| 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.
Fire Tending
When I was about ten years old, the house next to ours burned completely to the ground. We were woken up around 3 a.m. by the sound of blaring sirens, and kept awake for hours by the acrid smell of smoke, the sharp snapping sounds of the flames, the shouts of many firemen, and the efforts everyone in the neighborhood was making to help the family whose home it was. It was a scary night for everyone, including me, who up until that point had only seen fire as “pretty”- white candles on the altar at church, green tapers in a holiday centerpiece. The idea that a single flame could burgeon out of control and destroy so much had never entered my young mind.
 A few years later I joined the Girl Scouts and spent many a happy evening sitting around campfires, singing songs, toasting marshmallows, savoring the warmth of the lingering flames. We used our fires for heating water and cooking our food on many a camping trip. I was learning that fire could be harnessed and used for good; that it wasn’t just destructive; that precautions could be taken.
Looking back on my relationship with fire over the years, I can see that I’ve grown and changed right along with my learning about this element. Yes, fire can be “pretty.” It can also be destructive. And at the same time it can be useful. I understand that it’s all a matter of balance. A campfire can be beautiful, and it can serve us in many ways, but if we don’t tend it carefully by keeping a bucket of water nearby, not leaving it alone and letting it burn cleanly… then we run the risk of unleashing fire’s destructiveness.
This is true of so many things in our lives, isn’t it? Each of our Inner Committee parts can be so helpful and uplifting, as long as we pay attention to it, give it space and room. But as soon as we start ignoring it or treating it badly in some way, it turns shadowy, dark, fierce, destructive.
The SoulCollage® card I’m sharing with you this month (above) is my archetypal card for Passion.
Note that the image of the woman is from a note card by Melissa Harris, one of my favorite artists of all time. I made this card intuitively, not knowing why I was putting these images together. Someone who saw it then told me it reminded them of the Hawaiian goddess Pele. In addition to being recognized as the goddess of fire, lightning, and volcanoes, Pele is also known for her creative power, passion, purpose, and profound love. When the figure on this card spoke to me, she said:
I am the one who lifts her arms to Spirit. I am the one who moves and dances her gratitude. I am the one with passion and fire for my life, my love, my heart, my wholeness. I am Fire Dancer. I am the passion within you. I am bright and burning and hot. I am the one who burns away the impurities in your life. I am the one who reminds you of your passion for the elements, your love of being outside and your innate love of Nature.
The wisdom she had to give me was:
Do not bury your passions, dear one. Bring them to the surface. Let them simmer and burn through your body, your mind, your spirit, and your life. Let your passions proclaim themselves (and you) to the world!
This led me to take an in-depth look at what my passions really were at that time in my life, and opened my heart to the awareness that passions well-tended, like well-tended flames, can burn hot and wild without destroying.
What are YOU passionate about right now, dear reader? What dreams, ideas, loves are burning brightly in YOUR heart? Take care to tend them, to give them air, to pay attention to these passions, so they don’t burn out, and so they don’t feel neglected and turn destructive on you.
Anne Marie Bennett is a writer, self-taught artist, website
goddess, cancer survivor, and SoulCollage® Facilitator / Trainer who was
mentored directly by Seena Frost. In 2005, she fell in love with SoulCollage®
and was inspired to use her professional experience along with Internet
technology as a means to serve the world by putting SoulCollage® "out there"
in a really big way with KaleidoSoul. Anne Marie lives in eastern
Massachusetts with her middle-aged husband, two elderly cats and one
youthful dog who keeps them all young. You can read more about her on her
website SOS Cancer Journeys.
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| OUR NEXT TELE-CLASS |
with SoulCollage® Facilitator
Glenda Cedarleaf in North Carolina
Sunday March 10
7 p.m. Eastern
Inspired by what Jane Fonda calls the "Third Act" this class
will help us use SoulCollage® to explore the meaning of our lives from the
perspective of who we have been through the first two phases of our lives,
who we are in the present and explore some visioning for our future. What is
our gift to the world, what is our legacy as we enter or are immersed in our
own Third Act?
Easily Accessible from Anywhere in the World!
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| Guest Columnist: Catherine Anderson |
My name is Catherine Anderson and I'm a SoulCollage® Facilitator
and Trainer from Charlotte, NC. I am delighted to be adding my
voice to Soul Songs and hope that my words inspire you to look more
deeply into your deck of SoulCollage® cards.
Fire: Flame of Passion
Set your life on fire.
Seek those who fan your flames.
--- Rumi
Fire is the essence of our existence. Without the heat and light of the sun, which is a blazing ball of fire, life as we know it on Planet Earth would not exist. In addition, fire is a daily necessity in many parts of the world as it is used to cook food, as a source of warmth, to forge tools, and in many other practical applications.
And yet fire has the capacity to be just the opposite of life-giving. It has unlimited destructive power and can ravage the landscape in short order. But fire can also purify and renew even as it destroys. This is the paradox of fire. We recognize that fire is an essential elemental component of life that gives and takes away, that generates fear and terror as well as instilling us with awe and wonder as we behold the forms of fire: the sun, the stars, fireworks, a bonfire, a campfire, candlelight.
Lighting a candle to create sacred space or to ask that a prayer be heard is an ancient ritual. We light candles in gratitude, we light candles in sorrow. The glow of candlelight is soft and comforting. When I light a candle, I feel that I am connecting to Spirit, to the mystery of the universe.
Fire is also a metaphor for passion and enthusiasm. As the saying goes: "The most powerful weapon on earth is the human soul on fire." When I was looking at my SoulCollage® cards to decide which to use for this article, I noticed a remarkably similar feel between my SoulEssence card and a card I call "Live Your Passion." They both contain the colors of fire: red, orange, yellow, black. They both remind me that my life is supported by the world of Spirit.
 My passion card reminds me that: "I am one who shares my inner fire with others. I am one who knows that all passion comes from a divine source. I am one who gives thanks for the abilities I have. I am one who knows that I am supported by the infinite universe in all I do."
One of my favorite rituals is a burning bowl ceremony. I light a fire in a safe container and then write what I want to let go of on a piece of paper - it may be an experience, a memory, a hurt or a sadness. I give thanks for the lessons the situation brought me, both pleasant and unpleasant, and release the paper into the flames. This ritual embodies the paradox of fire - its destructive abilities and its power of renewal, of allowing us to start fresh. This ritual allows me to let go of what no longer serves me.
 My "Fearless One" card (which is also the color of fire) says to me: "I am one who dives into life, trusting that I will grow wings when they are needed. I am one who shouts "yes" to life. I am one who is not afraid to show up in the world." It as if this card has heard the words of St. Ignatius of Loyola: "Go, set the world on fire."
We all have a unique flame within us. We are all capable of using this flame to take light with us wherever we go.
Catherine Anderson is the author of the book
The Creative Photographer. In addition to SoulCollage®
workshops, Catherine teaches photography, visual art journaling,
creativity and bookmaking workshops from her studio in Charlotte,
NC and leads Photography Retreats in the US, South Africa and
Italy. You can visit Catherine at her website.
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UPCOMING ONLINE WORKSHOP
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with Cat Caracelo, SoulCollage® Facilitator
and Life Coach in California
Click image above for more info now.
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CONTACT US!!
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| KaleidoSoul Creations |
As promised, we are featuring SoulCollage® cards
from our readers in each issue.
Each card below is a card that represents the Element - Fire from one SoulCollager's Deck.
Fire Goddess
Council Suit
Carrie
Wisconsin
I am the one who dances with FIRE.
I let FIRE burn away all that is no longer needed.
I let the power, the transformative force of FIRE move through me to clear the way.
I use the released energy to fuel change and growth.
From the ashes springs forth newness.
My Burning Heart
Council Suit
Judy
Massachusetts
I am one whose heart burns with
love for all that is sacred, both
seen and unseen. What I give
to you is Truth through the wisdom
of the heart, the burning desire
for freedom, and the devotional
expression of divine love.
Lust
Suit Unknown
Marina
Ukraine
I am the one who is burning with desire and passion, who is longing for the inaccessible, secret and forbidden. I am the one who wants to have the desirable right away. And I am the one who never dares to take action for fear of not getting the desirable. I want you to surrender to your passion and manifest it in reality! I can give you the strong power of desire to help you move forward and express yourself in the world. Don't repress me, for playing with fire is dangerous!
Fire
Council Suit
Melisa
Ontario, Canada
I am the one who burns out of control. Nothing and no one can stop me. I am passion, I am wild, I am intense heat. I am insatiable. I will consume everything in my path, including you. I am here to be tamed.
Fire
Suit Unknown
Cynthia
New York
I am one who burns, who holds power, who blazes hot.
Survival
Suit Unknown
Maxine
Canada
I am the one who shouts at my rage, you can no longer control me. Nor can you paint me with the fire of guilt, humiliation or self-loathing. I am free from the burning rage that dictated my every action. Thank you for being with me, where without you I would not have survived. Now go in peace, rest for I know this has been a long hard road that you needed to travel with me. Be happy for I am now strong, because of you my rage.
Please feel free to submit one of your cards for a future issue
by sending a reply email to this newsletter.
Future themes include:
Mother Earth/Gaia
Seasons: Spring
Time
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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®!
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NEW ONLINE WORKSHOP
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with Anne Marie Bennett, SoulCollage® Facilitator
and Trainer in Massachusetts and points beyond
March 16-30, 2013
Click image above for more info now.
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Upcoming SoulCollage® Retreats
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MASSACHUSETTS
Reweaving Our Lives in Times of Change
Westfield, MA
May 4-5, 2013
Facilitators: Anne Marie Bennett, John Pacheco (Anne Marie's brother!)
Are you currently experiencing some kind of transition or change in your life?
Would you like some support in navigating the stress and upheaval that usually
accompanies any kind of transition? Could you use some immediate tools and
strategies to help you make these changes with grace, balance, and maybe even a
touch of humor? If so, this two-day weekend retreat might be just what you're
looking for!
GOOD NEWS: You can also pay in
several smaller payments.
Visit this page for
registration information.
NORTH CAROLINA
Deep Diving: A Mythos Journey Weekend with SoulCollage®
Charlotte, NC
May 31-June 1, 2013
Facilitator: Cat Caracelo
Discover and deepen your personal connections with a guided experiential workshop, incorporating mixed media art and several forms of image based collage including SoulCollage and more! Over two days, we will gather and explore the sacred space of the inner landscape. Presented with evocative imagery and touchstones, you will call up the energies of your own deep wisdom and explore the language of psyche and self, diving into archetypal, mythic and symbolic wisdom of the collective.
Visit this page for
registration information.
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Soul Songs Back Issuess
- 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 2013,
by Anne Marie Bennett and
Cat Caracelo, Imelda Maguire,
Kat Kirby, or Catherine Anderson.
Articles may be reprinted by permission only.
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Soul Songs
