask for the Angels to ‘Be Available’, and take photos of a room.  Imagine being inundated with Angel Beings - like in the photo!

~  Read.

~  Stamp (I finished as AWESOME project from the last UStamp session).

~  Visit the Markets and have Breakfast Out with David.

~  Distract the kids with Chores!

~ Be Happy.

I opened emails, this morning, to find a bunch of Lovely Expressions of Friendship … the very cute poem, above; an offer of a chat via skype; a confirmation that I’ve done what was right for ME (from yesterday’s post); and the gift of knowing a friend has now connected with Honouring Herself, too (it’s been a bit of a process – like mine, really. LOL).

Because it’s early in the morning and I haven’t quite got into ‘Speed Thinking’ ~ I still have most of a cup of coffee to drink ~ I ‘caught’ the message: when I Slow Down, or “Stop to Smell the Roses”, lots of lovely things are taking place around me … All the Time.

It’s really easy to focus on the hard or sad or stressful things; I guess that’s ’cause they make life seem as if it’s slowed down, or that nothing else exists because those emotions are all consuming.  It’s really easy to focus on the happy or inspired things, too.  Although, in my case, I do find the pace increases when I am passionate about something, rather than slowly down.  Either way, life in my world/head goes at an incredibly fast pace and I’ve noticed that I get so caught up that I tend to gloss over things which really need a little more attention.

My “Roses” this week revolve mostly around my family … the first Rose I have ‘Stopped to Smell’ is …

Josh has finally been given the all clear on his arm and doesn’t have to wear the brace any more!  Woo Hoo! 

After breaking his arm on October 13, yesterday his surgeon said Josh could pretty much go back to Life as Usual, except for any sports which might involve unexpected falls.  YAY!  So, David and I are off to Juggleart today to buy balloons for Josh so he can get back to speed on his balloon creatures.  Yippee!

My other Beautiful Roses in the “Bouquet” are …

Daniel is buying a car today and is Very Happy.  We are Very Relieved that he will be Happily Independent.

Kels is just like a perfect Rose in Bloom, all the time.  She is great company, compassionate and supportive, and Very Excited about camp next week.  She reminds me to SMILE.

David is my rock, and my shadow.  Without him, I would be adrift.  And, being my shadow/support person is a lot like being stuck out at sea in a ferocious storm – it’s always tumultuous.  But, he is always there with me. 

A Dear Friend rang me, yesterday, to thank me for her birthday card and to share that her journey overseas had been postponed.  We have known each other for a few years now, after meeting for an Angel Reading – she was my first ever paying client.  And, we are So Alike.  When we talk, we speak the same language.  We totally ‘get’ each other.  It’s always a JOY to share phone time or a meal.

All these events and occurrences are like Long Stemmed Roses and they sit in my Virtual Vase, in the middle of the craft room.  I ’see’ them as beautiful blooms and magickal gifts; the petals are overlayed with the faces of my family and friends.  I am Blessed.

To Celebrate my “Bouquet” and the Month of FUN, hang out with Kool and the Gang.  It will get your feet tapping and bring a Smile to your face.   EnJOY!

Honouring ME is something I am not very practised at.  It’s not something I learned in those formative years of my life, nor do I see that particular behaviour modelled by people around me.  As a result, I am muddling through with the learning process.  This time, it took Me talking to me while I was talking to a dear friend ~ very convoluted, but effective. 

At first I expected that all the tears would magically dry up because the stresses of what my ‘head’ thought I should do compared with what my ‘heart’ knew I should do were eased.  Humpf!  That lasted all of a few hours.  I still woke up and wandered through my day with tears very close to the surface.  Then … I was gifted with a Day On My Own.  This is a Really Big Thing in my world, at the moment.  David is working from home so my old routine of many hours to myself has changed to a new routine of very few hours to myself.

The Gift of Space (energetically and physically) allowed me to find my centre again.  It allowed me to tune in to what makes my heart sing.  It allowed me to Acknowledge my grieving status but to also Celebrate What I Love.  It allowed me time and space to remember that I have Lovely Friends in my life and they are all needing,  or deserving, acknowledgement.  After all, I should be Really Aware of this because it’s exactly what I want!

My “Grieving Therapy” of stamping has provided me with a lovely stash of cards and I have posted 2 birthday cards this week, and 5 ‘Acknowledgement’ cards.  Congratulations Acknowledgement for my Stampin’ Sister Jenny’s New Recruit; Divine Being Acknowledgement for a Dear Angel Friend; Reconnecting Acknowledgement for a Special Friend who is also grieving and going to come to Angel Lunch, next week; Thank You Acknowledgement to Friends who gave me flowers; and Acknowledgement to my Dear Friend who is finding Life very demanding.

For Me, it’s very important to Acknowledge Life.  These people want to Feel Special and Unique and Valued.  Don’t we all?  I receive Great JOY when I send a handmade card.  I receive Great JOY when I make a card from out of my head, or copy it from the SU! catalog, or copy it from an Inspired Stamping Blogger.  I post my card with LOVE ~ Love Energy goes into the making, into the presentation, into decorating the envelope, into how I drop it into the mail box.  I imagine it flying away to my Friends, with Angels Wings.

I realise that this process is a form of Ceremony.  I am realising the importance of Closure and Peace and Acknowledgement and Nurture and Sharing the JOY … for me, for my Friends, for Dad.  My Dad died.  I am sad.  It is time for the Ceremony of Acknowledgement and Closure. 

And then, it is time for the Ceremony for ME ~ the Acknowledgement of My Journey; the Acknowledgement of My Grief; and the Acknowledgement of My Healing.

It’s a Journey.  It’s My Journey.  And I am making the rules.