Deb Dana, well known therapist, author, and educator, whose work has been deeply informed by Stephen Porges and Polyvagal Theory, speaks often about getting familiar with our different nervous system states. The more viscerally we can identify them, the greater chance we have of identifying where we are on our autonomic ladder at any moment. With this awareness we can respond with the care and support we need instead of simply being unconsciously animated.

In a class with Deb she invited us to access our sympathetic state, our dorsal vagal state, and our ventral vagal state so that we could draw them, give voice to how they feel in our bodies and how different states express behaviorally for us. It was a good invitation and I noticed I needed more help accessing the felt sense of these states because my brain struggles to visualize. I developed Soul Oracle as a tool to support me with visualization. It has expanded to be a important relational practice I have with my inner and outer experiences (parts.)

These three cards are some of my closest inner relations. I keep them in my office so I always see them when I am online with people. I keep them close because they are parts of me that have wisdom and care to offer me. Each of them in their own way is trying to keep me safe and resourced.

I do prefer when I am embodying “She who is resourced, embodied, and connected.” This is the place of greatest ease and relational connection. Of course I am more drawn to that, however I owe a debit of care to these other parts for how they have worked tirelessly to keep me safe.

“She who takes authority to feel safe even if it isn’t earned” has been incredibly supportive in my life. She helped me boldly go where I had no right to go and with her help we did some amazing things. I ran a non-profit, did a huge city wide art project, and ran a healing arts collective. Did I eventually burnout in an epic mess, yes… but she really did everything she could to help me. In addition it was her that came to my rescue time and time again in my childhood. I love her strength and her confidence.

“She who hides away, alone, and safe” has been vital in my life too. Life often gets so overwhelming for my brain and I need a refuge where I can shield myself from all the outside stimulus. She helped me move into the woods which has been one of the best things I ever did for my nervous systems health. She stops me from taking action, doing work, or risking rejection. She knows how much I hurt when I am rejected and works really hard to keep me small and safe.

Life will be an ongoing dance with these nervous system states. While I might prefer one dance over another, each of them is in service of my safety. When I first started addressing my trauma fifteen years ago, I falsely believed that I would eventually arrive at a perpetual regulated state. In reality a healthy nervous system has choice, awareness, flexibility, and resilience. We will always dance with dysregulation.

For me the painful part was feeling like a puppet rigidly responding in predictable and habituated ways without any say or control of my own. It felt like being on a spooky amusement park ride that both consumed me and anesthetized me into believing a false narrative. Sensing and believing in a dangerous story even when everyone around me was caring about me and wanted to help.

Now each of these parts are welcomed allies signaling, for example, unmet needs, boundary violations, excessive doing, security, or care. Working with my cards gives me just enough distance from my experience to begin engaging with them with curiosity from my seat of Self. Something Dr. Schwartz refers to as unblending.

Soul Oracle is an archetypal parts work practice that uses oracle cards as entry points to our archetypal wisdom, insights, and intuition. Unlike typical tarot or oracle readings you are the reader and sometimes even the creator of your own cards. You will be supported in the practice of embodying your cards in a similar way as other parts work modalities. This works intention is to support an inclusive and compassionate relationship with all our animators (parts), inner and outer.