Each spring, I like to dig a little bit deeper into who I am, face some fears, uncover a long-forgotten aspect of who I truly am and hopefully move one step closer towards my personal quest for wholeness. In Jungian psychology, this journey is referred to as the path of individuation, a process where we learn and pay attention to the language of symbols and dreams in order to understand the life we are living. Discovering What Really Matters For most of my adult life, I have been recording my nighttime dreams and making art. Both have been a constant source of amazement, curiosity, bewilderment and, if I am patient enough, beguiling insight. Using the surreal images that come to me in the night has always been fuel for my creative process, allowing me to gradually derive the meaning of these bizarre but enticing nighttime tales.

"Trust that which gives you meaning and accept it as your guide." - Carl Jung

 

  The Snake haunted my dreams for years and still does from time to time when I am off-center. This ubiquitous symbol first showed up in a series of terrifying nightmares that haunted me for a very long time. The Snake holds a plethora of scary associations, but once I made friends with it, I realized it was nudging me to shed some skin. It did not show up as a symbol of evil temptation but as a guide urging me to make some shifts in my life, to let go of habits that no longer served me and to simply see what I was doing with new eyes.

Learning a New Language

Although huge strides have been made in early detection and treatment for many types of cancer, it is still a terrifying diagnosis that comes with a fierce undercurrent of stress and anxiety. One way to cope with this internal trauma is to connect with others who’ve been there. Not all of us have the wherewithal to venture into a tradition "talk" support group. Healing Icons’ approach is different.  

When cancer turns our lives upside-down and inside-out, words are not enough. We long for a different way to communicate with ourselves and with others. Words just fall short. This is where the language of imagery comes into play. We need a way to see ourselves anew. Each one of us has our own unique visual vocabulary – specific images, textures, patterns and colors that we are drawn to. If we slow down and pay attention to the call of the visual, a new world opens up to us.

"Often the hands will solve a mystery that the intellect has struggled with in vain." - Carl Jung

Art as Healing

In our Healing Icons classes, we create collages from images we intuitively and spontaneously cut out of magazines and catalogs. When we assemble these seemingly disparate parts and pieces into a whole, they paint a picture for us, a waking dream, a different kind of self-portrait. If we question our creations honestly, they hold layers of revealing, exciting information for us. From the symbols within our collages, we make spirited, spur-of-the-moment word associations and link them together in a free-writing style of poetry. Listening with the eyes and ears of the heart, our visual creations become not only our own personal teachers but also teachers for the cancer community at large.

Self-Portraits & Written Reflections

Medium: magazine cut-outs, xeroxed photos, acrylic paint on canvas board  

Seeing Me Three months & one day Colon Cancer Diagnosis Life as I knew it shattered Life as WE knew it changed We all know this feeling But we are not fragile We are strong warriors We do not white wash our circumstances But face forward Inviting the unexpected Learning to grow in peace Learning to find refuge within The heart of our lives. JR (colon cancer)          

It is Up to Her

She wants happiness And freedom In her life.

She wants to be free To feel And experience life.

Her happiness depends On taking a long, hard look Deep down Into her soul.

She wants to let go Of all those things That hold her in bondage.

It is up to her To make it happen. MW (kidney cancer)

       

Kaleidoscope of Possibilities Her heart is feeling Excitement That a new phase of life Is about to happen. She realizes Her mind is filled With pocket-sized compartments Where memories live, Always there to guide her into the future. And yet, There are so many empty spaces She has yet to fill.

She senses a new direction, Though she does not yet Know the way.

Her inner most being Anticipates the Kaleidoscope of Possibilities. LD (breast cancer)

 

It is our hope that this creative work will inspire your own journey into art making and self-discovery.

Did you resonant with any of these self-portraits? Considering sharing your thoughts with us.