SoulCollage Reviews

from NewPages Reviews

A long-time fan of creating and evaluating images in collage, I was excited to come across this book. The SoulCollage™ concept involves creating multiple individual, personalized collage cards by cutting and pasting pictures onto 5" x 8" mat board, and then utilizing these cards for self-exploration. Author Seena B. Frost, M. Div, M.A., studied theology at Yale Divinity School, holds a Master’s in Psychology from Santa Clara University, and is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in California.

Frost guides her readers in creating a personal deck of “soul-tending cards,” with each card being a “mirror of self and soul.” Some reviewers have likened this to tarot, and while Frost suggests that it can be used in a similar manner, it is far more introspective due to the personalized nature of the cards. The great mystique of the cards comes from the selection and arrangement of images and archetypes each user creates for her/himself.

To briefly explain the concept, the SoulCollage deck contains one Source card, symbolizing the “Oneness of All Things,” and at least four separate suits: The Committee Suit (The Psychological Dimension), The Community Suit (The Communal Dimension), The Companion Suit (The Energetic Dimension), and the Council Suit (The Spiritual Dimension). There is no prescribed limit as to the number of cards one may create, and each card is said to have a presence or essence, identified as the “Neter.”

Frost provides detailed guidance as to how cards can be created, accompanied by numerous black and white reproductions. She offers ideas on how the cards can then be used to tap into inner wisdom, develop dream imagery, explore health issues, and be used for individual consultation or with others in small groups. An additional chapter gives further creative suggestions, such as using the cards for journaling, divination, and art shows.

A middle section contains only ten color plates of completed cards, but the companion web site (www.soulcollage.com) offers plenty of beautifully reproduced cards in color. You can also receive a personal “reading” from the site, but aside from that, don’t expect to find much more information there. Understandably, Frost wants you to buy the book.

I enjoyed this book as someone who teeters from time to time on that metaphysical / psychoanalytical edge of creativity and analysis, and as a lover of images and archetypes. I know from my own work with collage that images often help us to tap into thoughts and feelings that words are unable to express. It is just such revelations that Frost guides the reader to pursue, and what then to make of such discoveries in our lives.

-Denise Bazzett

Today's Librarian (December 2001)

In this exciting, spiritual "craft" book, readers combine intuition with imagery to make personalized Tarot-like cards. SoulCollage cards carry more personal meaning than Tarot, and the process of creating them is presented as a therapy. Using cutouts from magazines, greeting cards, etc., crafters arrange images as they are internally guided, then glue the collages on cards. The process is a way to lure to the surface a person's inner wishes and thoughts. Frost outlines the steps for making and consulting the collage cards. Collage decks have four "suits," representing personality traits, community, archetypes, and dreams. The cards can be used as an interpretive tool or displayed in frames. This book will attract anyone with creative flair, but also holds appeal for those seeking answers to life's deeper questions. It includes beautiful images of cards made by real people -- not artists -- as well as useful lists of resources and suggestions for alternative uses. A unique approach to self-exploration through artistic expression, this handsome and well-presented guide should find an enthusiastic audience.

Midwest Book Review (July 2001)

SoulCollage provides everything needed to get in touch with personal intuition and create a fine deck of cards filled with personal meaning. Fine examples of cards made by regular folks are given throughout this workbook on how to handle the language of symbols and dreams.