Soul Singing with Anne Marie |
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.
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Our Next Tele-Class
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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
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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.
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Special Offerings
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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.
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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
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KaleidoSoul Notes
Noteworthy
resources for anyone interested in SoulCollage®
Facilitator
Trainings: Information about content and
dates/locations of upcoming trainings of SoulCollage®
Facilitators.
SoulCollage 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!
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!
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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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