Soul Treasures
Discovering the depths of our precious inner beauty through SoulCollage®
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KaleidoSoul's Members-Only Weekly Newsletter
Issue #50 March 12, 2007
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Quotation of the Week
Feeling light within, I walk.
---Navajo Chant
Inner Journeys
with Anne Marie Bennett
Integrating the Practice of SoulCollage® into Your Daily Life
Where's Your Center of Gravity?
 We haven't had much snow here in eastern Massachusetts this winter, but the snow we did have last month came along with lots of ice. Several times our driveway has looked and felt like an ice skating rink without the Zamboni machine!
You would think that 44 winters in New England (I spent 6 years teaching in Virginia when I was in my 20's) might have made it easier for me to negotiate slippery ice, but it has not. I have always approached walking on ice with dread, and fear, and extreme caution.
Until this winter.
What changed? Not too long ago I heard a famous ice skater (in an interview) say something like this, "Staying balanced while I'm skating is simply a matter of moving from my center of gravity." Hmm... I thought. It seemed there was a kernel of wisdom in his philosophy. Maybe it would even help ME stay balanced on our slippery New England pavements!
A few days later I stood on our porch steps, surveying the newly-icy sidewalk and driveway, dreading once again walking to my car. But I remembered what the skater had said and I wondered if somehow I could transfer his truth to my own back yard. I stood still for a few moments, thinking about my center of gravity.
I don't know about you, but I'd never thought about this before! Where exactly is it? I had no idea, but as I focused on this question, I realized that my body was hunched over in anxious trepidation. I straightened and suddenly could sense a line of energy running straight through me, from head to toe. Somehow, this empowered me to move forward towards my car. As I walked, I held the conscious thought, "I am moving from my center of gravity." And oh happy day! It was easy!
Our icy winter days are over for another year here in New England (hopefully!). But from now on, anytime I approach something new or frightening or dangerous (or merely icy), I intend to move towards it from my own center of gravity. This might be a matter of standing up straighter and breathing from the core of my body. Or it might be a matter of focusing on whatever I need to do to get grounded in my soul.
Reflection activities of the week: Stand up, close your eyes, breathe deeply, and see if you can discern the "center of gravity" in your own body. It might be right smack in the center of your body, or you may feel it a little higher up (in your heart chakra area) or a little lower down (in your root chakra or higher). When you feel it, move forward several paces and notice how it feels to move from this place instead of from your mind. Also, sometime in the next few weeks, spend some time journaling or SoulCollaging around the idea of where your own soul's center of gravity is located. What is it that grounds your soul into the essence of who you are?
SoulCollage Expressions
Idea of the Week
I had to change my Source card recently due to changes inside me about emerging Feminine/Goddess energies. My original card was an image of a nebula.
At first it seemed fine. Then it started to grate, so I found a second image I liked a lot better and pasted it on the back side of my original Source card. So now my source card has both male and female energies. --from Kathleen in Nebraska
Question of the Week
People on the Yahoo Group and Soul Songs newsletter keep talking about Neters. What exactly is a Neter and what does it have to do with SoulCollage?
Great question! To begin this answer, I'll quote Seena Frost on page 44 of the book SoulCollage: In ancient Egypt the word Neter referred to the One Source beyond Creation. The plural of the word, Neters, referred to the particular archetypal manifestations flowing from this Source, the gods and goddesses who were active in peoples' lives, who were imaged in art, and who were named and invoked in prayers.
So in ancient Egypt, the word Neter referred to both The One (Source)AND The Many (everything that flows from Source). In SoulCollage we honor the One in our own individual expression of our Source Cards. And we honor the Many as we create and dialog with our inner voices, archetypes, spirit guides, community members, and animal totems. When you hear a SoulCollager referring to one of her cards as "a Neter," she means that it is one of the many pieces and parts that make up her inner and outer world (or that make up her soul).
Soul Friends
The voice of a different Kindred Spirit each week!
Holly O'Brien
Portland, Oregon
 Hello SoulCollage artists. My name is Holly O'Brien and I have been working with SoulCollage for about two years now as an aid to my personal spiritual journey to my inner self.
Because two of my children have special needs, and one is very talented drama queen, I have to work hard to find time for myself. SoulCollage has given me a powerful tool to stay connected to my authentic self and to have some fun while I am at it. My children like to look through the cards and tell me stories about them which is an interesting clue into their inner lives. Sometimes they see things that I never did!
Recently I got to use my cards in a totally new way for me. As the final project for a support group for adult victims of abuse we made an art project that depicted our healing journey. I was going to make a new card, but as I started to look through my old cards, I found that I could tell a story with them. I selected twelve cards to each represent a different phase and I was blown away by the results! It was amazing to me to use my SoulCollage images with a complete new meaning. I hope to make a card to show my earliest day, before the abuse, to show a time of innocence. Of course, the journey goes on, and I could keep adding cards to the story indefinitely.
One of the surprising things that SoulCollage has done for me is help me explore my shadow self. I found that some images would repulse me and I would shy away from them, yet be curious. One day I decided to see what these images had to say to me and so I made a card. The experience was powerful for me. Being able to hold my shadow selves up to the light helped me embrace them and took some of negative power out of it.
I have found that many cards come in pairs.
The following are two cards that I made in the same day
that tell two parts of a story for me.
Dreamer
Suit: Committee
I am the one whose dreams take me someplace else. I am the one who dreams about the present and the future. The one who is forced into rest and remembering. I am the one who shows you the darkness that hides in a beautiful house.
Awaken
Suit: Committee
I am the one who is refreshed and fierce, leaves the dreams behind and brings them back to the present. I am the one who remembers the past and moves in to the future. I am the one who will slay the dragons and protect me from intrusions, pain, and invaders.
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:
 Have you signed up for your
fr*ee 30-minute Soul-to-Soul consultation with Anne Marie Bennett yet? This is just an opportunity for you to get a small taste of what a Soul-to-SoulCollage Session is like (via email or phone), and to discuss what you need as far as assistance with your SoulCollage practice. And here's the best part... I will call you... even if you don't live in the US! MORE INFO.
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.
April:
Your Personal Totem Pole
Presenter: Anne Marie Bennett
Do you get the part about animal totems but aren't sure how they're related to the chakras? Then join us for this tele-class which will be (in part) based on the book The Personal Totem Pole, by Eligio Stephen Gallegos (more information below in the Books section). This is the book that Seena Frost references when she talks about the Companions Suit of our SoulCollage Decks. We'll talk about animal totems and we'll talk about chakras, but most of this class we'll be talking about how the two are intertwined. This will make a huge difference in your understanding of the Companions Suit and of your animal guides' place in your life as well.
Date: Sunday April 15, 2007
Time: 6 pm EST
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 Personal Totem Pole: Animal Imagery, the Chakras, and Psychotherapy, by Eligio Stephen Gallegos, Ph.D.- I am reading this author's books now in preparation for our April tele-playshop. You might want to pick up a copy (click on the underlined words of the title) if you are interested in the topic of how the animal guides are related to our chakra energies. Your library might have a copy too. It's fascinating stuff. This book was the major motivation behind Seena Frost's including the Companions Suit in our SoulCollage decks. Gallegos has also written another book, Animals of the Four Windows, which you might find interesting as well.
Learning to Fall, by Philip Simmons. I've recommended this book before and want to do so again, because it is pertinent to my essay above. I have always been afraid of falling, but this book gives me the freedom to fall, and permission to fall... as well as the grace and wisdom to get back up again.
Strands of Eternity,by Vasant Lad. It has really 'knocked my socks off' with descriptions of the interplay of our inner and outer worlds.... and also prose about how different 'difficult' emotions like anger can be felt and overcome. The book is a compilation of mystical poetry and discourses. Each poem is derived from the ancient sutras of Ayurveda. The intro page contains the following quote: "The Sanskrit word Sutra means thread or suture. It is as if the lower self is one piece and the higher Self is another; The flow of eternity sews these two together." Some of the poem names: "The Witness", "The Shadow", "The One Behind the Many." --from Diana in Minnesota
Music:
Oremi, by Angelique Kidjo. A brilliant combination of soul and rhythm and blues. My favorite song on this CD is "Open Your Eyes. One reviewer calls her music "a wave of higher consciousness." Immensely soothing and dance-able.
 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:
Coaching Question of the Week- A lovely service from Spirituality and Health's website. I signed up for this months ago and love receiving it. Sometimes I journal with it and sometimes I delete it but it ALWAYS makes me think. More often than not, it's the question I most need to hear during any given week. I love it also because that's all it is... just one little question. They don't try to sell you anything or forward you on to websites that do.
Intuitive Creativity- Awesome blog of 100 collages by our friend Shelley Klammer of Vancouver, who also has a fabulous website, Collage for Self-Discovery. Click on each smaller version to see a larger version and a quote that goes with it. Allow these collages and/or the accompanying quotations to inspire your own SoulCollage work this month.
Spinning the fragments of your world
into wholeness and beauty
through SoulCollage®
Published by KaleidoSoul.com
and Anne Marie Bennett.
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Inner Journeys, copyright 2006,
Anne Marie Bennett
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