MAY // Project 5: 3D Challenge
THE EXPERIMENT
The 3D Challenge – Draw one card and really look at it intently. Then, go into meditation and create a space where you see that card come to life – in 3D as it were. In this visualization, take in the card from all angles - let it come to life, walk around it, truly “step inside” the card and let the card speak to you.
I (Somsara) started doing this process organically on my own, and I thought it would be beneficial to formalize it, and do it with more purpose and intention. Every day for the month of May, whatever card I pulled before I sat down to do my morning meditation, that was the card I brought to life through visualization. I was astounded how often things were revealed to me during this process, and by the end of May several of my cards had changed their names! I will share two examples here of the process and experience.
Here are the steps I used each time:
1. I went into meditation for a a period of time to first calm my mind
2. I visualized walking down a long path to a clearing surrounded by trees, always to the same place (yours can look however you want it to, whatever feels comfortable and safe)
3. There, I would “see” the selected card come to life – as if walking into a scene in this clearing, and spent some time with it exploring however I was inspired to do so.
4. Coming out of meditation I spent a few moments writing down any new insights or details revealed from the experience.
Example 1: Paternal Roots
I worked on this card in one of our earlier projects in February, The Obscured Challenge. This card has been very layered and challenging for me to unpack for quite a while. As I walked around and around the “tree” in this card, I focused on the man who was the trunk, who never really felt like ME, or the speaker of the card. Looking deeply into the tree I heard birds chirping in contrast to this man’s sadness and I knew that I was one of these little birds in the tree – but why we were all in the tree and who the other birds were was unclear. I stepped back from the scene and tried to take it in as a whole and it struck me that this was a family tree. The man at the base was my father and all the birds were my half-siblings. The man always felt so sad to me in this card and I now understood this was my damaged father, and the tree is how we were all bound together. Hearing the happy birds and physically walking around the entire scene in my mind helped me distinguish my place in the scene, who the true speaker of the card was (the little chirping bird) and its relation to all the elements around it. There were many powerful realizations in here for me.
Example 2: Keep your eye on the target
I made this card so long ago, that I thought I knew all there was to know about this card. It was about keeping focused on my long-term goals/targets and not getting distracted. As I took this card into the practice and spent some time examining each part I thought I knew so well, I decided to look more closely with “beginners eyes” at the well/trapdoor obstacle in front of the figure in-between the figure and the target. I decided to “go in” and open up that door and see what was inside it – explore more of the image that wasn’t necessarily so visible right there on the card. What I found inside was a gift – and I suddenly had the thought that perhaps the real prize/goal was actually right in front of me inside that well. I had treated it like an obstacle, so focused on the “target” far away, that I missed the gift that was right in front of me. It added a new layer of understanding to this card – while it’s good to stay focused on long-term goals, don’t step over, or walk right by gifts that are right in front of you. If I am not present and paying attention to what is happening right in front of me also, I might miss out on something even better than where I was trying to get in the first place.
I have so many more I could share, but what I took away from this practice above all is this: Spending concentrated time with one card – really examining it, looking at it from all angles and into each nook and cranny, allowing it to speak TO you and being open to whatever might come – provides SO much insight. I discovered something new almost every time I did this exercise – sometimes it was small, sometimes so huge I couldn’t believe I didn’t see it right away.
During our SoulCollage® facilitator training, we were encouraged to “step inside” our cards and “see” from the perspective of the card itself. Using the “I am one who” process, you let the card speak instead of objectively talking about or describing the card. For me, physically stepping inside the imagery of the card inside my imagination allowed these images to come to life in a way I have not yet experienced, and revealed information that was both exciting and beautiful, truly giving me new perspectives.
If you give it a try, let us know below how it went and what you think!