Divination, just in case you don't know, is the attempt to gain insight to a question or situation by way of a standardized process or ritual. It's from Latin "to foresee, to be inspired by Godde." There are many forms of divination out there, the key is finding one that *speaks* to you. My favorite (until now maybe) has been tarot cards. I love reading cards and Spirit flows freely through them. I've collected many decks over the years, some I could read from and some not; some I just had to have because the art was so spectacular. Maybe that's what drew me in about collage. It's given me a new way of using imagery to divine messages from Spirit and to gain insight to my subconscious.
From a scientific perspective but without delving too deeply into the numbers... With all of our vast knowledge and advances in medicine, we know so very little about the majority of our brain functions. We use our left brain 5% of the time (yes, for ALL those left brain activities!) and our right brain is processing the other 95% of stimuli. It's where our subconscious lives, plays, and constructs the experiences of our world. I think it's where our Godde Self resides. It's our intuition, that little voice or screaming insistence, that *knowing* that comes from out of nowhere.
The right brain is our animal brain. It's scanning the environment for all the sights and sounds useful for survival. It's responsible for vision, spacial sense, music, body senses, memory, the creative "yes" center and the area of inhibition or "no" center to balance us and keep us safe. The right brain speaks to us in images and it talks a lot. Unfortunately, in this society, we've trained ourselves to be dismissive of the right brain, giving more weight and value to the logical left. When we choose to pay attention to the right brain, it can, it will provide you with incredible insight into your personal landscape.
Enough of that, let's get on to the juicy, creative, right brain stuff!
Supplies - it's pretty much the same stuff used for the Magical Mystery Vision Boards. I like canvas board for this project instead of poster board but either one works. I also personally like filling in "white" space with paint. That's me; if you think you might, an assortment of craft paints and brushes are obviously helpful.
The process is pretty similar too but there are a few differences. I always begin pretty much everything with lighting some incense and finding the music that suits my mood. From there, get comfortable, ground and center yourself and find that place in the quiet where you feel the connection to, the oneness with everything. Ask yourself, "What do I need to know that would be most beneficial to me right now?" You may get an answer ... hear words, see images ... you may get nothing. It doesn't matter. The asking is what's important. Trust that the answer is coming.
Begin flipping through your magazines; do this very quickly so that you stay in your right brain. If you feel your left brain drawing you into an article or debating about whether or not you should use a particular image, sit back, close your eyes and connect with your right brain again. When an image strikes you rip it out and set it aside. Don't think this through. You're staying in your right brain. There is no right or wrong picture and you'll rip out more than you'll use in your collage. Honestly, I sometimes get carried away with this part. My inner artist devours the images like she's been starved of sustenance. (...she probably has. One of the many things I'm learning about myself on this journey.)
After a bit, you'll have a nice pile of pix to choose from. Sort through and begin to pull out the ones that seem the most important. It's okay to not know why or how they'll fit together, TRUST that it's part of this yummy process. Listen to your body, it will guide you to cut some a certain way or only a specific piece. In yesterday's collage, I was guided to cut a young boy from a group of children. Not so easy, but take your time and pay attention to how it feels.
The feeling is everything!
As you cut out the various images begin to lay them on your board. They will tell you where they want to be placed. Sometimes, even moving it a fraction of an inch feels better. Trust the feeling...it's your Self / intuition / sub-conscious / Spirit speaking to you. Begin gluing them in places as it feels right. Don't forget to step back from time to time to see how the next piece joins in. Will it overlap or does it feel better to go under?
Trust your instinct to guide you when it's finished as well. It isn't necessarily when everything is glued down, your space is covered, or you've used all of your images. Again, it will feel complete. Maybe there are chunks of white space; maybe it just feels full. Keep your attention on your body and how it feels and you'll know.
What does it all mean?
Step back, maybe even walk away or let yourself sleep on it before trying to interpret the meaning. You'll have some idea of what all or some of each picture represents. Don't be surprised though if there are some you cannot explain at all. As time passes, days or weeks even, the message will unfold for you.
When you're ready to read it you can generally think of the top of the collage is the Spirit axis - the un-manifest; the bottom is the Earth axis - the manifest. The middle is the focal point or what's most important in the collection. I also can see it being the Higher or Collective Consciousness (top), Consciousness (middle), and Subconsciousness (bottom). The left tends to indicate the past; the right, the future. There are also relationships between opposing diagonal corners (i.e. upper left/lower right). As always though, TRUST how you're being led. This is about you after all and there is no right or wrong way to read your inner landscape.
There will be a flow to the imagery...find the beginning and follow it outward. Pay attention to how images relate to each other. How do they under/overlap? How do they join together? What parts of the images are touching? What parts are hanging in open space? Is the figure looking at you or something else in particular? Is the figure facing you or does she have her back to you?
Not every image will have a significant meaning; it could have a supporting role in your landscape. As in life, it's part of what adds to the richness of the experience. Follow your intuition to what's most important. If you need to Google an item for help in understanding it's symbolic significance, by all means do so. Check several sites and compare what you find. I had to do that with Leopard - I had no clue and was stunned by my discovery. Again, because I can't say it enough, TRUST what you're feeling. You'll know when you're on target because it feels *good* ... that warm, fuzzy, love feeling.
Here's my collage from yesterday, I call it, The Power Within.
My second day assessment is that it speaks of cataclysmic events in my life, of resurrecting and healing childhood traumas, of the guidance and peace of Godde, and of reclaiming my power ... of remembering that it's been inside me all along. I'll let you know what develops.
I'd love to hear about your insights or see your collages. Please feel free to share or post links to the photo.
Namaste
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