Focusing on the SEven Wonders of Your Life by Joyce Schwarz

Do you take time to appreciate the wonder of your own life? Are you grateful for this miracle called living? Many people ask me to analyze their vision boards and see what they can add that might be "missing" or that can make their boards serve them better. One of the most frequent items left our is thank for gratitude for being alive!

A great way to inspire yourself is with the "7 Wonders" activity. Add it to your repertoire of weekly and monthly inspirational projects. The definition of "wonder" that applies best here is "to be filled with admiration, amazement, or awe; to marvel." List the seven wonders in your life. I'm not talking about material stuff but the states of being that inspire you, that give you a sense of purpose and meaning and bring joy.

Artist Shana Dressler, who created the "Seven Wonders of the World" vision board affirms my belief that verbs move not only a sentence forward but our lives as well. Dressler's seven life wonders are all verbs. They include: to dream, to dance, to sing, to inspire, to explore, to love, and to serve.

WHAT ARE YOUR 7 WONDERS?

Try to make a verbs-only list for a more Zen-like approach to looking beyond the stuff in your world! Use the phrase: I am grateful for the ability to _________________

Fill in the list below.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

Need help? My personal 7 wonders are: write, travel, play, vision, see, hear, discover. If you can't list seven, try starting with two or three. They might be 1) practice the law of attraction 2) be positive 3) have an attitude of gratitude. See, it's getting easier by the minute.

7 WONDERS variations: Try these as well.

* List the 7 wonderful experiences you had last week.

* List 7 people you are grateful to have in your life.

* List 7 ways you are making a difference in the world.

Hey y'all I'm going to take some of these suggestions when I collage with the kiddies today. I'll let you know how it came out. Have a blessed day!

5 Tips for Collage Scrapbooking

I found thiz on the internet and I wanted to share it with you INJOY! "I wanted to give you some tips that you could start following to really help improve your scrapbooking. I know that this sort of thing is really “art” and I can’t really tell you how to do it right because there isn’t a right way. I think the important part of having a collage is to tell a story. You don’t necessarily have to tell a story about an event or something like that, but you can tell a story about who you are or who your family members are. It’s really up to you on what you do. I have some tips that you can follow to really improve that actual scrapbook and make things stand out more." Custom Rubber Stamps You might not be aware of this, but you can usually contact manufacturer of rubber stamps and get your own custom versions of it. Typically you can get your family member put on it or do something interesting. Put a logo of your favorite team or anything really. It’s your choice what you decide to make the stamp look like, but it is something that you don’t often see inside a scrapbook. It can really add some depth to the whole look and adds a unique quality to it. Song Lyrics I don’t know about you, but I often associate feelings with songs I listened too during the time of the event. This can be an important thing to put in your book because it just brings back the feeling. Slap some of the lyrics up on the page and it helps show that you were in a specific mood during that time. Acrylic Paint This is something that most people don’t have around the house, but you can do pretty interesting things with it. You can create metalic, bronze and even earth tone looks to your pages with it. All you have to do is use it as the background and things will really stand out. You can always use the most appropriate one to get the point across. Strong Glue I know that you’re going to feel like using glue that school kids would be using for some sort of arts and crafts, but that stuff really doesn’t last. You’ll notice a month after you put something in the scrapbook, that things will be falling off the pages and you could very easily lose pictures. A strong and long lasting glue can be purchased at any collage scrapbooking store and will insure that things will stick for years without any problems. Age Your Photos This is an odd technique that a lot of people like to use. I think it helps if you want the picture (not the contents, but the physical picture) to seem older. What you do is dip a corner or something in tea and let it sit for a while. As it dries out it will start to look like a really old picture.

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Collaging with the kiddies at Free Arts for Abused Children

Simon said, as he scanned the cut out pictures of cats, kids smiling, big words he didn't know or understand and a merger selection of dogs, "I don't like cats I wanna dog". Here they are I chimed in, look at the pug with the pushed in nose isn't he cute. He quickly took it from my hand and zealously smeared the back side with glue and slapped it on the blue construction paper. Sometimes its just a small opening that leads to more small openings. Whatever they want to share its okay whether its big or small, my role as a volunteer is to be their with no prescribed agenda to "fix" their problems. We all just surrender to the creative process of collaging and see where it takes us. However, their are many times in the area I collage, where their are side conversations going on between lawyers, child advocates, parents, other family member and guardians. A ten year old Latina girl and her four year old sister said after over hearing their conversation, " They shouldn't neglect their child like that". I said, your right that is very unfortunate and we continued to collage. I could see the mis-trust in her eyes, I knew their was a story but I didn't pry. She said, "I have my other collage I did last time you were here", really I said. I post mines on my wall at home. You do her eyes getting bigger, I'll think I'll do that too at my foster family's house. You see collaging is not an escape from life, but it is a window of opportunity to let the sunlight of creativity shine through the uncertain darkness. Art heals this I know!

My Vulva Birthchart

Last year a Sista from the Temple of Wombn group I'm in did a Vulva Birthchart reading for me. It waz very inspirational because it aligns so much with what Spirit had been downloading through me. In it she states, "Your path is a Sacred Arts Keeper, you are one of the ones who bring alkhemikal change for others through art. I’m sure this is not news to you but an affirmation. Your vulva juices flow abundantly by manifesting from within whatever jewels of creative vision your dip into the cauldron brings forth. Your vulva gift is to bring down into expression healing visions for others and yourself." She also mentioned about possibly working at Sacred Arts type of museum. I've never really thought about it, but then I never thought I'd be facillating collage clazzez either.

She also used the term panssexual to describe me saying I'm here to make love to All NTR's(Gods) creations.This iz definitely me boundless, unlimited Loving not in any way cutting myself off from lovebeauty in a rock, person, animal, picture, flower, star etc.

She also said, " .......If you haven’t learned how to drum or play another percussion instrument, you should and take others into shamanic trance with you!". The funny thing iz I have two drums one that I bought in Sedona and another one I bought last year while on the Ocean of Gratitude Cruise and a third one I just recently bought. When she said I could take others in shamanic trance with me it sparked a memory from that cruise. We were all outside on the top deck, I believe their waz a lunar eclispe going on and a drumming circle had been planned. Everyone waz given drums to play, some small, some medium and some large. I sat down on the outside of the pool with the drum in between my legs. We drummed and drummed, one, two, three drops of water came down and suddenly a rain shower poured down. Everybody ran for cover underneath the bar and other surrounding areas, except me. I don't know what it waz but the rain ignited me even more to drum. Joy and bliss continued to wash over me az I played like I waz in a trace. Well, after several minutes the rain suddenly stopped. I got up dripping wet and walked over to the counter to get my dry shaw to drape myself with. The drum teacher came over to me and thanked me profusely for keeping the drum circle alive and not stopping. She said some other words but in her face and eyes waz such a bright beam of love and appreciation that it kind of startled me . I mean it seemed pretty natural to keep on drumming so it didn't seem like a big deal on my part. Others came over with a similar look in their eyes to thank me, but I couldn't fully receive it because by that time my full ego personality had returned. Her sparked me to remove the dust from my drums because I love playing. Who knows maybe I'll even take a drumming clazz! The best part of having thiz reading done waz the outpouring of love vibrations I received by her from Being/Doing what she loves. When we Be Love while doing what we love it opens up whole new worlds of possibiliites in the giver and the receiver.

Collage site to inplore

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collageart.org DEDICATED TO THE ART OF COLLAGE

"...the principle of collage is the central principle of all art in the twentieth century." -- Donald Barthelme (1931-1989)
''l'art pour l'art.'' -- Henri-Benjamin Constant de Rebecque (1767–1830) also attributed to Théophile Gautier (1811–1872)

For a list of Links to Collage Artists and other Collage-related Sites Click Here For a list of Books about Collage and Collage Artists Click Here For a list of Links to Assemblage Artists Websites Click Here

For a List of Links to Photomontage Artists Websites Click Here For a list of Links to Presenters of Collage Workshops Click Here For a list of Artists who make Collages and Photomontages from images you provide Click Here For Reviews of Collage Exhibitions Click Here

For a list of Exhibition Opportunities for Collage Artists Click Here For a list of Links to Tools, Supplies & Technical Information for Collage Artists Click Here For collageart.org's Mystery Collage page Click Here

Collaging your affirmations

I love using affirmations on my collages because they inspire, encourage and uplift my spirit. In reality we use them all the time sometimes consciously and sometimes not. One of my favorites iz, "MONEY LOVES ME" and sure enough money haz appeared throughout my life in magical and unexpected ways. One of my least favorite iz, "I'm dis-organized" and sure enough no matter how much I organize my car, closet, desk or house it just rarely stays that way for long. So that's why I consciously prefer to use affirmations to help break through negative thought forms or beliefs that are running on automatic. Abraham-Hicks, one of the teachers in the movie, "The Secret" haz thiz to say about affirmations.

A: Affirmations are wonderful because it is much better to speak positively than to speak negatively. But the universe isn't responding to your words; it responds to your vibration, and your vibration is being indicated to you by the way you feel. If you don't believe what you're saying, your vibration hasn't shifted, so nothing changes for you.

The key to affirmations is to work yourself into a place where you really feel it. We have never talked about this before anywhere, but a very good application of an affirmation would be to affirm your way up the emotional scale. Start with an affirmation of where you are emotionally then keep reaching for a better feeling thought. Here's how that might work:

I don't have enough money. - That's an affirmation.

I'm sick and tired of not having enough money. - A stronger affirmation going in the wrong direction.

I really would like to have more money. - A better affirmation.

I don't know how I'm going to get more money. - Not as good an affirmation.

Maybe something will happen and I will break loose. - A better affirmation.

I've been waiting a long time and nothing has broken loose yet. - A worse affirmation.

Other things in my life work pretty well. - A better affirmation.

I'm going to start watching for the evidence of what I want financially. - A better affirmation.

I bet the evidence is there and I just haven't seen it. - A better affirmation.

I'm looking forward to seeing the evidence of my improved vibration. - A better affirmation.

I think I'm going to figure this out. - A better affirmation.

I can hardly wait until something happens and I can say, I know that I did that. - A better affirmation.

Things are already turning around for me. I can feel it. - A better affirmation.

About then, 99% of your vibration is in place and the universe must show you manifestation.

Joseph Campbell spoke the best words we have ever heard when he said, 'follow your bliss.' For as you follow your bliss, you will be the true extension of who you really are. When you worry about money, you can't get a whiff of bliss - it's too far away on the vibrational scale.

So set an affirmation that says, 'I will reach for the best feeling thought I have access to right now. And I'll be proud of myself when I find even the slightest relief.'

When you try to feel better, you will. When you feel better, you've released resistance. When you've released resistance, you are on the trail to all of those things that you want. All those magnificent things that you desire, some of which were set into motion for you before you even got into this physical body, will be. It is law.

Take care.

Fear Body

Lately I have been inperincing feels of sadness, lose and pain. Actually these feelings aren't new to me, but my awareness of how I'm feelings iz heightened now that I'm more aware. In my meditation yesterday it came to my consciousness awareness that everything haz a body. Water haz a body, fire haz a body, joy haz a body and fear haz a body. Say that again fear haz a body! Yes, thiz body holds various thought forms and inperiences from past lives to my childhood life to my current life now. Thiz idea of thiz separate body that haz a life of its own caught my imagination my brain started buzzing I knew their waz a healing taken place. A chance to clean up and dissolve more of the izms in my life. I drew a stick figure representing thiz fear body and all the thought forms that are attached to thiz body like, "I'm not lovable", "my voice doesn't matter", "others people thoughts/feelings matter more than my own", "I'm not good enough", "something wrong with me" etc. etc. Putting it in my art journal on paper allowed me to see Oh! that's the body that the world sees most times when I'm out and most importantly when I'm in my depressed mood at home. When I'm at home my fear body manifest az cravings for sweets. Chocolate cookies are my temporary feel good remedy for the intense feelings of sadness and loneliness i feel. And no matter how many cookies I eat I'm never satisfied for long. The thing iz thiz fear body iz so familiar to me and when the dark clouds shower me, its so normal many times I get lost in the dream. Thiz fear body izn't bad per say nor iz it my enemy, for it may at one time protected and saved me when I waz younger. But now its time to transform these fears so they will no longer inhibit me from living my best life.

Awareness iz the key that unlocks the door. Because just like I noticed thiz about my fear body, I also noticed the thought forms and subsequent behaviors of my joy body. When I collage my joy body comes out open hearted to play like a child. It only knows of joy, love and peace. It craves nature, flowers, heart felt connections with people, animals, tennis, open and honest inpression and expression and foods that love my body. So like I said, its not about making one good and the other bad, its all about awareness and choosing a life where I get to shine and radiate the magnificence of God just because.