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Sacred Dance Cards Guide
by Carola Marashi
Copyright ©2008 2nd Edition, 2007 1st Edition
Sacred Dance Cards + Guide with Games and Spreads + Fabric Pouch
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A PEAK INSIDE THE SACRED DANCE CARDS GUIDE
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction 4
Authenticity 6
Integrity 7
Diversity 8
Creativity 9
The Sacred Dance Journey 10
The Spreads 12
The Path 4 Directions 13
The Tree 15
The Shaman Drum 17
The Wild Card 19
The Journey into the Woods 20
Sacred Playground 5 Card 21
LIVE! Sacred Dance Reading 23
22 GAMES To Enliven You 25
22 Sacred Dance Cards 35
About Carola Marashi 113
Dance For Community 114
THE CARDS QUICK INDEX
1. VESSEL 36
2. EMPTY SPACE 40
3. INTIMACY 44
4. REMEMBER 48
5. SACRED PLAYGROUND 52
6. WATER 56
7. EMERGE 59
8. FIRE 62
9. GARGOYLE 66
10. PATH 69
11. SHAMAN DRUM 73
12. SUNBURST 76
13. ELASTIC 80
14. FAMILY 84
15. HOPE 88
16. SHOUT! 92
17. WEB 94
18. ANCESTORS 96
19. HALLOW TREE 99
20. REFLECTION 102
21. WILD CARD 106
22. WISE FOOL 109
INTRODUCTION
The Sacred Dance Cards are designed
to guide you into an intimate dance with yourself.
When you ‘play’ the cards, be willing to be led
into your body, mind, and soul.
YOUR LIFE IS YOUR DANCE.
Vision yourself as a contact improvisation dancer.
How do you connect with yourself and
With intimate others?
Vision yourself as a free-style dancer.
How do you move within your community-
socially, personally, and creatively?
Vision yourself as an ‘ecstatic’ dancer.
Your dance is your prayer.
Your life is your dance.
Follow your innocence.
Lean on your integrity.
Stretch your values of diversity.
Grasp opportunities to be seen, heard and felt.
Express your creativity. It’s your gift to the world!
Sacred Dance Cards are divided into 4 families:
- Authenticity
- Integrity
- Diversity
- and Creativity
AUTHENTICITY
“Spirit is looking for a human body so it can be
seen, heard and experienced.”
Cards for Innocence:
- VESSEL
- EMPTY SPACE
- INTIMACY
- REMEMBER
- SACRED PLAYGROUND
- WATER
THE INVITATION- To be authentic. Completely surrender, fall into, be swept by the dance- THE DANCE OF LIFE.
Experience life as a sacred playground. Full of empty space, un-edited, raw,
spontaneous and judgment free.
Timeless with no past, present, or future.
We see, hear, feel,
and appreciate each other.
we accept, include,
and unconditionally love each other.
Each game in life is new, full of wonder and awe,
curious, open, vulnerable, with-out agenda.
We move through life like a curious child, wiggle, squirm, swim.
We connect fully with everything around.
INTEGRITY
“Gargoyles protect my treasures what is near and dear to me. My challenges strengthen my gargoyles.”
Cards for Discernment:
- EMERGE
- FIRE
- GARGOYLE
- PATH
- SHAMAN DRUM
- SUNBURST
THE INVITATION-
With movement and expression
COME OUT of the birth canal
that is our comfort zone.
COME INTO being human
and stretch our boundaries.
Life is safe enough to
take risks, stretch comfort zone,
and meet conflict and challenges
(gargoyles and dragons).
We test tools to rip and tear
and burn away façade.
We desire truth. Search truth.
Moving through life we change perspective.
Growl, hiss. Bite, scratch.
Bump, push, pull.
Spirit birthing human.
This IS me. This ISN’T me.
Male. Female.
In. Out.
DIVERSITY
‘There are no mistakes. When i’m willing to learn I gain wisdom.”
Cards for Respons-abilty:
- ELASTIC
- FAMILY
- HOPE
- SHOUT
- WEB
THE INVITATION-
To hold the opposites.
hold onto letting go.
be ruled by the sun and moon.
give and receive love; and
include diversity within unity.
Move through life
ABLE TO RESPOND.
Fear melts with understanding.
Understanding generates compassion.
Compassion strengthens willingness
To integrate differences.
Respons-ability leads to freedom.
Adults create agreements:
agree to disagree,
play to WIN/WIN,
reach consensus.
Hope, faith, belief in miracles
come from transcending self imposed limitations.
Integrating prejudice. Living through catastrophe.
Transforming tragedy into comedy.
CREATIVITY
“Art wants to be seen. Poetry wants to be heard. Love needs to be shared. ‘
Cards for Service:
- ANCESTORS
- HALLOW TREE
- REFLECTION
- WILD CARD
- WISE FOOL
THE INVITATION-
To enjoy, celebrate creation,
give away love-attention,
delight in being alive,
cry and laugh,
come out and play.
Return home abundant with
wisdom, wealth, and wholeness.
Home where the Wild play.
There is always enough time,
honesty, and compassion to share.
It’s okay that questions don’t have answers.
Facilitate your own dance!
Dance to your own beat.
Play your own rhythm.
Sing your own tune.
Dare to be off key.
Embrace the awkwardness.
Fumble into ecstasy.
Now! Your dance is contagious!
Sample Card Spreads for Readings
SACRED PLAYGROUND – 5 CARD DRAW
- SWING SET
- SLIDE
- JUNGLE GYM
- MERRY GO ROUND
- BALL FIELD
If you’re inside, find a cup and spoon.
If you’re outside, find 2 sticks.
Whichever you have, they are your musical instruments. Make sound!!
clink! clink! or clack! clack!
Now that you’ve cleared the air,
Take in a few big breaths. it’s time for recess!
Shuffle the deck. remember the sounds in your playground- screeches of delight and laughter.
Now spread all your cards out in front of you.
Where in your life
can you recapture your innocence?
TAG! You’re It!
Does some part of YOU desire to be chased?
OPEN your playing field a little larger-
NOW you don’t have to feel so ‘out of bounds’?
1ST CARD: SWING SET
Open up. Widen your groove.
2ND CARD: SLIDE
Loosen up. How can you slip and slide?
3RD CARD: JUNGLE GYM
Shake it up!
Whatever you’ve been serious about- take a break and go monkey around!
4TH CARD: MERRY-GO-ROUND
Take a ride – on a horse, scooter, or bike.
5TH CARD: BALL FIELD
Open your playing field! GO WAY OUT! FAR-OUT!
SACRED PLAYGROUND CARD 5
in my sacred village
there is a sacred playground
in my sacred playground
i get to be my super heroes
spiderman, wonder woman, alice in wonderland
persephone, hades, kali, god
i get to be all of them
like queen, witch, monster, good fairy.
my playground includes all of me
cry baby, bully, know it all, pig pen
sticks and stones may brake my bones but names will never hurt me
when you enter my playground we move into NOW time zone.
your dream and my dream meet the light of day together we dream awake
all dreams come true
there is a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow
and all stories are happily ever after…
AFTER
we play our nightmares
we throw temper tantrums, we flail, we suffer,
we whine and wail, and murder and die.
we meet the monster,
become the monster,
eat the monster.
past good and evil,
heaven and hell,
we create a magic circle.
what protects my sacred playground?
my gargoyles! my dragons! my monsters
i’ve made friends with!
magic surrounds my playground with love.
i invite you to play in my sacred playground.
all we need to play
is willingness to use what we have in common-
long ears, pointy snouts, fat tongues.
we agree to follow our noses, guts, our hearts.
willing to trust that we all desire
the same things
to be seen, to be heard, to be felt,
to be accepted just the way we are.
If you pulled sacred playground,
magic is afoot.
your magic toy box is full.
in your magic box is Curiosity.
very detailed chants and charms to cast your spells.
a wide open heart full of compassion.
and blessings from those who love you.
right now imagine in detail- your favorite place.
see yourself in the picture.
smell the scents around you.
absorb the light around you.
fill your ears with children’s laughter.
if you’ve been serious,
it’s time to lighten up and play.
laugh so hard you belly aches.
laugh so hard you start to cry.
you’re the captain of your favorite team.
the cheerleaders are cheering for you.
your magic is contagious.
everyone wants to come play with you in your Sacred Playground!
Copyright ©2008 2nd Edition, 2007 1st Edition
by Carola Marashi. All rights reserved.
All artwork original to Carola Marashi, copyright,
All rights reserved. No portion of this book or the accompanying cards may be reproduced, published, disseminated, or altered without the written authority of the author.
All cards and book printed on recycled paper.
All art is original from Carola Marashi.
To purchase additional copies of this guide
and sacred dance cards, contact the author at
carola@bodychoir.org
www.dancebodychoir.com
ISBN 0-9633460-2-4
Touching Publications
623 Normal Avenue
Ashland, OR 97520
Published and printed in the US.