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Neter Cards
Getting out of the way of your Inner-Critic
| Joyful's Neters |
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| "Me in Morgan Hill" |
Creating "Neter Cards" is easy, fun, and a great way to release the self-sabbotaging
behaviors that tend to block creativity. The "timed" aspect of this process was developed by a gifted muse by the name
of Carol Lorraine. Because this process is time-limited, it keeps you from getting
stuck by trying to over-think and setting too many expectations of the finished product.
| Joyful's Neters |
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| "Aloha" |
Neters are also referred to as "Soul Collages". This timed creative
process is often used as a form of meditation where you meditate on a feeling, an artchetype, a desire, a person -- whatever
you wish. Then, selecting images from magazines, wall calendars, etc., you select those images that "call" to you, clip
them out, and then create a little collage that represents that "thing".
| Joyful's Neters |
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| "Birth of Humanity" |
I was introduced to Netering during a retreat some years ago of the flavor
of "Women Who Run With The Wolves". Since then, this women's circle has embraced Netering as a social activity.
I like to refer to this as "Women Who Run With Scissors".
| Joyful's Neters |
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| "Challenge" |
The finished cards can be admired as artwork, used for daily affirmations,
given as gifts -- you could even create your own, personal divination deck if you like. It's a great way to recycle old magazines
and wall calendars, too!
| Joyful's Neters |
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| "The Goddess Pele" |
This is a very inexpensive and fun process and a great exercise in releasing
those expectations that tend to sabbotage your creativity. Be warned, however! Once you get started, it is like
eating peanuts -- you can't stop at just one!
Below I will describe:
- What you will need
- How the process works
- Examples of my own Neters
What you will need:
- Scissors and other very sharp things:
One pair of medium sized scissors and a smaller pair for detailed clipping should suffice. You
may also want to have an Xacto knife handy for inside cutting. Just remember, this is a timed activity and so remember
not to get into too much detail.
Some people like to use large index cards because they are precut. I prefer to buy small sheets
of poster board and cut them in quarters. Manilla file folders, trimmed and cut into quarters (2 cards each side) make
great card stock too.
- Rubber cement and other sticky stuff:
Rubber cement is the best, I've found, for working with Neters. It allows you to reposition images
if you need to and if you drip, you can roll the excess off the image with your fingers. Glue takes a while to dry and
can bleed colors. Glue sticks tend to make lumps under the images.
- Magazines, wall calendars, and other images:
Gather all the magazines and other images you can. The intention is to cut these things up so
chose only those magazines and calendars and such that you don't mind cutting.
How the process works:
This entire process takes less that an hour (not including setup and cleanup):
- Gather all your tools and supplies and prepare your work area.
- Spend 15 minutes (and only 15 minutes) thinking or meditating on a subject or idea.
- Spend the next 15 minutes (and only 15 minutes) leafing through whatever magazines and other images
you have and put to one side any images that "call" to you. Don't overthink this part. Just pull what attracts
your attention.
- Spend the next 15 minutes (and only 15 minutes) clipping, gluing and placing the images onto a card.
The one tip I will give you is to select only images (pictures) as opposed to anything with words (text).
The reason for this is because images are more abstract -- symbolic -- and, to me, more of a right-brained activity.
The purpose of this exercise is to get away from your "analyser" for a while so sticking with images only will encourage that.
You will be surprised what you create in this short time. The most valuable thing I've learned
through this process is to turn off my analyser and let the creation simply flow. It's an amazing exercise in releasing
creative blocks!
There are no rules about how many images you need to use or how you place them. I tend to use
a background and just a couple of other images. Some people create amazing cards with several images. It's all
up to you.
Examples of my own Neters:
I have sprinkled some of my Neters through this page. I will work
to post larger versions of these images and others with a little background behind each. That part of this site is currently
in creation.
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