(A version of this essay appeared in the January 2019 issue of KaleidoSoul’s SoulSongs)

IMAGINATION by Seena B. Frost
I stand at the door to my Soul
Knocking softly;
Then harder.
She rustles behind the door,
Whispering words of encouragement
Like:
Pick up your pen!
Hold it firm;
Feel its tip move
Ever so lightly
Across your heart.
Look! I’ve written a poem
To slide under this door.
It invites Her to join us
In our funny Life game
 Of Imagining.

Dear Anam Caras,

At last it’s finally time to shut or slam the Door on 2020, that most terrible year! Let’s pause and take a few deep breaths before passing through the auspicious Doorway of 2021. Each of us carries various psychic scars and degrees of pain due to the pandemic. It is my fervent hope that, slowly but surely, Life, along with our individual willingness, will heal these scars as the new year unfolds.

Ahead are vast challenges for our private and public institutions of government, commerce, health and human services, defense, energy, environment, justice, and education. Some of the challenges ahead contain the seeds of healing and health. Some contain the seeds of destruction and chaos. Which seeds will we choose to nourish?

If the ancient “We vs. Them” mentality of World Shadow is allowed to dominate humanity’s consciousness, more madness is ahead. Healing this corrosive divisiveness will depend on each one of us vowing to let go of our very own “We vs. Them” thought-forms, speech, and actions. A tall order and yet what is the alternative?

The Three Doorways Practice

Seena B. Frost, Founder of SoulCollage®, referred to the “Three magical I’s of Image, Imagination and Intuition” as Doorways and as “bright stars in the SoulCollage® galaxy.” She taught us that an Image opens the Doorway to Imagination (image on left below) which then opens the Doorway to Intuition (image on right below).

I made these two (8” X 11”) SoulCollage® cards to illustrate the “Three magical I’s.” In workshops I show the (closed) “Doorway to Imagination” card and ask participants to quickly write down their impressions of the images and to make guesses about what is behind the closed door. Next, I open the door and ask them to quickly write down a few words in reaction to the images that are revealed.

Finally, I ask participants to imagine opening the (invisible) Third Doorway to Intuition and write down some notes to describe how their intuition informs them of the meaning of these images. It is fascinating to hear the wide variety of unique responses to the same images!

Thanks to Catherine Anderson’s magnificent books on Doorways, I have had great delight creating a series of Doorways SoulCollage® cards. See a few more Doorways at end of this essay.

How To Enter The Next Doorway?

I’ve been meditating on the theme of Doorways for several months. I remember the Life Doorways that were shut in my face, the alluring thresholds to Doorways that I chose not to enter, and the Life Doorways that inaugurated mythic journeys of great difficulties and great joyful surprises. 

I consult my tattered texts and explore internet links about the Hero’s Journey and the Shero/Heroine’s Journey for help in placing my current life situation in the context of these models: 

• https://heroinejourneys.com/heroines-journey-project/
• https://www.gaia.com/article/heroines-journey
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hero_with_a_Thousand_Faces

My meditation also surfaces the importance of HOW one enters Life’s Doorways. Take a look at these iconic entrances. Which entrance resonates most for you?

• My fave:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgsQr4Kbhrg
• Mr. Rogers entering our homes.
• Kramer entering Jerry Seinfeld’s door.
• Big Bang Theory–Sheldon knocking on Penny’s door
• Alice through Wonderland’s doors.
• Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe: Lucy Pevensie entering into Narnia.

Doorways in Your Lifetime: A Journaling and SoulCollage® Card-making Practice

1. What images do you associate with the Neter (energy) of Doorways?
2. What have been some Doorways of your Lifetime? 
   • Which Doorways were easily opened and entered?
   • Which Doorways were closed?
   • What was your response to the closed Doorways?
   • Were there Doorways you regret not entering?
3. Think of 3 important Life Doorways.
   • How did you approach and enter them?
   • How did you navigate once you’d crossed the threshold?
   • What was on the other side that made you who are today?
4. What Doorways are ahead for you in 2021?
   • HOW do you choose to approach and enter them?
   • What does your intuition tell you about what’s ahead for your personal journey?
   • Consider making some SoulCollage® cards for your 2021 Doorways.

I would value your comments and reflections in the Comment section below, dear Anam Caras!

In October 2018, I entered the Doorway to my septuagenarian decade! The sands in the hourglass sure are falling more swiftly now!

As I tiptoe into 2021 with all its promises and pitfalls, here in the American Heartland I’m taking refuge in winter’s quiet and darkness. I welcome the gift of the slower pace as I pause and ponder how to navigate my shero’s journey as an Elder:

• How shall I mindfully enter this new year with a spirit of…
  • Joy and Ease;
  • Grace and Gratitude;
  • Friendly Curiosity and Compassionate Detachment;
  • Simplicity and Humble Service?
• What lessons and constructive thoughts do I take into this new time?
• What constrictive thoughts need releasing?

Right now, what I know for sure is that I will carry on my motherline’s contrarian example:  To become a curious Elder who is eager to master new ways of being actively engaged in life!!!

I’ve realized how important it is to me to share the life wisdom from my many teachers. To that end, I will endeavor to write the Beauty Way book, based on five decades of witnessing the healing transformative power of the vibration/energy of Beauty! I am calling in the Helpers and trusting that this very new path will lead me to many new thoughts, adventures, allies, and challengers.

Here is my 2021 prayer for me and for you, Anam Caras:

May the stream of my life flow into the River of Goodness.
May the bonds of my ignorance be loosened
that I may be free.
May the thread of my song not be cut while I sing.
And let not the work of my life end before its fulfillment.
(Prayer from Rig Veda 11:28)

May you remember and share the beautiful Heart-Light of your true nature, dear friends.
May you cross the threshold of 2021 with wisdom, creativity, curiosity, and joy.
May you remember and be guided by the hard lessons of 2020.
May 2021 bring you, our Mother Earth, and ALL our planet’s beings healing, hope, and peace.

Most of all, may you walk in Beauty today and all the days of your life.

Love,

THE DOORWAY TO WOMAN’S JOURNEY FROM MAIDEN TO CRONE (Council Suit)

What does your Intuition tell you about these images?