Tools of Transformation

 During the Color of Woman quest, we have been given treasure trove of tools for accessing our own intuition, insights and vision, for calming the Critic and engaging the Muse! 

This Tool Kit is full of powerful offerings for our beloveds - and ... we often forget how helpful they can be for our own process! 

What can we do when the critic raises her head? Pull out the tool kit, and choose one or more to revisit!

My first Story Card deck and cover

• The Soulful Story Card process is one of the first assignments on the CoW journey - for good reason! 

In The Artist's Way, Julia Cameron wrote: "An affirmation is a positive statement of (positive) belief, and if we can become one-tenth as good at positive self-talk as we are at negative self-talk, we will notice an enormous change." 

If we only had the Story Cards as support for the rest of our journey, we'd have such a potent aide!! Often the very stumbling blocks addressed by the cards are encountered over and over - and in the cards, we have a wonderful way to turn them into stepping stones!  I share several ways to use them here.

I usually offer a Story Card session in my Red Thread Creatives Circle a couple of times each year, and use this as an opportunity to create a few new cards, to address other old Stories I've become aware of!  I like working on less expensive water color pads of paper for creating the cards. 

You may find this a good time to assemble your Story Card kit, for offering this as a virtual or in person class. So save your process papers with old stories and their antidotes to include in your kit. If it's been awhile since you created your deck, check in and see if there's are any old stories surfacing to be countered with new cards!

Story and Ally cards, plus 13 Step prompt deck

• The Medicine Basket - ooo, what a lovely image!! 

I love Shiloh's description of her physical basket, and items included!! You may wish to assemble a physical Medicine basket or bag to include some of your special tools! I've got a little basket for Red Thread and a couple of Shiloh's books, a little red silk bag for special scissors, and little balls of red yarn, and found a small purse made from Red Ties for bigger balls and tools! 

If you're feeling 'stuck' around your Piece of the Red Thread - pull out your Medicine Basket, and revisit your tools!

Red Thread Basket

Some of the Medicine Basket inquiries are:

• What will you be known for? 
• What Healing tools & remedies do you offer? 
• What can people count on you for?
• Who are your Beloveds?
• What is in your medicine basket?

Our Medicine Basket process helps us identify our special gifts, and points us toward our Soul Work! When I painted & collaged 'gifts' onto my first Medicine basket, I immediately saw this as a lovely process to include in my upcoming Reiki 2 class (and included that as my first RT event assignment). I invited my students to bring scrapbook materials, Quotes they might want to include, and then dream-stormed on how to integrate the teachings of Reiki, & the Medicine basket process. We created covers for the Reiki Journals I encouraged them to begin, over a background that included the Symbols they learned!

I've continued to include creating Story Cards and Medicine Baskets in subsequent Reiki 1 and 2 Classes, and love how they dovetail with the Reiki teachings on intention. I've also shared it in Red Thread style paint parties, like this one for my school chum Nancy (center with the basket on pink) and her friends and family.

Paint with Pals - Medicine Basket

• Many of us have felt we didn't quite 'fit' in this current world, family, community - the House of the Heart allows us to claim belonging. 

Shiloh comments - "We either experience everything as a miracle or nothing as a miracle. We experience the Universe as a friendly or unfriendly place. People's world view stems from their belief about whether they belong here." 

In the fall of 2019, I joined CoW graduate and EFT practitioner Sherry Reuger-Banaka in offering a workshop on Grief to Gratitude, using the house of the Heart as the class template. This was her Soulwork - combining IC and EFT! I've enjoyed doing this one on canvas several times, and they are such cheery houses! 

The prompts from a CoW student offering (via Zoom) led to recalling the cute 50s home my dad painted pink, with dark red trim and a white roof (to reflect the Central Oregon sun) ... And the Blue Door of my piano teacher's little back room Bible Bookstore. 

 

House of the Heart 2020 - on canvas

• Need a Treasure Map for finding your way? Pull out your Vision Plan Book! 

This is a process Shiloh Revisits each time she's planning a new offering - and is a great one for us to revisit as we seek insight and momentum. I love the whole brain, Muse led approach - our biz-coach, Stella Mac invites us to, "Create a business plan using your winged eye – you have to know how to look with a visionary lens to craft a business that reflects who YOU are." 

Vision Plan Book

In spring of 2020, Shiloh and Amy Ahlers offered a course called Dancing Entrepreneur, where we created a new Vision plan Book, plus a deck of 16 action cards to augment the booklet, and support moving forward with our plans! This is where I encountered the idea from another student of creating a board and planning pockets for a Visual planning system!"

Journal Calendar Biz-Plan

• Another tool is one we've all kept in various forms over the journey - the Journals!!  

This is where we've processed, and made notes around different assignments. 

I tend to keep both art journals for the longer painting processes, and the Smashbook style composition books for writing. I've amassed a lot of journals, and reviewing these can be helpful - reach for the one that 'falls off the shelf!' 

One of the biz tools I used following graduation was creating a monthly Smashbook spread with my goals  for that month splashed about, "popcorn" style. 

Some were specific to that month, while others are ongoing (hosting monthly Red Thread Circles, painting, blogging) I could see at a glance what I accomplished, and what I still wanted to work on!

I hope you're inspired to pull out some of your favorite tools from the training, and revisit the messages! This is a good time to complete or fine tune writing about the projects, and finding which best serve you.

Metacognative Drawing

During our Muse Time call yesterday, We mentioned Metacognative drawing as a way to quickly tap into insights. Metacognation = awareness of our thoughts,  thinking about thinking! 

Shiloh has tapped into this over the last several years, and integrated it into the Motherboard coaching training. 

 Metacognative exercise: 

1) Take a few deep breaths, and ask yourself a question, perhaps 'What am I passionate about?' 'What's my next step?' 'Who are my beloveds?' ...

• Take a marker or pen, use a piece of paper, your Smash book, or fancier art journal. 
• Place the tip of your marker on the paper and doode for a minute or so, just letting the line flow. 
• Use your non-dominant hand if you wish 

Doodle, non-dominant hand

2) Then begin writing, inviting insights from your quick doodle. Write what comes to mind. Did new awareness arise? Write for another minute or two. 

3) Now, move to another page, choose a pleasing color, and sketch a symbol and wrote some of the words around it. Draw a line (a kind of ripple around your symbol and words) more words, and another ripple. 

Symbol and word ripples

In this case, the layers were:

• What becomes possible when I bring more scared space into my life?
• What form does it take?
• What needs to be released/added in my physical space?

Musea Atelier - step 4 sketch

4) Do a simple sketch, bringing form to your insight - here, we sketched our muse holding the visionary screen depicting our sacred space (my Atelier studio) 

This sketch can take any form - I like combining this practice with Neurographic noodling, and jotting a few words of insight on the reverse.

Wishing on a Star

We can jot down a couple of action steps that will help us bring our vision into reality, and choose one or two we can do in a day or two. I often put these on little cards on my board or in my Visual Planning pockets. 

Visual Plan Board

You can check the Educator directory to see who is in your part of the world, it look up sometime you've found inspiring. 

Using our Tools

During the Color of Woman quest, we are given treasure trove of tools for accessing our own intuition, insights and vision, and for calming the critic. Many of these make great offerings for our beloveds - and ... we may forget how helpful they can be for our own process! 

What can we do when the critic raises her head? 

In the 80s, Douglas Bloch suggested writing an affirmation, then processing "what comes up."  (Douglas Bloch, author of 'Words that Heal') We often decorated our "finished" affirmation with sequins and sparkles, ...put them up on mirrors, carried them in our wallets...

Story Card deck and cover

In The Artist's Way, Julia Cameron writes: "An affirmation is a positive statement of (positive) belief, and if we can become one-tenth as good at positive self-talk as we are at negative self-talk, we will notice an enormous change." Like Bloch, Julia suggests writing out the affirmation, then the 'blurts' which counter it, & suggests identifying their origin - "who told you that?" "Do you believe it's true?" 

With Intentional Creativity®, we approach the affirmation by first writing out the 'old stories' which hold you back, the critic chatter and negative beliefs on one side of a slip of paper: "I never have enough time!"  "I'm too old" (or too young, or too busy) "I'd love to do my art, but I don't want to end up a starving artist" ... "I can't afford__"

Then, we write an antidote on the other side of our process paper, and craft a short affirmation; the Antidote is transferred to our card & decorated. And then, ... we often tuck the deck away, and head off to the next assignment!! 

Oops! 

When talking to Creatives in our community, I notice some continue to "reaffirm" stories they countered during their CoW quest!  When I hear one surface, I often ask if they wish to reframe that story, & affirm something positive instead! (And try to remember to do this as well!!)

So my inquiry today is, "How do you utilize the lessons and reframe offered by your Story Cards?"

I invite you to light a candle, pour a cup of tea, pull out your journal and cards. Shuffle through your story card deck.

A direct approach: Journal about some old story phrases you notice your Inner Critic has been pulling out, and which block your progress. Perhaps do a Metacognative drawing. Then:

• go through your story card deck, and pull 2-3 cards which relate to that issue, and work with their messages. 
• Journal about the messages, and actions you can take. 
• Put them up on your altar or vision board till your next reading. 

Intuitive Reading

• Shut your eyes, breathe into your heart and belly
• Pull a card at random, and before looking at it, hold it between your hands
• Notice your impressions - a color, a word or two, a plant or animal ally
• Open your eyes and look at the card and affirmation
• Journal about both your impressions, and about that card and message
• How does it relate to the old story you've been battling?
• Place the card somewhere you can see it, and continue to receive messages

Oracle reading

• If you work with other Oracle decks, pull a card or two from your own deck as well
• Write about the Oracle in your journal, including impressions from your cards
• Add new insights to the back of the card 

Additional cards

One of my favorite Red Thread Circle offerings is creating 3-5 story cards in a 90 minute class. I'm always curious to see what beliefs tag along, and the variety of cards that will be created! Often several beloveds share similar old stories, and work on antidotes together.

This is great to do for yourself when you notice none of your cards read fully address a current issue! A piece of watercolor paper from a pad is a good size, and you'll likely want to make additional cards the same size as your current deck. I usually paint a sheet (often 9×12") then tear apart for cards, but only make a few. 

This can be a good time to assemble a little Story Card kit, for offering this as a virtual or in person class. Save so your process papers with old stories and their antidotes to include in your kit.

Additional Story Cards

Symbols, Totems, Elements and Angels

• Create additional cards inspired by messages and symbols from your paintings
• Write a short description on the back 
• Totems: Hummingbird came during my Artist painting, and it reminded each flower (student) of their unique beauty, and can match pave by slowing, or speeding ahead.
• Notice if symbols on your cards find their way into the canvas
• Time Angels is another favorite card, I invite them to help keep on time
• Grace Elohim invites us to "Grace it and Move On!"
• Other cards you've made might include soul collage or journey cards, and their systems
• My friend, Color of Woman graduate Linda Allen included cards for the elements and reminders to Breathe and Dance in her deck - watch her slideshow here

What are some of your favorite cards, and ways you work with them? 

Share in the comments!  

    

 

That first Class

Here you are, at the threshold of teaching your first 13 step class - you've painted your Legendary lady, and began having morning tea with your Muse. You've met your inner Artist and taped your Soul Fire. You've gathered tools for your Medicine Basket, and rewritten some old stories ... 

And now...

It's time to offer that first 13 step painting class!! Yikes!! 
First - Breathe! You've got this! 

You have likely been gathering ideas for your theme, and jotting down notes from your CoW SiStars classes. It's great to have a folder of journal to collect these! 

Sit with your Muse and journal to refine your ideas and choose the name. Muse or Queen of .... is often a good start. Shiloh often suggests to choose a theme that is juicy for us, and perhaps has us shaking in our boots.

Gabriella - my first Muse

This usually isn't the time for offering your ideal destination retreat! Jot down your ideas for that Shiny Object (in a special journal?) so you'll have them later! Then - back to ideas for this can-do workshop! You need two students, and two days. 

• Pull out (or make) your set of 13 step prompt cards
• Do a Metacognative drawing or two, exporting your theme: Muse of Creativity, Queen of your Heart ... draw then ask her what she lives by?  What do her symbols represent? What is her Motto, how does she counter the critic?
• Do a demo painting, using the same size canvas as your beloveds will work on (16×20" is a good size for your first offering) Follow the flow of your cards, and do the journaling. Do you need to add another card or reminder?

As you're preparing, paint with your students in mind, keep it simple! The 13 steps are a great guideline, they're a teaching outline for our own use.  - we generally don't share them with the students, as they are proprietary to IC. 

• You may wish to watch one of the shorter videos - Queen of your Own Heart or Tea With the Muse and paint along (adapting for your theme)
• Experiment with glazing one side of the face and the opposite side of the neck different colors - this adds quick interest!
• Get a rough idea of how far you want to get by the first break, and the end of the first day.
• If you're offering a shorter class, combine a couple of steps, and invite the students to journal about the inquiry before class.
• Choose a reading for your RT circle, and write out your visioning/journey.

After you've gotten ready to teach, found your theme and set the date, you can promote your class, with info on how to register (that can be as simple as "send me a message!"

I use Instagram with #intentionalcreativity #oregonartclass #intuitivepaintingclass, etc and have my website link in my bio. I also have an artist page on FB and post Events there, then "share" those to my main page and in groups like the RT Cafe Classroom.

Sepha and Nadya in Tina Gain's class ('16)

For your first class, invite friends who've expressed interest, others in your community, family members - if you offer a special discount, make sure they know that this is a Special! I give a discount for friends who register together, and returning students. 

You can also teach teach other - I have taken several classes from IC SiStars, and it's always a joy, and I learn something new each time! 

Find more tips on teaching that first class here and from some of our colleagues here.

Breathe - you've got this!   

Teaching Tips from the Council

Getting ready to offer your first class - yikes?!?!

We've all been there - will they like me? What if I forget something?? I don't know what I'm doing!! 

I asked our Muse Time Council of support to share tips - what they wish they'd known before that First Class, ideas on self care, etc - here's what some of them said: 

Council of Muses

Rosie: Breathe! Deeply! This is a time the Inner Critic may arise - I wish I'd known that nervous and excited are very similar emotions...they evoke the same physiological response. 
You can choose to feel excited, and ask the inner critic to take the day off, as you have work to do. Then get centered and focused, and most of all, have fun, because you can! 

On getting students:  Rosie: I put out a "one time only offer," that covered material costs, and a small fee, and asked people to attend to help me compete my study and certification. I made a big deal of it being available for 4 places and got got rapid results.
Nadya: this first class generaily won't be that dream workshop at a destination!! For your first class, keep it simple and accessible for yourself and your students! Two for a lower price plus a materials fee is another option. 
Maria wrote that she had invited her best friends, at no charge, and later, they were excited to see her initiate book with pictures of their class and their Testimonials.

Janet: Prepare your materials to where you feel comfortable. Set your space up ahead of time, so you don't feel rushed or pressured. Let go of expectations, and trust that it will work out for the best. 
Don't feel you have to have it memorized, it's ok to have note cards and written notes to help you out. Breathe! Don't worry if you leave something out, or do a step in the "wrong" order - it's all good! 
Once you start teaching, your beloveds will be on their own path, and will get it done in their own way! Release and surrender - trust yourself (and your Muse!!) 

On Design - Rosie - For a 1 day class, I use a template. You can make up your own design, but I tend to use this one, and it's petty much lines by numbers for the face. Extend the lines to the bottom of the canvas. I started with a class designed to "Meet Your Inner Guide," and it's always around the theme of listening to your own heart. 

Rosie's Template

This is way less intimidating to those with no experience. Invite participants to choose the colors, marks and symbols they saw during the visionary journey, and the message received from their Muse. They all paint from the same design - and all come out different! 

Rosie's painting Part way through the demo

A 2 day class is a deeper exploration - the same template can be used for the face design only - I invite them to choose to orient the way they want. I found this structure very helpful when I began teaching.

Classes and Support

When we begin sharing intentional Creativity with others, we we may encounter unexpected challenges as we support our students' process. While some classes flow almost seamlessly, others have a "problem student" or unexpected issue.

Breathe! You've got this!  In my classes and sessions, I've developed strategies to address some that may be helpful. 

Carol's paint station - Gaia

Class set up: know your materials, and plan your set up. 

• I often use a less expensive paint for the first layers (Amsterdam tube paint) and have that out first. I demonstrate how much to put on their palette (paper plate) and have them come to a central table for refills. (If it's a higher price class, you'll likely want to with with Golden from the beginning) 
• When we switch to Golden at the glaze, I stress we only need a dime size of several colors, and dispense their first colors. I mention we may use any extra on the sides, the "lingerie." 
• I bring 1 oz bottles of my Golden paint to class, especially shorter ones, plus 4 oz bottles of white, Quinacridone Nickel Azo Gold, brown, and primaries red, blue and yellow. (The small bottles help get across that we don't need much paint!)
• A selection of several brushes, T-shirt rag, water and spray bottles are at each person's station, along with their canvas and a table easel. For a palette, lids from yogurt containers are a handy size for classes, and can be reused.
• I have square trays ($ store!) for each student's table setting - which helps corral and identify their supplies. 
• Remind them to put their "Brushes in the water" when ready to share the next step. 
• Pitchers for water in the paint table, and a bucket to dump paint water in are handy.

I go over the general flow of the class with the students at the beginning, and use my 13 step prompt cards to stay on track. If it's a shorter class, I spend a bit of time thinking about steps to combine. I often paint a demo before the class, sorting out inquiries, planning the visioning, etc. 
When I teach, it's a combo of planning, and intuitive process - tuning in to the group. I mark quotes to read throughout the class, and which paintings I'll bring for inspiration. I often bring small journals for students who haven't brought one, and encourage its use throughout the class.

What comes up? Ooo, it's different each time! 

The critic is likely to appear, wearing a variety of hats! 

• "I'm not artistic" - the Tyranny of Talent! 
• Comparison Queen - your painting looks better!
• I just don't like my painting! And on ... She's too pale, now she's too dark, ...

When the critic first appears, I often thank the student, and mention that they may be speaking for others in the group as well. I'll comment that it's long been her job to keep us safe, and it's sometimes uncomfortable when we try something new/different. 

I give some options, she can count rocks in the parking lot, or shall we set her up with a drink by the pool? She can hold the map and help navigate, but we won't let her drive, and may ask if the student can identify her voice - who along the way is she parroting?

"What if there was nothing we could get wrong?"
"It's only paint!"

I suggest this is a great time to journal, maybe "hand her the pen!" And then give the pen to the muse. Does she have a name? This is a great time for a movement and journal break, have everyone move back from their canvas (if you can - they don't always want to stop painting!) 

Different materials - gals who identify as artists may bring their own materials - if it doesn't upset the flow of the class, and they are in the flow, I let them be, and may ask about materials they are using. I'm often inspired, and want to try them myself, lol! (This is the nearly compete painting, which my artist student Carol continued to work on after our one day Gaia Encounter class)

Carol used acrylic ink and stencils

I generally encourage them to "try it this way, this one time," and some do, some won't! 

I invite them to use the Golden fluids for most of their work. If they brought less expensive paint, they will likely be disappointed, and it's hard to guide them - I may say, "I'm sorry, but if you use different materials, I may not be able to help a much... This is a good time to try something different! You can always use what you're familiar with next time!" 

Wanting to paint over or even gesso - this may happen toward the end - three of my favorite tools for times like this, or when they're feeling stuck are:

• Take it to the journal! Move back from the painting, and perhaps dialogue with the muse/critic around what's coming up. Is this something they encounter at times in their day to day life? How do they usually handle it? Would they like to try something else? You might have some journal prompts on slips of paper, and have them choose a couple. I aim for at least one journaling session during a one day class, and often suggest an extra journal break if they are getting frustrated. In a longer class, you could lead a second visioning at this point. 

• Grey scale - this is a great time to have them take a photo and edit it to show contrast in grey! I show them how, or do it on my device - it's an excellent way to see where contrast is missing, and that may help redirect them. It's also a good way to see if the features feel balanced, and invite them to make subtle shifts.

Grey scale and enlarged

• When in doubt glaze! Glazing is scary - and so potent! It's a great tool for engaging the Muse! While we'll generally just do one glaze in a class, each repeat adds depth. 
• They want to gesso? Bring out a couple of color possibilities for glazing, show them the transparent scale on the back, and mention that a glaze preserves these luscious undershirts they've built, but allows the old stuff to "compost." 
• ** Have them eat some chocolate and journal while the glaze dries. 

• Glaze Options: in addition to glazing the whole canvas, there are several other options. 
• Partial glazes with a couple of colors - lay the painting flat, have them glaze, then show them how to burnish with a rag.
• Glaze half the face a different colour
• 4 direction glazes - choose 4 colors, spray and paint one color at the top, spray and play with drips... Then rotate the canvas and use the next color ... 
• White! If they really want to gesso, suggest they try a white glaze at the top (Zink white is more translucent than titanium) - spray and let drip ... Maybe spray, then paint white in the area they're uncomfortable with - and spray again ... They can also use White in the 4 directions, turning the canvas. 
• Gold or another metallic is another choice for a student wanting to gesso - shiny objects distract the critic!

• Shiloh suggests a white glaze for reclaiming our own demo canvas after a class. Journal about the class, insights, challenges, your own process, perhaps take yourself through the journey again. Smudge, then bless and spray the canvas, with a large brush, paint white at the top, then let it drip ... Sit back with a cuppa, and journal. 
• I sometimes use a combo of white and gold for this! I've also flipped the canvas and begun over on the face, without gessoing! 

• Codes and symbols - this may be a good time to ask if any symbols came through, and how they want to depict them. Jane they noted them in their journal?

• Biophotons, Stars and Prayer Dots- I mix white with glazing medium when I'm painting stars or sometimes when adding prayer dots - if they want to cover with gesso, a layer of light may be what's indicated! 

These are a few of the issues that arise - I've had students create very different paintings from my basic instructions - including landscapes with wonderful creatures rather than a lady! If it doesn't interrupt the flow of the rest of the class, and they are happy in their zone - I let them be! 

I bring out metallic and interference paint toward the end for "adornment"'- not as messy as glitter, and so satisfying! Then invite the students to hand Her the pen, and receive Her name and message.

What are some of your teaching challenges, and how did you handle them?