Spiritual Mind Mapping
- Kathy Bresler
- 7 days ago
- 4 min read
I love a good mind map.
There’s something so incredibly satisfying about taking a swirling collection of thoughts or ideas and giving them shape and structure.
The Basics of Mind Mapping
If you’re unfamiliar, a mind map is a visual thinking tool that starts with a central idea that branches outward into related thoughts, questions, words, and possibilities. It’s a practice that helps us see connections, organize information, and make sense of what’s already taking up space in our minds.
For many of us, a mind map is an intuitive framework that allows us to turn a cluster of information into a colorful, memorable and highly organized diagram that works in line with your brain’s natural way of doing things.
According to MindMapping.com, this practice is perfect for:
Brainstorming and visualizing concepts
Presenting and communicating ideas
Graphic organizers and electronic notebooks
Running meetings more effectively
Outlining reports and documents
Simplifying task and project management
Writing essays
But what happens when you’re trying to understand something you don’t quite have the words for, yet?
What if the answer isn’t hiding in another list, another branch, or another well-organized set of thoughts?
When Thinking Alone Has Its Limits
Mind mapping is useful when we can name what we know and connect the dots—helping us identify patterns and begin to see the bigger picture. But there are parts of ourselves that don’t arrive as tidy thoughts.
Intuition. Longings. Memories. Contradictions.
Feelings we haven’t found language for yet.
The quiet knowing that lives underneath all our analysis.
The truth is: sometimes the harder we try to think our way towards an answer only takes us further away from it.
This is where SoulCollage® comes in.
SoulCollage is a doorway to your inner wisdom. Using intuition and imagination, you create your own deck of collaged cards, where each card reflects a different aspect of who you are.
You don’t need to be artistic or especially creative to get started. All you need are simple supplies:
Scissors
Glue, glue stick, or double-sided tape
New, used, or found materials with images like magazines, newspapers, etc.
Construction paper or cardboard
With these, you will let your intuition guide you in making cards that reveal aspects of yourself—some that may even be new to you!
SoulCollage®: Illuminating the Path Within
I’ve come to think of SoulCollage as a form of spiritual mind mapping. A path to exploring our inner landscape in a new, unexpected way.
Unlike the mind map that branches out from a core concept, SoulCollage guides you toward your innermost knowing—the concepts at the core of your being. Instead of beginning with a question and immediately asking your mind to solve it or branch out from it, SoulCollage invites you to slow down and just notice.
An image catches your eye. You don’t necessarily know why. A face, a landscape, a gesture, an animal, a color, or an image of text feels meaningful.
You follow that feeling. You choose. You arrange. You create.
There’s no need to explain yourself along the way, and that’s an important part of the process. Because when we loosen our grip on needing to know what something means, or why we’re drawn to it, we make room for something unexpected to emerge from deep within ourselves.
From Mapping Ideas to Discovering Stories
Both mind mapping and SoulCollage have their own beauty and purpose:
Mind mapping helps us organize the story we already know.
SoulCollage can help us discover a story that is still unfolding.
Both practices are useful tools when we’re trying to get to the bottom of something. But I have to admit that I was hesitant to try SoulCollage in the beginning…
Until I tried SoulCollage, I had never done ANYTHING artistic in all my life. As a kid, I was the one who suffered through art classes paralyzed by the fear of not “doing it right.” Seeing how freely others expressed themselves, I came to believe I lacked some fundamental creative gene. Given this inauspicious start, I am the last person who ever thought they would embrace the making of art as a spiritual practice.
But when I first discovered SoulCollage the joy of the creative process swept me away. The power of using images to convey and uncover meaning was intoxicating and I made close to 40 cards in the first four months. For nearly twenty years, the process has continued to be one of discovery and delight for me.
It has opened my eyes to the fact that the practice of soul tending does not have to be difficult or serious in order to be profound. It can be playful, exuberant, joyful and creative. The depth comes from the opening that creative self-expression brings and the access to our own deepest wisdom.
Is SoulCollage Just a Creative or Spiritual Mind Map?
Not exactly. And that’s the point!
I love mind maps because they help me think, organize, and connect ideas. I love SoulCollage because it helps me tap into my innate wonder, wisdom and uncover stories within myself. Simply put:
Mind mapping helps us organize what we know when we have the words for it.
SoulCollage helps us discover what we know—before we even have words for it.
Together, these practices broaden our horizons and build a practice for honoring the deepest parts of ourselves.
Gallery of Kathy's SoulCollage® Cards
Want to try SoulCollage® in Chicago?
At ALTAR, we keep SoulCollage supplies on hand for anytime the desire strikes! ALTAR Members have access to our SoulCollage station almost anytime. We also host SoulCollage workshops and Open Studios periodically, often during our Open House events.
