Put Your Strengths to Work

Ulrica. Watercolor on paper, 8 x 10 inches © 2010 by Kathy Crabbe. From the Creative Soul Card® Series: http://tiny.cc/d0rwm Abundance is...

Knowing your strengths and working from them, rather than strengthening your weaknesses.

An awesome book about discovering and implementing your strengths is titled  Go, Put Your Strengths to Work by Marcus Buckingham. His book includes the Strengthsfinder Test (an online test that requires a code from his book) to determine your top five strengths.

There are four strength domains:

  1. Relating Themes (working with people)
  2. Impacting Themes (influencing people)
  3. Thinking Themes (working smarter)
  4. Striving Themes (Working harder

My Top Five Strengths:

My top five strengths are "thinking themes" (working smarter) and a "striving theme" (working harder).

1. Ideation: fascinated by ideas 2. Input: inquisitive 3. Intellection: like to think 4. Achiever: drive and constant need for achievement 5. Learner: love to learn

My strength is in working with groups (SiStars!) online! I enjoy leading and bringing women together and I love sharing ideas with others who value those ideas. I love the energy and power of a group.

Groups I have loved:

* School (Queen's University and St. Lawrence College esp.) * Camp * Orchestras/bands * Writer's Cafe (I founded this group a few years ago) * Sawdust Festival (an art festival in Laguna Beach I was in for eight years) * My Creative Soul Circle (my online Soul SiStars!)

What has made me strong: Knowing what it feels like to be on the outside of a group and wanting instead to create a group for others who know what it feels like not to fit in. I also have a desire to be loved for who I am.

Having both parents as teachers, I saw the ins and outs, pluses and minuses of working within the traditional school system and realized that if I wanted to fit into a group, that I needed to create my own ~ the story of my life; making my own way, but with devoted friends. We go where the juice is! I've also journalled, dreamed and drawn forever, so now it's time to SHARE!

What are your top five strengths and how are you applying them to bring forth your brilliance and truly shine?

Discipline, Balance & Strength: Capricorn Collages

I'm finally back in the collage-swing-of-things along with a VERY lively group of Divine Feminine Moon Musing students for the Capricorn 2011 Term of my 4 week eClass...a very impressive bunch! I encourage all my students to create at least one collage during the class, but if they're feeling extra motivated I also encourage them to create 3 separate collages for each phase of the moon. I'd slacked off a bit with my moon collage creations, but set the intention of committing to the collage process starting in January of 2011  (that Cappie New Moon does indeed help with discipline, don'tcha think?)

Moon Collage by Kathy Crabbe Jan. 2011

Moon Collage by Kathy Crabbe Jan. 2011

Here's my own collage created for the New Moon in Capricorn, Full Moon in Cancer and the Waning Moon in Scorpio.

The background is taken from one of my newest paintings which is part of my Journey Into Intimacy Series.

I incorporated three of my Lefty Oracle Cards which I had chosen for each of the moon phases (Skell, Sharmin' and Guess).

The Yin Yang symbol in the upper right and the Black Mermaid (from my Laguna Beach Mermaid Series) in the lower right represent the balancing act I'm doing between life/art/work which is also represented by the half goat, half fish symbolizing the zodiac sign of Capricorn.

The circle of copper ribbon that I've sewed onto the collage represents the dedication and focus that is required to develop my Creative Soul Circle.

Divine Feminine Moon Musing Student Collages

New Moon Collage by Annalee Jackofsky

New Moon Collage by Annalee Jackofsky

Annalee JackofskyMoon Name: Athena Watersong Website: www.homegrownstringband.com

For my new moon collage I chose pictures that showed how I wanted to be empowered by the moon, along with quotes and song lyrics that I felt expressed the inspiration I was looking to find in the next month.

Full Moon in Cancer Collage by Annalee Jackofsky

Full Moon in Cancer Collage by Annalee Jackofsky

In my full moon collage I expressed the seeds of intention I had planted through words and pictures. I included a picture of the cycle of the moon to show how I had changed throughout the month. I also added pictures of my power animals, and the names of the two goddesses that have guided me this month along with their strengths that I wish to find in myself.

Capricorn New Moon Collage by Rona Bennett

Capricorn New Moon Collage by Rona Bennett

Rona BennetMoon Name: Moonbow

Awaken Your Divine Feminine Soul: Register here for the next eClass.

Museletter: Aquarius New Moon Musings

New Moon In AquariusFebruary 2, 2011 6:31 pm pst

This month’s New Moon is in the sign of Aquarius, a fixed air sign. You know the type…usually on the outer edge of everything peering in, or lost in space, or surrounded by a large group of friends, but not really close to any of them.

Aquarians are known for their independence, individuality and detachment. Their shadow side comes out in contrariness, rebellion and emotional unavailability.

Moon in Aquarius calls us to the circle, collaboration and collectivization. We recognize that what one does effects us all. We tend the web of community as natural team-builders.

More Aquarian Stuff

Aquarius – the water bearer Time of Year – Winter, Imbolc Quality – fixed Element – air Ruler – Uranus Anatomy – bloodstream, circulation, shins, ankles Natural sign of – 11th house Opposite sign – Leo Color – electric blue, turquoise, silver Gemstone – obsidian, opal, sapphire Tarot card – the star Goddesses – Feng P’O P’O, Freya, Ix Chel, Nut, Tien-Mu

More About The Lunar Cycles

The new moon is the perfect time of the month to plant seeds of intention for the month ahead. It is a time of trust, of beginnings and of letting go into intuition. The new moon lies in darkness, not yet reflecting the light of the sun, so our intentions may not yet be fully revealed to us and therefore trust is necessary - trust and faith that your newly planted seeds are indeed germinating beneath ground.

Allow the moon maiden/mother/crone to be your touchstone for balance, serenity and divine knowing. Let her cool, pale fingers touch your spirit as your soul flows knowingly, calmly, and with strength into divine being-ness. Allow her to be your support system to keep you pure, whole, holy and connected with your soul’s true purpose. Bless her as you bless yourself, for truly, we are all One.

The moon changes signs approximately every 2 ½ days, going through all twelve signs of the Zodiac every 29 ½ days. The sign that the moon is in reflects qualities of your inner self and being-ness. Each month there is at least one new moon that will rise at sunrise and set at sunset. Astrologically speaking this means that the sun and the moon are in conjunction.

My version of Aquarius

Abraxia is part of a series of left handed drawings I created over a period of five years. To me she represents the essence of Aquarius – independent, unusual, and “Nut-like” – as in the Egyptian Goddess Nut, ruler of the night sky. It’s a good idea to keep Abraxia in front of you as you prepare to answer her questions, and yes, she does like an audience although she may not admit it! So keep a pen and paper handy to take notes starting off with how she makes you feel – first impressions are best.

Abraxia’s Questions:

When have you gone out on a limb recently and how did it feel?

Choose a symbol to represent how that feels.

As you sit and ponder your New Moon intentions (you have written them out, haven’t you?!) ask yourself what first step you could take that would satisfy that symbol you’ve just come up with for yourself.

Describe that first step in detail.

Now, to take this exercise even further I’m going to ask you to be very Aquarian with your plan and to share it with the world-at-large or at least with your friends so that we can all learn from you. How will you do this? How does this idea make you feel?

An Abraxian Exercise

Go outside (especially at sunset) and wave your arms in the air as you let your fingers tingle and shimmy. You are Goddess Divine upholding the sky. Repeat 3 times after me:

“I AM GODDESS DIVINE” “I AM GODDESS DIVINE” “I AM GODDESS DIVINE”

Now, get out there and save the world, as only you can!

Aquarian Gemstone Messages

A Message from Opal:

Let yourself be colorful in a subtle way. Then one day surprise yourself by doing something wildly colorful, no holds barred – let your inner imp out to play and feel the freedom that accompanies your decision.

Now congratulate yourself on being brave and remember you can always switch gears and tone things down at any time, especially if you start to get carried away (having too much fun!)

A Message from Obsidian:

Don’t be afraid to take a chance on love – you’re worth it!

Sparkly Blessings to All!

The artwork featured above is from Kathy’s Goddess Zodiac deck and Creative Soul Card® deck, two of the four decks she incorporates into her creative soul readings.

Kathy is currently teaching a 4 week (1 lunar cycle) eCourse called Awaken Your Divine Feminine Soul” in her private  forum site, The Creative Soul Circle. “I hope this course inspires you to discover and express your passionate, intuitive selves. As women I believe the moon can help guide and challenge us to know our instinctual, emotional self in a balanced, harmonious and soulful way. Isn’t it time you awakened the divine feminine within yourself?”

Scorpio Waning Moon Musings

Aging shimmier seeks same. Watercolor on paper, 8 x 10 inches © 2010 by Kathy Crabbe. From the Creative Soul Card® Series Amp Amp Amp it up! (music to get the blood pumping).

What are you releasing this Waning Moon in Scorpio cycle? (Jan. 26 to Feb. 1) And how does it tie into the Full Moon Flowering and New Moon seeds of intention that you (hopefully) planted earlier this month? To hear more about my personal journey I'll be spilling in my Creative Soul Circle and Divine Feminine eClass.

My Shout-Out and Creative Soul Questions for you this Waning Moon are:

1. Are you stretching yourself and your precious time too thin?

2. What can you release to make room for more time with your honey, with yourself, and with your precious loved ones?

3. If you're feeling stuck, why not choose a Creative Soul Card® here on Flickr.

Coming Soon: a digital card pull featuring the Creative Soul Cards®

Creative Soul Affirmation: I let go and release BUSY-WORK: that which keeps me busy yet unfocused and undisciplined towards what I really need to focus upon, which is...(feel free to add your comments below).

Being in Love

In Process. Acrylic & pastel on masonite, 48 x 48 inches. © 2011 by Kathy Crabbe Sometimes being creative simply means being in love...with yourself, and then sharing that love with the world.

My Ideal Morning

  1. Get up early. Pet dog.
  2. Walk around property. Listen to the birds.
  3. Start painting and rock out to tunes.

Journey Into Intimacy Series

2010 Abstracts

2009 Abstracts

art-in-process blog posts