Befriending Our Shadow: A SoulCollage® Day Retreat
Susan Miller, PhD, LCMHC, SD - SoulCollage Facilitator
10:00 - 4:00pm Saturday May 30, 2026
Artmosphere Community Arts Center
3919 Raleigh Rd Clayton, NC 27520
“The shadow is not the enemy. It is the part that carries what we have yet to see and integrate….” Seena Frost
Step into a day of deep listening, creativity, and compassionate self-discovery. Through the intuitive process of SoulCollage®, we will explore and befriend the hidden or disowned parts of ourselves—our “shadow.”
Often, these shadow aspects show up as troublemakers in our lives—patterns, reactions, or inner critics we would rather avoid. Yet, when we gently turn toward them, we begin to discover that they are not our enemies, but powerful allies—guides and catalysts leading us toward our most authentic, whole selves.
Connie Zweig describes Shadow in this way:
"Dr. Carl Jung coined the term Shadow to refer to this area of the unconscious mind, which is outside of the light of awareness.... in psychology, it is understood to be an innate part of human nature that only becomes problematic when it is acted out destructively.
When we are very young and an impulse is banished to this darkness (“Stop that crying now!” “Don’t you dare speak to me that way!”), it serves us, protecting our vulnerability among adults. But over time, these unconscious forces take on a life of their own, building charge and forming shadow figures (an inability to cry, a fear of speaking up), which emerge as limiting and self-sabotaging feelings and behaviors."
Ann Marie Bennett says this about Shadow parts in SoulCollage®:
"In SoulCollage®, developed by Seena Frost, "shadow parts" are often represented as shadowed cards or members of the Committee suit that hold us back, make us unhappy, or are embarrassing and hidden from others. Frost encourages creating these SoulCollage® cards to acknowledge and integrate them, leading to wholeness, rather than hiding them. in a unique and accessible way, so that you can shed light on them and build an ongoing, conscious relationship to them."
As we welcome these parts with curiosity and care, we open the doorway to greater freedom, self-acceptance, and inner alignment, re-balancing ourselves.
The SoulCollage® process is a simple yet meaningful creative practice of making your own unique deck of cards using images that call to your heart, accompanied by guided journaling and reflection. In this gentle, yet powerful method, inner voices and parts of the self are seen, heard, and honored.
No artistic experience is needed—only a willingness to explore, create, and listen within a supportive, safe and sacred space. We will be at a lovely spacious venue in Clayton, NC at Artmosphere Community Arts Center.
This Day Retreat is an appropriate workshop for beginners/newbies to SoulCollage® and those who have experienced SoulCollage® before! So bring a friend! Cash discount and payment plan available.
All supplies are provided. You will receive a welcome email from Susan Miller, your SoulCollage® Facilitator, with preparation information prior to the workshop.
Susan Miller, PhD, LCMHC is a mixed media artist, integrative creative & healing arts therapist and coach, spiritual director and SoulCollage® facilitator.