A creative path to the self
SoulCollage® was created by Seena Frost, who formally introduced the method in her book SoulCollage® Evolving (first published in 2001). It's a fun and inspiring process of self-discovery: by using simple materials — images, scissors, and glue — you create a deck of cards that represents the many facets of your unique soul.
This practice serves as a space for reflection, helping you access inner wisdom that words alone might not reach. You can explore more at The World of SoulCollage®.
The journey of a card
Image selection
You browse a collection of diverse images and, without overthinking, choose the ones that speak to your inner self in the moment.
Creative intuition
Collaging is intuitive and experimental. By layering images, you create a personal card that reflects an internal part, archetypal energy, or life experience.
Card wisdom
Once a card is complete, we use it as a portal for dialogue — giving voice to the image to uncover insights words alone often miss.
Benefits
SoulCollage® offers an intuitive, creative way to work with what's happening inside you — especially when words alone don't feel like enough. By slowing down, choosing images, and giving form to your inner world, you create a safe space to see yourself with more compassion and clarity.
Engages the right brain, unlocking creativity and access to the subconscious.
Helps you explore and integrate fragmented or disowned parts of yourself.
Offers a playful, expressive way to work with serious emotional material.
Provides a safe container for working with shadow aspects and unresolved wounds.
Strengthens self-awareness and self-compassion through imagery and journaling.
Connects you to archetypes and universal energies, broadening your perspective.
Promotes mindfulness and grounding through the act of creating and reflecting.
By giving form to the unseen parts of yourself, SoulCollage® supports a growing sense of wholeness, connection, and internal attunement.
Understanding the process
The cards you create — with images digital or cut-out — represent different aspects of yourself, your relationships, and the universal themes that influence your life. These cards become a visual map of your inner world, helping you uncover insights, foster self-awareness, and integrate hidden or fragmented parts of yourself. Over time, they become your own personal oracle deck — created by you, for you.
This process blends psychology, the subconscious, and (if you choose) spirituality in an open-minded and deeply personal way. SoulCollage® invites you to explore your authentic self through imagery, creativity, journaling, and reflection — making it a fun, expressive, and insightful form of therapy.
What SoulCollage® is not
It is not “art” in the traditional sense. It's more of an intuitive, creative experience — though everyone is an artist in their own way. No artistic ability required.
It is not a vision board.
It is not Tarot or a traditional oracle deck. I sometimes use Tarot and oracle cards as a projective technique in psychotherapy, though these are personalized to your energy.
The four suits
Cards are organized into four suits, each representing different aspects of your inner and outer world. You create as many cards per suit as you like — except the Companion Suit, which is linked to the seven chakras.
1 · The Committee
Your inner parts and voices — the Inner Critic, Nurturer, Protector, Creative Self. Aligns with parts work like IFS, Voice Dialogue, and ego states, giving image and voice to each part so you can build a relationship with them.
2 · The Community
The people, animals, and groups who have influenced and supported you — loved ones, mentors, pets, and communities that matter. You celebrate the relationships that shape you.
3 · The Companion
Connected to the energy of your chakras and the animals that intuitively resonate with each center — bridging the physical and symbolic, and bringing body-mind awareness into the work.
4 · The Council
Archetypes and universal energies that guide your life — the Hero, Healer, Child, Seeker — drawing on the symbolic language inspired by Carl Jung and Caroline Myss.
Basics of making a card
In simple terms, each card has a background image, a main image or figure placed on top, and embellishments that deepen or clarify its message.
We begin by collecting images — from magazines, online sources, or personal collections. The key is to choose intuitively, not logically: let the images “speak” to you instead of over-analyzing them. In sessions and on your own, you'll assemble images onto 5x8-inch cards to represent different aspects of yourself, relationships, archetypes, and guiding energies. Each card becomes a visual representation of a part of you.
Gathering images
Meaningful cards start with images that speak to you on a deep, intuitive level. You might look for people or faces (parts of you, inner guides), places or nature (scenes that evoke peace or inspiration), objects or symbols, and colors or patterns that add energy and emotion.
Physical sources
Magazines (including free or discarded ones from libraries), old calendars or books, scrapbooking supplies, and personal photos you print out.
Buying images
Etsy (search “SoulCollage”), Amazon image packs (e.g. by Catherine Anderson), and used National Geographic magazines, often available in bulk.
Free digital sources
For personal use, respecting copyright: Pixabay, Unsplash, Pexels, RawPixel, Canva's free library, NegativeSpace, Picjumbo, and FreeRangeStock. Try symbolic keywords like “serenity,” “freedom,” or “light.”
How many & supplies
5x8 heavy card stock or pre-cut SoulCollage® cards; about 3–8 images per card; aim for 20–30 images to start. Good glue: Elmer's CraftBond Acid-Free, UHU, or Scotch Create glue stick.
Over time, many people build large collections — I personally have hundreds of images, and often print the ones that feel especially meaningful.
Reflecting on your cards
During sessions, we use parts language and archetypal exploration to uncover the meaning behind your cards. You'll practice letting your cards “speak to you” — listening to what they symbolize and allowing that to guide your writing and reflection.
We might explore what emotions or memories arise when you look at a card, how it connects to your inner world and current life, and what it wants you to know or remember. This helps you understand your emotions, thought patterns, and subconscious influences, and deepens your connection to your own inner wisdom.
Between sessions
Between sessions, you'll receive prompts to dialogue with your cards and reflect on their messages. A common practice is the “I am the one who…” exercise, where you let the card speak in the first person.
Over time, as your deck grows, you'll return to it often to help you process thoughts and feelings. You can ask a question, draw a card from your personal deck, and use it as a mirror for insight — allowing you to listen to your inner guidance.
Ongoing themes
As your deck grows, you can focus on themes such as healing and integration, self-trust and self-compassion, boundaries and protection, and life transitions and intentions. Your SoulCollage® deck becomes a living reflection of your inner world — offering support and clarity as you move through change and growth.
Copyright & SoulCollage®
SoulCollage® emphasizes respect for copyright and the personal nature of this work. In line with the Principles of SoulCollage®:
· Cards are for personal use and self-discovery only — not to be copied, sold, traded, or bartered.
· Please honor and respect all copyrights when choosing images, in ways that align with copyright laws and the spirit of this practice.
· If you share your cards publicly, do so only to illustrate your personal process, and avoid infringing on the rights of the original artists or photographers.