Soul Songs: Your SoulCollage NewsletterSoulSongs
Your SoulCollage® Newsletter

Enabling us to sing the songs
we were born to sing
through the practice
of SoulCollage®
Issue #57   March, 2010      Theme: Mothers/Daughters
Welcome!

Greetings, and welcome to Soul Songs, the official KaleidoSoul Newsletter, and the only monthly newsletter that focuses exclusively on SoulCollage® ideas, resources and artists.

Our intention is to fill each issue (and your life) with inspiration, soul-solace and delight.  Whether you are new to SoulCollage®, or already immersed in the creation of your deck, Soul Songs is for you. 

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Read back issues of Soul Songs on this KaleidoSoul page.

Soul Singing with Anne Marie
Anne Marie, the creator of KaleidoSoul.com
Hi!  I'm Anne Marie, the creator of KaleidoSoul.com, and a SoulCollage®  facilitator in Massachusetts.  If you're just starting to sing your song with SoulCollage®, this column is especially for you.

Mothers and Daughters and SoulCollage®... Oh My!

There are currently 15 cards in my SoulCollage® Deck which pertain to this universal theme of Mothers and Daughters. When I was first thinking about what to write about in this column, I laid them all out in front of me and tried to decide which one to focus on. Not able to decide, I am choosing to write about them all!

Two of these cards are Community cards. One is for my mom who passed away in 2004. The other is for my sister-in-law, Karen, whose two daughters are among the images I placed on her card.

Five of my mother/daughter cards are in the Committee Suit, all representing inner parts of me that are about mothering myself and others. One of them is my "Mommy and Me" card which is at the end of the "Cards from Readers" section to the right.

Six of these cards are Council Suit cards, which embody archetypes and spirit guides that are felt but not seen in my life. These include Mother Earth; Mother Archetype: Birthing; Mother Archetype: Unconditional Loving (see above); Mermaid Mother and Child; and two others which are currently nameless.

Another card in my Deck fits this theme but I'm not sure of its name. It's taken me a while on my SoulCollage® journey to be able to leave "Nameless" cards in my Deck!

And finally, I include my first chakra Companion, Brown Bear in this collection, because the part of me that is motherly often reminds me of a fierce mother bear with her cubs, doing anything to protect them.

An important point to note is that most of these Committee and Council cards were made intuitively, which means I was drawn to the images and glued them down, not knowing what they would say to me when I interpreted them. Because of this process, I was able to see and feel the huge impact that the Mother Archetype has had on my life so far. I am able to see many patterns weaving in and out of my life's fabric over the years, all of them pertaining to mothers and mothering.

At first, when these cards began emerging in my Deck, I thought to myself, "Oh, that can't be right. The Mother archetype can't be strong in my life because I am not a mother." Which shows you just how little I knew about archetypes back then! At one point I found an anonymous quote which read "Not all mothers bear children." And then it became so clear to me that the archetype of Mother has shown up in my life in a myriad of ways that have nothing to do with giving birth.

Suggestion:
Go through your own SoulCollage® Deck this month and pull out any cards that have anything at all to do with the themes of mothering, nurturing, birthing, creating... anything that is about Mother to you. Notice where in your life the archetypal Mother shows up. Or not. You may also enjoy our March tele-class which will explore more deeply the Mother-Daughter archetypes via the story of Demeter and Persephone (see below).

Recommended Reading:
Traveling with Pomegranates, by Sue Monk Kidd and Ann Kidd Taylor (Sue's daughter). Between 1998 and 2000, Sue and Ann travel throughout Greece and France. Sue, coming to grips with aging, longs to reconnect with her grown daughter, and struggles to enlarge a vision of swarming bees into a novel. Ann, just graduated from college, heartbroken and benumbed by the classic question about what to do with her life, grapples with a painful depression. As this modern-day Demeter and Persephone chronicle the richly symbolic and personal meaning of an array of inspiring figures and sites, they also each give voice to that most protean of connections: the bond of mother and daughter.

  
Anne Marie Bennett is a freelance writer, self-taught artist, SoulCollage® Facilitator and Facilitator Trainer who trained with Seena Frost. Her background is elementary education, computer software training, writing, and mixed media art. She lives, laughs, writes, and sings (and makes her own SoulCollage® cards!) in Beverly, MA. More of Anne Marie's cards/interpretations are available on her blog, Inner Surprises.
 

Our Next Tele-Class

Demeter and Persephone Myth: The Mother-Daughter Archetypes, with Cat Meehan and Darcy Meehan - SoulCollage® Facilitators in California.
  
Explore the complex dynamics found in the myth of Demeter and Persephone. Experience using an archetype to explore your deep self and various perspectives, emotions and states.

The interchangeable roles of mother and daughter (such as Persephone as the innocent maiden/child and Demeter as the Stone Mother) will be discussed using SoulCollage® examples and personal reflection. A guided meditation will be shared, with plenty of time for questions and sharing.

Cat and Darcy are both transformative artists using and teaching SoulCollage® as one method of art for healing. Cat's Website: Revisioning Life

Date: Sunday, March 28, 2010

Time:
7:00 pm Eastern, 6:00 pm Central,
5 pm Mountain, 4 pm Pacific,
1 pm Hawaiian, midnight in London,
Monday 10:00 am in Melbourne Australia
and Monday 12 noon in New Zealand
 
Soul Symphonies with Karen

My
name is Karen Mann and I'm a SoulCollage® facilitator from Melbourne, Australia. This column is for those of you who have already made some cards & are ready to discover the symphony of voices inside of you and around you. 



My Complex Relationship with my Mother

Wynonna Judd says "The mother-daughter relationship is the most complex." I certainly know my relationship with my mother is complex. Over the years, when I have drawn my Community Card for my mother, I have noticed that it always evokes a strong reaction in me. It may not always be the same reaction, but it certainly is strong.

My mother is a very practical and sensible woman. Sometimes when I draw my Community Card for my mother, I really connect with her grounded, matter-of-fact advice and feel as though she helps me connect with the practical side of myself. There are many times in my life when I really wish I was more like my mother: grounded, unflappable and level-headed.

I am the one who is reliable and dependable, caring and a good person. I give you unconditional support when you need it, even when I'm not always sure why you are doing what you are doing.

Other times when I draw my mother's Community Card, I connect with my need to be very different from her. This part of me doesn't want to be grounded and practical. It wants to reach for the stars; it wants to enjoy trying new things. This is the part of me that finds being sensible stifling and boring and staid.

I am the one who doesn't take risks easily, who has become stuck and worries too much. I need you to believe in yourself more, take more risks and strive to fulfill your potential and make a difference.

Herein rests the complexity... there is a part of me that craves my mother's simple, grounded, practical advice. There is a real sense of safety and comfort in knowing that my mother's advice is so sensible and no-nonsense, and a feeling that if I follow her advice (whether dispatched by her or via her Neter), everything will turn out OK. On the other hand, there is that part of me that wants to flee from her boring, predictable advice and find my own way, take some risks and really live. Can I really have both?

Through accepting the different messages my mother's Community Card shares with me, I have learnt to be more accepting of the complexities of my relationship with my mother. I can now sit more easily with the unsettling questions that surround my thoughts, beliefs and experiences relating to my mother and our relationship.

Can I be practical and grounded without getting stuck? Can I take risks without worrying too much? Can I stop worrying enough in order to be able to take some risks? Can I achieve the life of my dreams, while being there to support others? Can I be a good mother while fulfilling my own desires? These are all questions that arise for me when I think about my mother or draw her Community Card in a reading.

Oh my... it really is quite complex, isn't it?!?!?! I'm not sure how to answer those questions. Maybe I'll ring my mum for a chat. That always makes me feel better... 


Karen Mann is an artist, art teacher, Lifestyle Coach, yoga and meditation teacher, and SoulCollage® facilitator. Karen has been working with SoulCollage® cards for more than four years and facilitates a variety of SoulCollage® Groups. Karen also runs SoulCollage® Facilitator Training weekends. Karen offers regular workshops in Melbourne and Geelong, Australia, and is also available to travel to other regions in Australia. For more information, or to contact Karen, please visit her website,Flying Colours Creativity.
 

Special Offerings

Sacral Chakra Audio Program
with SoulCollage® Facilitator, Jenni Holloway

2 Part Tele-Session
(via phone)

March 7 & 21, 2010
11am - 12:30 pm Pacific Time
2 pm - 3:30 p.m. Eastern time

$35 per person (includes both classes, plus handouts)

The program starts with an Initiation Call (March 7) that will connect you to your emotional being and magical self via your Sacred (second) Chakra. Jenni will provide everyone with exercises to play with throughout the month so you can go deeper with more fully feeling the impact of your Sacral Chakra on your life experience.

We conclude the program with a Community Call (March 21) so that group members can share their chakra experiences with one another.

If you can't attend the live sessions, you can still register and access recordings of the calls to listen to at your leisure afterwards.

More information on Jenni's website.
KaleidoSoul Creations

As promised, we are featuring SoulCollage® cards from our readers in each issue.

Each card below is one SoulCollager's expression of their Mothers/Daughters Archetype. 
   
  


Universal Great Mother ~ Wise Mother
Council Suit
Raine
Sydney, Australia

I am the one who... has learned much and has much to give.

I am the one who... is in constant motion. Whose cycles are endless
and yet follow their natural, cyclic rhythm, each in turn.

As it has always been and as it should be.

I am the one who... trusts in her deep connection to the earth and the stars and the deep dark places of Spirit.

I am the one who... sings ancient memories in praise of the Ancestors.

I am the one who... reflects on the past with wise eyes.

Grateful for the gifts and with compassion for the sorrows.



 


MOVING ON
Community Suit
Ronnie (DJ's Mom, see below)
Florida

I am one who is free to live for ME!

I am one who loves our time together & looks forward to our tomorrows.

I am one who is your mother..sister..friend.

I am one who is so grateful for our Love.






  My Mother
Community Suit
DJ (Ronnie's daughter, see above)
Florida

I am one who remembers that knot in my stomach, every time you made me do the right thing. Like get up on time. Don't be lazy, Do your very best & sign it.

I am one who is ever so grateful for your relentless. Pushing me forward to become my very best.

I am one who laughs & loves my mother.






Mommy and Me
Committee Suit
Anne Marie
Massachusetts

I am the one who gives myself love and affection. I am the one who comforts and cuddles myself and pays attention to myself as a true mother would. I am the one who is there for me, no matter what.

 



Please feel free to submit one of your cards for a future issue by sending a reply email to this newsletter.


Future themes include:

Fifth Chakra Companions
Community Suit: Children
Sixth Chakra Companions
Anger
 
 
 

KaleidoSoul Notes
KaleidoSoul Notes

Noteworthy resources for anyone interested in SoulCollage®

Facilitator TrainingsFacilitator Trainings: Information about content and dates/locations of upcoming trainings of SoulCollage® Facilitators.


SoulCollage websiteSoulCollage website - Seena Frost created the process of SoulCollage®, and this is her website.


KaleidoSoul - Spinning the fragments of your world into wholeness and beauty through SoulCollage®.


Kindred Spirits Join our fast-growing worldwide membership of people who put the "soul" in SoulCollage®! Receive a weekly newsletter all about SoulCollage®, advance notice of new SoulCollage® materials, half- price discounts on all e-courses and e-books in the KaleidoSoul Shop and more!
 
Join Kindred Spirits
 
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Kindred Spirits Membership.




44 Page E-Book


Only $16.00
in the KaleidoSoul Shop

This popular e-book offers you lots of ideas for getting started and walks you through the interpretation process step by step, including much detail and abundant examples.

It also includes:
Specific suggestions for interpreting cards from different suits, several ideas for organizing your interpretations, and several Frequently Asked Questions about SoulCollage® card interpretation.

Continue your SoulCollage® journey with depth and wisdom!
Soul Songs Back Issues - Read back issues of Soul Songs on this KaleidoSoul page.
Just look for whatever SoulCollage® topic you are interested in,
and read to your heart's content!


 SoulCollage® is a trademarked process created by Seena B. Frost. 
For more information about Seena and the origins of SoulCollage®, please visit her website.


SoulCollage® cards are made either from one's own art or from images found in materials which have been bought by or given to the SoulCollage® card maker. These collaged cards are used only for the cardmaker's own inner exploration. SoulCollage® cards are not sold, traded, bartered, or copied (except as a back-up for the cardmakers own use) as is stated in the " Principles of SoulCollage®." Where SoulCollage® cards are available to be seen by others, it is for the purposes either of demonstrating the SoulCollage® process or of sharing the cardmakers' inner process in the context of community. SoulCollage® is grateful to the artists and photographers who make this deep awakening process possible and in all ways SoulCollage® seeks to be respectful of their rights.
  
All articles in SOUL SONGS are copyrighted 2010,
by Anne Marie Bennett and Karen Mann.
Articles may be reprinted by permission only.
 
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