How I ‘Read’ Messages on Character and Plot from My SoulCollage® Cards
An intuitive and imaginative way of creating for all kinds of writers
Part of the magic and mystery of SoulCollage® is card making. The other part is reading them, gleaning their messages for us. Messages about our characters, plot, and overall theme or tone of a story–what I call its soul.
In this post, I’ll cover reading individual cards and doing readings with multiple cards on topics such as character arcs, or plot complications.
But first, to catch up anyone new:
SoulCollage® is the brainchild of visionary art and Jungian psychotherapist, Seena B. Frost. She also has a Master of Divinity from Yale. The process of making collages to reveal and heal evolved out of her art therapy practice, infused with inspiration from Jean Houston.
It’s called SoulCollage® because our souls resonate with visual images. You might say it’s their love language. When we’re drawn to a particular image–photograph, natural vista, or work of art, our soul’s saying pay attention here.
We create cards by combining these images on paper, matt boards, or digitally in a program like Canva.com. Our cards have messages for us.
Getting those messages is our focus here.
Reading Individual Cards
After we make a card, we ‘read’ it.
Either to discern a message for ourselves personally or for our stories. Stories includes all narrative forms, short stories, novels, poetry, memoir, etc. Whatever it is we have to say.
Before reading cards, we may ground ourselves in preparation with a ritual, prayer, or process to release any extraneous energy and help us focus.
That being done, we spend some time gazing at our card with soft eyes. We look at each part of the image. And the image as a whole, letting our imaginations play full out. We notice any symbols or mythology that come to mind.
This is not the time to be logical or analytical. This is right-brain free-flowing time. As Seena reminds us in her book, SoulCollage® Evolving, this is an intuitive way of listening to the self….it is participation in the essence of an image.
Mentally step into the image and feel its mood, its intention. Imagine it has a history, and that it also has a voice. Begin to speak, or write using the words, I am the one who…and finish that thought. Keep going if you’re flowing, or come back to I am the one who…at any time.
Your reading can be as short or long as feels right to you. If you’re working with another person, you can speak out loud and have them record your words. Some keep a special journal for this. If alone, speak out loud or write, your choice, but you’ll want a record.
You can read the card for yourself or for one of your characters. Or both.
Here’s an example:
When I read this card as my writer self I got:
I am the one who is comfortable spilling my guts on the stage and on the page. The message I have for you is: Stay humble but know you’re helping others not feel so weird or alone.
Then I read it as my villainous character Francesca in a novel I’m plotting called Long, Hard & Twisted.
I am the one who had to hide as a child. If I did not, the bad man, the drunk man would come. Sometimes he found me anyway and dragged me out of my hiding spot. I couldn’t get away from him and his nastiness. He made me call him by a funny name. Daddy.
This is new information.
I did not make that card with this story in mind. That’s why I grabbed it to illustrate this point. To see what it might reveal about Francesca.
The big reveal is not only the booze and abuse but the hiding part.
Because in my story, she’s a shapeshifter. She turns herself into a unicorn to do her dastardly deeds. But how did that start in the first place? From her lifelong need to hide and act out deep hurts. See those piercing eyes? Maybe she thinks she’s disguised, but those eyes suggest she can never completely escape her demons.
Multiple Card Readings
Multiple card readings reveal messages on a bigger scale. Such as the arc of a character through the course of an entire story. They can help us explore conflicts between our characters. Or reveal crucial aspects of plot.
Preparation: It’s best if we can select cards at random. Easy to do with an analog card on paper or matt board. Harder to do digitally. But if we’re making cards with specific stories in mind, it’s not a problem.
We can, however, use a card from one story to answer a question about another story. Or any card not connected to that story. That’s the beauty and mystery of SoulCollage®. If a card calls out to be read, we read it.
How many cards do we need?
That’s up to us. If I’m looking to explore conflicts between three characters, I’ll select three cards. If I want info on five key plot points, I’ll choose five cards.
After grounding, breathing or a clearing ritual, we write down our questions. They should be open-ended, not yes or no. Like what can you tell me about my plot? Or how are you (character) in conflict with ______ (character)? How do you need them? How do you (character) change in each act? Have the same number of cards as acts.
We read one card at a time, keeping the others turned over or out of sight.
For each card, we start with the I am the one who…and answer that first. This gets us into the essence and energy of the card. Then we ask our question. If we have three cards and three characters in conflict, each card represents a character. If we created a card just for that character, we can use it. It’s also fine and often surprising to use a random card.
We ask each card in turn, How are you in conflict with these other two characters? Since my story’s comic noir, I ask like this: Francesca, what the hell you got against Mel, anyway? He loves you.
I listen for her voice as well as information. She responded, chomping on gum, Ain’t nothin’ personal, he’s just in my way. ‘Sides he’s in cahoots with Daddy. That’s who hired him to find and stop me. I got news for ya. He’ll find me over my dead body. Or his.
Wow. More new stuff. Had no idea about the Daddy angle. It could be real or just in her twisted imagination.
I’ll pick a card for Mel and see what he says.
This is a card I made to represent the heart, soul, and tone of this story. That’s Mel with the cigarette and the hidden gun. And yes, that’s Francesca. Looking pretty innocent.
I asked Mel: What’s your beef with this babe? After all, you love her. What’s with the gun?
And here’s what came through: First of all, she turned my partner Kincaid into a mouse. I gotta get him back. He’s the brains; I’m just the brawn. Secondly, a hired gun needs to eat. This Daddy dude? He’s got the big bucks. So let’s shush about that other thing, okay?
Oh, so this Daddy dude, Francesca’s abusive father, hired these PIs to find his daughter? That closes up some plot gaps. And provides more juice, upping the stakes, and making Mel’s attraction to Francesca even more problematic.
How does she respond? She turns him into a — nope, can’t divulge. You gotta read the book. After I write it.
I’ve been plotting for months but Francesca’s motivations have eluded me. Till now. The ‘Daddy’ piece–a villain behind the villain–resonates.
Plot and character are closely intertwined, revelations about one shine light on the other. It doesn’t matter where we start. But once we do, aspects of our story emerge from our inner depths where they’ve been incubating and percolating, shapeshifting into readiness.