What do I see?

During a recent Soul Collage Event in my home, the beautiful face* featured here along with the photo of the white Cockatiel begged to be placed on the small collage card which I was creating. For me, the "call and the culling" of myriad paper images is a rather mystical, perhaps whimsical part of the Soul Collage process. Continually surprised at the random selection of images finding their way to a small, personal card, I am truly taken to another place when the images speak out from their pasted surface revealing the card's relevance to my life. 

The decorated face had a lot to say to me on the evening of the event and this a.m. in contemplation, I unraveled the bird's voice to me.  (BTW - the Cockatiel "insisted" on being placed on the card during the last moments of the pasting process - I had no idea why the bird had to come to rest on the card until today!)

To a specific set of questions from the SC Leader, this is what the card answered to me in my own words - first the question to the image, followed by my own response -

-Who are you? I am the one....who is confident with whom and with what I am.  I am the one comfortable in my own skin whether others love my image or not.

-What do you have to give me? What I have to give you is...confidence, creativity, and youthfulness.

-What do you want from me? What I want from you is...trust, respect, and friendship. 

And as mentioned above, in contemplation and reverence this a.m. the "Cockatiel" spoke to me revealing yet another aspect of the card for my reflection.

-Who are you?  I am the one.....who endorses your positive traits and image.

-What do you have to give me? What I have to give to you is - blessing, assurance, and spiritual fulfillment.

-What do you want from me?  What I want from you is.....love, steadfastness, worship and thanksgiving.

The Cockatiel?......perhaps THE essential voice echoing an affirmation of things seen and sometimes unseen but there nevertheless.

*the beautiful face - I first encountered this face via a YouTube video sent to me from an artist friend.  Within days of the first encounter, I came upon a coffeetable book of these faces and bodies.  The book featured the work of Hans Silvester in the book "Natural Fashion/Tribal Decoration from Africa."  So charmed by the images, I then purchased a copy of the book for myself and my artist friend.  When the image reappeared in the random images for use in the Soul Collage Workshop, I picked it up thinking it was only a beautiful picture.  I had no idea how Mr. Silvester's images were speaking to me.