Soul Treasures
Discovering the depths of our precious inner beauty through SoulCollage®
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KaleidoSoul's Members-Only Weekly Newsletter
Issue #48 February 26, 2007
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Quotation of the Week
If you don't love yourself, you cannot love others. You will not be able to love others. If you have no compassion for yourself then you are not able of developing compassion for others.
-- Dalai Lama
Inner Journeys
with Anne Marie Bennett
Integrating the Practice of SoulCollage® into Your Daily Life
Self-Loathing
 Someone once asked the Dalai Lama what he thought we should do about the problem of self-hatred that is so prevalent in the world today. He was speaking at a huge conference of meditation teachers, so there were several interpreters present as well.
After spending more than thirty minutes with the interpreters, he finally announced that he couldn't answer the question, because he couldn't understand the question. It seems that there is no word or reference point in the Tibetan language/culture for the concept of self-hatred. None of the interpreters were able to convey the meaning to him, no matter how they tried to explain it.
I heard this story at a retreat four months ago and I've been letting it keep me company ever since. It is so hard to imagine living in a world where the concept of self-loathing is nonexistent. All I can do is try to visualize my own life without it, and then attempt to live into that image. So I've been doing exactly that.
About a year ago I was working with my therapist on the concept of feeling like I was "not enough." I made a SoulCollage card to pay respect to the part of me who has always felt this way
 (see card below).
I did a lot of work in therapy (and out) with this inner voice, and also with the voices who made this part feel this way.
Eventually I made a card for the part of me who IS enough, just as I am. You can see it in the upper left corner of the Inner Surprises blog.
And what's been happening in my inner world, I've noticed, is that the voices that made me feel NOT ENOUGH (a lifetime's worth of old ancestral tapes and media messages) have quieted to such a low hush that my previous self-hatred now feels like a distant memory. I still have words for it, though. I will never be like the Dalai Lama who has no idea what self-loathing actually is. But the work I've done has dulled its intensity and stripped it of its power to get in the way of who I really am.
This is one of the main reasons why I'm so passionate about SoulCollage. It has such tremendous power to get me in touch with what's happening inside of me, and to find the light amidst the shadow.
Reflection activities of the week: How do you define the concept of self-hatred in your own world? Be excruciatingly honest with yourself. Do you hate yourself, even just a fraction of a bit? Is there a part of yourself that you loathe completely? Journal with this idea for a while this week. Make some SoulCollage cards for the parts of you who feel this way, and the parts of you who have been making you feel this way. Engage in inner conversation with all of these parts, and over time, you will find their power to hurt you lessens and releases.
SoulCollage Expressions
Idea of the Week
You might think about trying Crystal Clear bags to protect your SoulCollage cards. I order the following from www.crystalclearbags.com:
Crystal Clear Plastic Bags with Adhesive Strip on the Flap- 5 1/8" x 8" (130x203)
Order #B5X8
This size fits my 5 x 8 cards like a glove.
I've learned that I like to cut the adhesive flap off of my bags so my cards can 'breathe', and also so I can easily remove the cards in case I want to change them in the future. I recommend letting the finished card dry overnight before putting it in the bag. Otherwise excess glue can mess up the bag and make it stick to the card. (From Diana in MN)
Question of the Week
I am making a card intentionally and I just can't find the "right" image to complete it. What should I do?
Answer from Karen Mann:
There are a number of different ways that I have dealt with the dilemma of not being able to find the "right" image, including:
- Stop making the card until I do find the "right" image- trusting that when the timing is right, I will find the image. (I keep the images I've already collected in a folder until I'm ready to complete the card.)
- "Let go" of my expectations and set the intention to make the card, and enjoy the surprise of what images do combine which capture the same feeling as the image I pictured in my mind
- Do a web search (ie: google) so I can find something that matches my criteria
* You also could draw, paint, or photograph an image if you really wanted- remember, there are no RULES!
Soul Friends
The voice of a different Kindred Spirit each week!
Mary Reilly Mathews
Clinton, New York
 I stumbled onto SoulCollage on the internet in May of 2005. While I have extensive training and experience in the healing power of the imagination (working with Interactive Imagery, the Dream Interviewing Method, and Expressive Art Therapy), I had been working mostly with individuals. I was looking for a non-intimidating method that might be conducive to small group work. I ordered the SoulCollage book and some blank cards and took them with me to a day long art retreat. I started making cards intuitively and spontaneously. I knew I was on to something powerful when I took my first break, thinking that only an hour or so had passed. I was shocked to discover it was four hours later! I made 12 cards that day "in the flow" of timeless time. Even though I set out with no agenda, I later realized that each card spoke in sequence and captured powerful inner issues. It was like dreaming on paper!
I began offering SoulCollage in an 8 session-2.5 hour format limited to six group members. I combined Seena's group outline with an Interactive Imagery session. This has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my career! SoulCollage creates an opportunity to be deeply known and received by others. The group structure creates a sense of safety that allows people to participate at their own "risk" level. I think there is a deep need for small on-going group communities like this that encourage soul growth.
To date I have initiated three small groups. Two of these groups have formed an on-going commitment to each other. These groups have continued to meet long after the initial 8 sessions were over. These formerly total strangers are connected and supportive of each other outside the group setting now. Each group has its own language referring to particularly powerful or funny shared images. I have loved watching how our images evolve over time, and the repetition of certain themes or metaphors in an individual's work. I have loved watching how the group support over time has enabled folks to become a little more experimental with their lives! I love how the cards can continue to surprise you with new insights long after you have made them!
Sharing SoulCollage in these small groups has enabled me to share with others my life-long passion for the power of inner imagery. Who gets tired of hearing people enthusiastically say that the SoulCollage work has been "transformative," "life changing," "inspiring?" While it is all these things for an individual working on SoulCollage alone, being able to share your images and have them received safely by others seems to amplify the transformation process. I think it would be very valuable for anyone practicing SoulCollage to find a way to have an ongoing support team to share your images with. Group members often say that it is the commitment to the group that keeps their card making practice alive.
I tend to make my cards in pairs or "triptychs"....capturing the polarities of an issue and sometimes the "middle path" solution. I think it is important to acknowledge the shadowy saboteur energies in any issue, and equally important to capture the "light side". I find that my cards seem to make themselves quite spontaneously as an issue is "percolating" under the surface. I give myself a lot of permission to make any and all cards that seem to want to be made....whether I understand or like it or not! I often just let myself work with images that are calling to me. It never fails to have a mighty "logic" later! I feel that my cards are "tangible prayers." They represent both the healing I yearn for and what I desire to manifest more of in my life. There is something about making your prayers tangible in imagery that is very powerful.
For anyone planning to do group work, I encourage you to spend some time creating a simple structure that you can relax into. A lot of wonderful spontaneity can happen within the safety of a good structure!
I recently gave a talk at our Regional Cancer Center for their Integrative Medicine teaching day. The talk was titled "Imagination and Healing." My PowerPoint presentation was full of SoulCollage images from my clients and groups. If you think SoulCollage cards are powerful in your deck, you should see them enlarged on the big screen! They definitely held audience attention!
I am attaching two of my favorite SoulCollage cards. I was pleased to hear that Seeena now encourages the creation of your individual Spirit card and the Witness....I already had included them in my deck!
Contemplation
 I am one who is the Witness. I am one who empties myself in Contemplative prayer so I can receive silent Fullness. I am one who realizes there is more to the Witness than meets the eye!
Pollinating Spirit
I am one who cherishes this brief incarnation. I am one who needs to return to Source regularly to replenish my spirit. I am one who desires to pollinate my daily interactions with the joy, gratitude and love I gather from Source.
Kindred Spirits
Member News
Making the most of your KaleidoSoul Membership
Keep track of all of your member benefits on the Kindred Spirits Home Page.
If you ever forget your Member's Password, just email annemarie@kaleidosoul.com.
Other Things You Need to Know:
Last week's Tele-Playshop is now in your Members-Only Audio Library along with a page of resources we mentioned in the class. It's called Extra! Extra! Write All About It! and it's all about Creative Writing With Your SoulCollage Cards. Lots of great ideas.
Save 25% on
Mat Boards
Members Only-
Sale ends
February 28!
Upcoming Tele-Playshops
March:
Creating a Personal History Suit
for Your SoulCollage Deck
with special guest Anne Boedecker
Join us for a special hour with Anne Boedecker of Bow, New Hampshire, who has created a Personal History Suit for her SoulCollage Deck. She will talk about how she came to do this, and give suggestions for how you can do the same. She'll also lead you gently through a short process that will help you discern what your own Personal History Suit might look like. There will also be time for questions and idea sharing.
Anne Boedecker is a psychotherapist and collage artist who uses expressive art for spiritual growth and healing. Her passion is the creative care of the soul thorough art, music, writing, meditation and movement.
Date: Monday, March 19, 2007
time: 7:00 pm Eastern, 6:00 pm Central, 4:00 pm Pacific, 1:00 pm Hawaiian, 11 pm in Europe, and
Tuesday 10 a.m. in Australia.
Save the dates now. The tele-playshops are FR*EE for all members, always! We'll send you the phone number to call in upcoming issues of Soul Treasures. And remember, don't worry if you can't attend... we'll be recording them and you can listen to them anytime in your Member's Only Audio Library.
 Soul Nourishment
Books, movies, music, & websites to support your inner work as you dive deeper into your soul....
Books:
The Essential Dalai Lama- The best of all of the Dalai Lama's writings. Perfect, wise, brilliant in simplicity and much to meditate on.
A Woman's Book of Strength, by Karen Andes. Use the pathway of your body to access your mind and spirit as well. We all possess inner strength... this book shows how the inner strength is woven together with our body's strength.
Music:
Pure, by Hayley Westenra. Lovely vocals by a young performer. This cd has the most beautiful recording of Amazing Grace that I've ever heard.
Stars to Share, by Samite. My massage therapist was playing this cd one time and I fell in love with it. The music here feeds and warms my soul.
 Don't forget to check out CDBaby.com, a great new place to buy cd's. Their New Age section is a must for all serious SoulCollagers! Their customer service is unsurpassed and they stock cd's from over 158,000 artists. Great selections, great prices, friendly people, and a good deal on shipping. What more could you want?
Websites:
Dalai Lama Home Page- Absorb some more of this wise one's teachings here.
Soul Fragments- Imelda's SoulCollage Blog from the UK.
Spinning the fragments of your world
into wholeness and beauty
through SoulCollage®
Published by KaleidoSoul.com
and Anne Marie Bennett.
Please do not reproduce or forward
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Inner Journeys, copyright 2006,
Anne Marie Bennett
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